Happy birthday little boy!

Yes, I am behind in my posts.  It's not like I don't have things to write about, because I do.  I just can't find the time to write.  Work has been crazy, the kids are terrific but crazy, the kitchen has been crazy (I am cooking up a storm), and Adam's work has been crazy, which has led me to do more around the house and with the kids.  The good news is that after 6 weeks of at least one person being sick in our family, everyone is healthy.  Yay!!!

And my little baby had a birthday.  I can't believe he is one year old already.  I remember when he was born. 

And now . . .



We had a small family gathering to celebrate his birthday, and of course, I made him a special cake.

I took the kids to the store to get some decorations.  I wanted to specifically say 1st birthday, so I knew I was limited.  There were 2 for boys, one just blue, and one Sesame Street.  Sesame Street won.  Then I remembered that my friend made an Elmo cake for her daughter's birthday a couple of years ago, and sure enough she still had the directions and the cake pan.  I think it turned out pretty good.  For the cake, I used this recipe.  Now everyone is different when it comes to cakes, and I am not a huge cake fan (I said cake, not sweets people), but I thought this cake tasted amazing!  It's a little more dense than most cakes probably, but I thought it tasted awesome.  I did half organic whole wheat pastry flour and half organic unbleached white flour.  If you have to bake a cake anytime soon, I recommend this recipe. 

And here I am in hte kitchen cooking.  We had dinner at our house for the little guy's party.  I made hummus, homemade trail mix, spaghetti with 2 kinds of meatballs (one had meat and one did not), salad bar, garlic bread, and of course, the cake.  Dinner was a hit.  Everyone enjoyed it!

Everyone was not a fan of the party hats though.  I was lucky to get this one picture with my kids and their party hits (mine too of course).  I can't believe how big they are getting.

I wish I had pictures of the little guy eating his cake, but they wouldn't upload.  I will add them later if I can get it work.  Now Hope is a girly girl, and that has absolutely nothing to do with the way she is being raised.  She is all about skirts, dresses, princesses, and not getting sticky.  So one her first birthday, she was not into the whole cake in mouth thing.  It wasn't for her.  She didn't really even play with it.  Total bummer.  But my Aidan, he is a different story.  We gave him a whole eye of Elmo, so it was like his own individual cake.  He started out slow, but once he figured it it was a lot of yummy sugary stuff, he went crazy.  He had it all over his mouth, hands, it was . . . AWESOME!  I loved every minute of it.  I will never forget that moment. 

I then took the little guy into his 1 year appointment and he is weight is ok.  He is in the 7th percentile and still pretty picky about what he eats and how he eats it.  He only has 2 teeth still so I don't feel like I can give him much, but we are trying.  I am still nursing, but not as often and not in a rigid schedule like before.  He has had whole milk and had no problems with it.  I really struggle with what to give him.  He take organic whole milk with most meals and a little extra when I am not around, but he doesn't drink that much.  I nurse him anywhere between 2 and 4 times a day and then at night if he is waking up (he has been sick with an ear infection so I am currently nursing him when he wakes which is twice a night right now).  I am trying to be careful about soy with him because he is a boy, but the kid does like tofu. He hasn't had any meat, and doesn't like beans.  If there are any moms who have picky kids, tell me what you give them.  I refuse to have him eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese every week.  We are doing what the ped recommends which is to just keep introducing the food over and over. 

Oh, and 4 days after the little guy's birthday, I celebrated my birthday.  The hubs did a great job for my birthday.  I felt very special.  And the cake I had was awesome!  It's a special place we get cakes for each other and they even come in vegan versions.

I survived Hopeapalooza

Last week was such a crazy week, I can't believe I survived.  My little girl is 3 years old.  I can't believe it.  I feel like she is a child now, not a baby or even a toddler (I know she is technically still a toddler, but it doesn't feel like it). 

Little Miss Hope Cecile has been giving us drama from the very beginning.  Not only was she conceived with love, but also modern science and medicine.  Then when I was 20 week pregnant, her growth dropped a little.  They told us not to worry but come back for another extensive ultrasound in 6 weeks.  We did and she had dropped even more, being diagnosed with borderline IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction).  I was put on modified bestrest and told to consume as many calories as possible (easy to say after they freak you out so bad that the thought of food makes you want to vomit).  I won't take you through all of the details, but the specialists wanted me induced after she stopped growing at 38+ weeks which was something I didn't want, but had been so upset for so long, I just wanted her out and healthy.  The induction went well and relatively fast for inductions and my "miracle" baby was born on Oct. 14, 2008 at 7:30am (yep I labored all night long).

3 years later, . . .

For her birthday, we took her out to dinner and to see Disney on Ice - Dare to Dream.  Dinner was nearby the arena at Johnny Rockets.  Little Hope wanted a "pink" shake and chicken fingers.  And they have a very good veggie burger, so I was happy. 

At first, she didn't like the show. 

We were very close, it got dark fast, and it was loud, so it was a good 20 minutes before she calmed down.  She survived and really enjoyed the second half.  The next day was her family birthday party, aka Christmas for Hope. 

For dinner, I did 2 veggies soups, vegetarian chili with butternut squash (pretty much used this exact recipe), and baked potato soup.  The chili is very good, btw.

For her cake, Hope wanted a pink cake with pink icing and pink ice cream. 

It was a whirlwind weekend, but we survived and lived to tell the story, including this guy . . .



Faux egg salad Sandwich

So I blogged a week or so ago about my Vegan Cobb Salad.  I know what you were thinking.  Great, but what am I going to do with the rest of can of chickpeas?  Well I will tell you.  It's called "Faux Egg Salad" and it's delicious.  And even better, you don't have to dirty a lot of dishes or gadgets. 

It's very simple, but very yummy. 

Serves 1

Ingredients

1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 T mayo (vegan or regular)

1 T diced pickles

Pinch of salt and pepper

2 slices of great bread (I used pumpernickel)

Nondairy butter (or regular butter) (optional)

Directions

Place chickpeas in a small bowl and mash them with a fork.

Add mayo next and continue to mash.  You can have it as smooth or lumpy as you like it.  The first time I did it, I kept it pretty lumpy, but the next time, I smoothed it out more (I prefer smoother).

Add in the pickles and salt and pepper to taste. 

Lightly toast bread and pat with a little butter.

Place chickpea mixture on bread and serve.

This is a great, filling lunch for vegetarians and vegans when you want something with some bulk.  I love it!

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Vegan Cobb Salad

There are few things I miss since going vegetarian a few years ago, but now that dairy is out of the question, I have been mostly vegan for the past 2 1/2 months (ok, some ice cream has fallen into my mouth a couple of times, but that's it).  For the most part, I can make anything that I had before in a vegetarian or vegan way.  The problem is when I go out.  Now I don't go out very much and definitely even less with kids, but when I only sleep for a couple of hours continuously, and try to run, maybe work that day, straighten up the house, make lunches for the next day, etc. I am pretty tired and making a lovely dinner is not a priority.  Of course, I would rather be in the kitchen making a yummy dinner than cleaning the house or doing laundry.  So I have had to down play dinner for a past few months.  One thing I used to love is cobb salads.  I never made them at home, but I used to order them a lot.  Now I know they are not healthy, but boy they were yummy.  Well this is something I really can't order anymore, so I had to come up with something I could do at home.

Vegan Cobb Salad

(serves 1)

Ingredients

2-3 cups romaine lettuce

1/2 plum tomato

1/4 avocado, chopped

1/2 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 strips of veggie bacon (I used Smart Bacon by LightLife)

1/4 cup celery

1/4 cup non-dairy cheese (I used Daiya cheddar shreds)

2 tablespoons of your favorite dressing (I wanted creamy so I went with Goddess dressing)

Directions

1. Make bacon according to packages (I have microwaved it and cooked it on the stovetop, if you have the time use the stovetop)
2. Spread out lettuce
3. Take each ingredient and line them up over the romaine
4. Sprinkle on the dressing

Yes, simple directions, but like I said, this was never something I made, I usually just ordered it in restaurants.  I haven't found a restaurant that does vegan cobb salads, so this is a great way to get my fix.  The chickpeas are a great substitute for eggs here.  And I usually got mine without chicken anyway, so I don't miss a thing with this version.

Do you have any meals you now make at home that you used to get only when you were out?

One pot meal and August running numbers

So for all you busy people who don't have time to do a lot of dishes, here is a take on fried rice that only requires one pot.  It is also nice because it's a good clean out the fridge meal as well.

My One Pot Fried Rice

Ingredients

1 T dark sesame oil

3-4 cups fresh veggies, chopped (I used carrots, onions, broccoli, celery and red bell peppers) - frozen could be used as well

1 cup uncooked brown rice

2 cups water (or vegetable stock)

3 T soy sauce

A couple of dashes of hot sauce

1 T toasted sesame seeds

Seitan chick'n strips or rotisserie chicken (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil on medium high heat in a large pan with high enough sides.
2. Add chopped veggies and saute for 4-5 minutes.
3. Add uncooked rice and toast the rice or another 4-5 minutes, until it starts to turn brown.
4. Add water stir to combine and cover.  If you have real brown rice, it will take 30-40 minutes to cook the rice.  If you have parboil, it will take significantly less time.  Stir occasionally. 
5. Remove lid and stir.  Add soy sauce, hot sauce, and sesame seeds in.  You can also add in your protein now, or just add it to the plate.

Serves 4. 

Lots of colorful veggies

Cooking the rice in the sauteed veggies save you on number of pots to clean.

Dinner is served!  I added seitan to mine and the hubs got rotisserie chicken.

Running Numbers

I am such a numbers person that I have to tally up my miles at the end of the month.  Despite the lack of sleep and not feeling 100%, I surpassed July's number (72. something ) in August with 75.29 (and one week I only ran 4.04 miles).  I hope to get up over 100 soon.  I just the little guy to do some sleeping (we did pretty well on Friday and Saturday, but he made me pay last night, it was bad).

Do you have any one pot wonders?  Happy Monday!

Off dairy again and the stuff that goes along with it

Several weeks ago, during the time when the little guy wasn't sleeping at all, we also noticed he had some tummy issues. I did some research and found that moms consuming dairy whole nursing can affect their little ones. That was the only thing that had changed about my diet. I had limited dairy while trying to lose the baby weight and it seems to give me more energy too. Well after the baby weight came off and I was running more, I added dairy back in for the calories. I was able to maintain my weight, but the little guy didn't approve. So now I am back off dairy, and I thought this would be a good time to try veganism (so no eggs either). I got the book (from the library), Veganist. I read it cover to cover in just days (that's pretty good when you don't have a lot of free time). She doesn't think eating soy is bad for you (something a lot of vegans and vegetarians have opposite opinions on). She also has some sample menus which included a good bit of fake meat (another controversial topic). It appears to be her way to get the protein you need.

So I have been doing the vegan thing for the past several weeks (a couple of slip ups), but for the most part, I have done pretty good. I am pretty hungry and have a difficult time getting that full feeling. Thing were going ok, until this week. I had serious troubles with my run on Tuesday and was sore for 2 days, aka not recovering well all of a sudden. Also, some of you may know that after you have a baby, your hair falls out, well mine has been falling out still. I was reading a post from Matt at No Meat Athlete about protein consumption. He mentions hair falling out and having a hard time recovering from workouts. Now I am concerned I am not getting enough protein to sustain my lifestyle (nursing my son and running 20-25 miles a week, cross training 1-2 times a week). I am getting so much conflicting statements, do I eat soy and fake meat to get my protein up, and how much protein should I be eating? Any good tips on foods with proteins that are easy that I might not be eating? I know there are people more active than me that have a vegan diet and perform well.

I hope to get a lot of comments and advice.

Best Vegan Pesto

Well the little guy has some really bad gas when I eat dairy, so I am back off of dairy.  So I have been playing around with some recipes.  Here is one I love. 

Best Pesto Sauce/Spread

Ingredients

1 bunch basil (1 1/2 - 2 cups)

1/2 cup EVOO

1 cup raw almonds, toasted

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

5 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons low sodium veggie stock

Directions
1.  Toast almonds at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes.
2.  Throw almonds into the food processor first, and chop.  I like to do this first because it gets harder when you have all the other ingredients in there.
3.  Throw in the rest of the ingredients and combine.

The finished product is pretty thick, so if you like it a litlte thinner, just add more veggie stock.  I like mine thick so I can use it as a spread for sandwiches.  I thin it out with pasta water when I use it with pasta.

Today, this was a little more of a pain for me, because I have a Junior food processor.  My blender has broken.  Any recs on which one to get?  

Spreads and dips

So my little guy has been very gassy lately and we are still trying to figure it out.  We first thought it was this (the gas) that had him up all night, but now we are not quite so sure.  Well the only thing that has changed about my diet in the past few weeks (since the gas has started to get worse) is dairy.  And of course this is a big trigger food for increased gas according to Kelly Mom.  So I am back to laying off dairy.  It's a mixed blessing for me really.  I know I feel better when I limit dairy, but I am finding it difficult to stay full (or get full) when I don't add cheese to my sandwiches or eat a nice big bowl of ice cream after the kids are in bed (and before the little guy is up again).  Since the little guy is not sleeping (I mean really not sleeping), I could use all I can get to feel good about myself (lack of sleep sucks). 

So I turned to some websites to look at some new dips and spreads I could use to snack on or put on my sandwiches to help bulk up my meals.  I found 2 to try. 

#1 - Basil Pesto Spread
This is basically the same recipe from Oh She Glows, but when I made it it came out more of a spread than a pasta sauce.  It is also a little salty for my taste, so I would cut down on the salt next time.  I do like the fact that a can of beans are in there.  Nice protein/fiber kick.

Ingredients
1/4 cup dry roasted salted almonds
1 T EVOO
1.5 cups basil, packed
2 cloves of garlic, grated through micro plane
1 can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
1 T water
2 T nutritional yeast
3 T lemon juice (I didn't have fresh lemons, so I used the concentrate)
3/4 t salt (too much, next time I will use 1/4 t)

Rachael Ray method for mincing garlic so you don't have chunks

Remember to check the other side of the plane to scrape off all of the garlic

Directions
Pulse the almonds first to chop up. 
Add rest of the ingredients and process to desired consistency.

(For those of you who noticed, this recipe started in the blender, and then it broke on me, so I finished in the food processor.  Any blender recs?)

Recipe #2 - Roasted Eggplant Spread
Now this is one that came from Barefoot Contessa my friend told me about.  I pretty much followed this one to a T, with minimal changes. 

Ingredients
1 medium eggplant (I did not peel)
2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 small red onions, peeled
2 garlic cloves, grated
3 T EVOO
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
2 T dry white wine (veggie stock will work too)
1 T tomato paste

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft.

After taking them out (I forgot to turn them), pour wine over veggies to scrape bits off of bottom of the pan.
Place the vegetables in a food processor, add tomato paste, and pulse to disered consistency. 

Both spreads were so good, that I put one on each of my bagel halves for a very yummy sandwich.

(Sorry, not a pretty picture)

Any tips to staying full and satisfied?

Look at those tired eyes.  Still a cutie!



Easy breezy vegan dinner (inexpensive too)

Here is a quick and easy, but delicious dinner that everyone in my house loves - Hoisin-glazed tempeh with snap beans.  I serve mine over brown rice, and this meal can be ready in minutes.

adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients
5 t hoisin sauce (plum sauce works well here too)
2 t rice vinegar
1 1/2 T soy sauce or tamari
1 t corn starch
1/2 cup water
1 T canola oil
1 T minced ginger (I keep some in the freezer so I have it on hand all the time)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-8oz package tempeh, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups fresh snap beans, ends cut off (can use frozen too)
1/4 cup toasted cashews (I buy raw and toast them at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes).
Splash of sesame oil
2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions
1.  Whisk hoisin sauce, 2 t vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl.  Set aside.
2.  Heat skillet over medium heat.  Add canola oil, then garlic and ginger.  Saute for 1-2 minutes until golden, but not burning.
3.  Add tempeh and sauce for 3-4 minutes.
4.  Add hoisin sauce mixture.  Stir to coat tempeh, cover and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken. 
5.  Add green beans and stir sauce, cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
6.  Add in cashews and stir to coat again.
7.  Place brown rice on each plate, and splash a little sesame oil over rice then serve tempeh over rice.

I buy my beans fresh, and then bring them home and clean them up and place them in the fridge, so they are ready to go when it comes to dinner time.  If I have the time, I make the real brown rice, but if I don't have, I grab either the Minute rice (brown), kashi 7 grain rice pilaf, or frozen brown rice that can be ready in minutes.

This meal is a hit for everyone in the fam.  Hubs likes that tempeh tastes hearty and meaty like meat, and my toddler likes it, but she likes it to be separate.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Summer Panzanella Salad

I had some fresh veggies I needed to use up, and couldn't figure out what to do with them.  Between having 2 small kiddos and the summer heat, my dinners have been lacking.  Acouple of searches later, I decided to do a panzanella salad.

Ingredients

1/2 loaf pumpernickel bread, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red onion, cut up

1 pint grape tomatoes (I cut them in half, but next time I would leave them whole)

2 zucchinis, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 T EVOO

3 T light balsamic vinegarette

1/4 cup parsley

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drizzle 1 T EVOO on bread and toast for 10 minutes.

Transfer bread to bowl.

Place tomatoes, onion, and zucchini on baking sheet and drizzle 1 T EVOO on baking sheet.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on veggies and roast for 30-40 minutes. 

Remove baking sheet from oven, pour vinegarette over veggies and scrape the bottom of the baking sheet to get all the bits up.

Transfer veggies to bowl with toasted bowl.

Add parsley and chickpeas.

Stir to combine and serve.

Toasted bread

Veggies ready to roast

Roasted veggies with chickpeas and parsley

The finished product ready to serve

Makes a great summer meal and the chickpeas added make it filling.

As a main course, serves 2

As a side dish, serves 4.

My new favorite vegan granola bars

I have been tweaking a few granola bar recipes to find one that I really like and is nutrious and feeling that we can make at home.  The husband likes to eat them on his way to work so they need to taste good and be filling.  Here is what I have come up with:

Vegan Granola Bars
adapted from Clean Eating Machine

Ingredients
4 cups oats
3/4 cup walnuts
3/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1.5 sticks Earth Balance (or other vegan spread)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
Large pinch of salt

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2.  Mix well.
3.  Press firmly into cookie sheet with high sides lined with aluminum foil or parchment paper (makes it easier to get out after they are finished.
4.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.
5.  Let cool and then cut into 24 bars.
6.  Eat and freeze the rest.

You have to give them a try. 

Strawberry picking

A few weeks ago I took the kiddos to do some berry picking.  It's strawberry season here so we found one farm that looked perfect, but they were closed when we got there.  Even though I called the day before, but he did give us another place to try.  I am not sure that these strawberries weren't sprayed, but it was our only option that day and my little girl was super excited about picking some berries.

You pay by the pound and we had 11.5 pounds of strawberries.  We went home, washed and froze some and used others to top our morning oatmeal, to snack on, and to make muffins. 

Vegan Strawberry Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

1 flax egg, (1T ground flax, 3T water)

2 cups Bisquick 1/3 cup sugar 1 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 cup strawberries

Directions

Make flax egg and set aside for 5 min.

Mix together all ingredients except the strawberries until JUST blended.

Fold in strawberries and spoon into 12 muffin cups.

Bake at 400*F for 13-18 minutes or until just browned.

Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 53 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 116 Calories from Fat 30

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 3.4g 5%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 225mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 20.3g 7%

Dietary Fiber 0.9g 4%

Sugars 7.6g

Protein 1.8g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 12% Calcium 9% • Iron 5%

Nutrition Grade

Who has made the switch?

Since being on maternity leave, I saw the Oprah rerun of Veganism.  Oprah and some 378 staff members went vegan for 7 days.  A lot of people mentioned having so much more energy and feeling just better overall.  Because my nights are very crazy right now (neither kid is a good sleeper, the last 2 nights both have woken up multiple times), I know I need to eat well to help me feel better.  And of course, once you decide to become a vegetarian, all of the literature is really targeted to becoming a vegan.  So I have always had some guilt about just being a vegetarian.  I am trying to think about it through though.  I love almond milk, so that is a very easy change for me to make to sub in for regular milk.  Cheese is the next issue.  I probably should be limiting cheese anyway since I still have some baby weight to lose.  The biggest issue with cheese is with family meals.  Both the hubs as well as the daughter both love cheese, especially pizza.  They would not be happy if I made a pizza with no cheese.  Then there is ice cream.  I LOVE ice cream, which I know I probably should be limiting that too if I want to lose weight, but it is my #1 weakness.  I tried the banana soft serve and while it was very good, it did take some time to prepare compared to just dumping some ice cream in a bowl like I normally do.  And since I was toting around a newborn/infant, ease is very important.  I found a new blog not too long ago and she was doing the Crazy Sexy Diet 21 day challenge which is vegan and gluten free.  So all these things I am seeing in just a matter of days.

I had one vegan day and I have to say that I felt great.  Of course, the kids also napped well that day, so that might have helped out some.  Since then, I have been trying to limit my dairy, with the exception of ice cream on some nights.  I am wondering if I can kick the ice cream habit.  I am not sure if vegan is completely possible for me at least right now, but I think I would feel better, it's healthier, and it would probably help me lose the rest of my baby weight. 

So it has me thinking, how do you make the switch?  Especially with meat eaters in the family?  Any advice?  Any reading recommendations or websites?  Any products you recommend?  Additional vitamins I should take?  TIA!  

Yummy recipe - Lentil Loaf

I had made a bunch of lentils, but didn't end up having something specific to use them for, so I started looking into the blog world for recipes.  I came across 2 lentil loaf recipes.  I had been eyeing this recipe for a while and now sounded like the perfect time to make this.

Lentil Loaf

adapted from Angela and Kate

Ingredients:



2 - 2 1/2 cup cooked lentils (cooked in water)

3 TBS ground flax seed

1/2 cup warm water

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small mild onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced (I used 4 baby carrots)

1 small apple grated (I used red delicious because that was what I had on hand)

3/4 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

1 tsp kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup oats, ground into a flour

3/4 cup bread crumbs

½ c bbq sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a loaf pan grease one large loaf pan or four small ones.

Toast 3/4 cup of walnuts in a 350 degree oven for about 5 min.

Mix 3 tbsp of ground flax with 1/2 cup warm water and stir well. Set aside for at least 5-10 minutes so it can gel up.

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onion and minced garlic for about 5 minutes on medium heat in 1 T olive oil, being careful not to burn. After the onions are tender, add carrot and sauté for 2-3 minutes over low heat. Add grated apple, and chopped walnuts and sauté another minute or two.  Add salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Take 75% of the lentils and place into a blender. Process until mostly smooth (some small lentils will remain!). Now take the processed lentils and scoop into a large bowl.

Add in the remaining 25% of non-processed lentils and place into bowl. Add the oil, breadcrumbs, flax egg, veggie mixture, oat flour, and ground flax seed. Stir well with a spoon and then remove the spoon and mix well with your hands, press mixture into loaf pan with your fingers.

Spread bbq sauce evenly over loaf and bake, uncovered 30-35 minutes at 350F.

Let cool a few minutes and serve!

The mixture before it went into the pan

The finished product

My plate - I paired my loaf with an organic spinach salad with chickpeas and carrots with Annie's dressing.

Definitely worth a try. 

A new purchase for me

I bought some extra virgin coconut oil yesterday when I was at the farmer's market.  I had been looking for it at both the grocery store and the farmer's market but hadn't seen it yet.  I saw it yesterday, so I grabbed some up.  I have seen a lot of information on coconut oil over the past several months as well as it coming up in a lot of recipes, so I thought I would give it a try. 

Benefits of Coconut Oil

The health benefits of coconut oil include

• Promoting heart health
• Promoting weight loss
• Supporting your immune system health
• Supporting a healthy metabolism
• Immediate energy source
• Helps with dry skin and hair

Coconut oil is about 92% saturated fat (OMG, no) and is solid at room temperature.  Research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that most of them are Medium Chain Triglycerides, which do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, but are in fact very healthy.  Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal.

Most oils are light and heat sensitive, meaning that they easily turn rancid if not kept in a cool, dark place. Coconut oil is highly stable and is much more resistant to heat than other oils, even olive oil. So it's great to cook with but supposedly also great to have raw.

What to do with coconut oil?

So now I have it, I don't have any specific recipes to use coconut oil.  How do you use coconut oil?  I will be scouring blogs for recipes, so if you have any good ones, please let me know.  Also, if you use coconut oil for things other than in recipes, I am all ears. 



A meal for both meat and veggie eaters

I saw the "Rachael Ray Show" a couple of weeks ago and one of her recipes caught my eye.  I knew I could make it a veggie version or at least a half veggie version. 

This is my take on the Rachael Ray's Roasted Sausage, Pumpkin Apples and Onions with Maple and Beer Pan Gravy:

Ingredients

• 1/2 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite pieces (don't worry I will show you what to do with the other half)
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into wedges with root ends attached
• 1 Gala apple, quartered, core trimmed away
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 links bratwurst or other sausage of choice (I did 2 veggie and 2 chicken sausage links)
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for liberal drizzling
• 1.5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 cup beer
• 3/4 cups veggie stock
• 1/8 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine squash, onions and apples with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a little freshly grated nutmeg.

Add sausages and dress everything with a layer of EVOO, about 3 tablespoons to coat. Arrange on large baking sheet and roast 30-40 minutes.

Heat butter in small pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour for 1 minute then add beer and reduce half a minute more. Whisk in stock, syrup and soy sauce, add some coarse black pepper and let thicken a few minutes more to coat spoon.

Serve roasted sausages and squash doused with gravy.

This is before going into the oven.  ***Note:  I took the other half of the butternut squash and put some maple syrup, EVOO, and salt on it and roasted it as well.  I made 2 butternut squash salads during the week that were very yummy (spinach, roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, dried cranberries, bell pepper, and a light poppyseed dressing).

My sauce reducing.  If you really want a lot of sauce, consider doubling the recipe.  We did not have enough to "douse" our meal with this gravy.

After coming out of the oven, and ready to be plated.

I paired this dinner with a nice side spinach salad.  It was a pretty well received meal by everyone, although I was not a huge fan of the veggie sausage I had.  I think I will try a different brand next time. 

Creamy Tomato Jalapeno Pasta

I found this recipe in my Vegetarian Times magazine and it was a vegan creamy pasta recipe, so I thought I would give it a try.  I made a few tweaks to the recipe to have to work for our family (aka we like a lot of sauce).

The ingredients

After the chopping and the shredding

The sauce coming together

The pasta and sauce combined, yum!

Creamy Tomato Jalapeno Pasta

adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients

• 3 roma tomatoes (about 1.5 cups), diced
• 1 Jalapeno, chopped (I only used 1/2, but it wasn't very hot, so next time I would use the whole)
• 1/2 cup vegan mozzarella cheese (or a monterey would work too)
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened soy milk
• 1 tablespoon vegan spread (Earth Balance and Smart Balance with Flax are both vegan)
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 oz. pasta (we used angel hair tonight because that's what we had)

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to packaging.
2. While pasta is cooking, melt 1 tablespoon margarine in a large skillet over low heat.
3. Mix in flour and whisk for 30 seconds.
4. Add in soy milk and whisk until flour mixture is worked into the milk.
5. Add in mozzarella cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.
6. Add in tomatoes, jalapeno, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
7. Add pasta to the sauce to combine.
8. Serve!

Serves 4. 

I combined the pasta with a simple green salad and some homemade lemon garlic tahini dressing, which is also vegan (and delicious).