ZUCCHINI CHICKPEA TOMATO CURRY

This recipe has the usual players: sweet potatoes, ginger, curry, cumin, agave nectar, along with cloves, turmeric, coriander, and green beans.  I served it over super-fast to prepare whole wheat couscous.  My kids love couscous.

CINNAMON SWEET TORTILLA STRIPS

My girls inhale Cinnamon Sweet Tortilla Strips at a darn near scary rate.  Oil on both sides, cinnamon & sugar dip, cut into strips, and bake.  On parchment paper of course.  It is like cinnamon toast but way better.

STRAWBERRY BASIL EUPHORIA

 I challenge anyone to come up with a better use of freshly picked strawberries, farmers market basil, and cheap sweet tea vodka.  This seasonal refreshment can be prepared approximately as follows:

Add to blender bowl:
6-8 strawberries

4-6 basil leaves

squeeze of lemon

2 oz vodka (I used sweet tea flavor)
squirt of agave nectar, to taste (any sweetening agent will do)
5 ice-cubes

Blend for 10 seconds on chop-ice mode, then at regular speed until nearly smooth.  Pour into festive glass, sit by an open window, and experience euphoria.

PEANUT SESAME HUMMUS

Oh this was goooood.  In addition to chickpeas, this hummus had peanut butter, ginger, lime, sesame oil (in the hummus and pooled in center).  Was really quite super.

"TICKLED PINK" VANILLA SPRINKLE COOKIES

Lacking beet powder, I tried to tint the batter by using beet-pink dyed sugar crystals.  Did not quite work.  I also sprinkled those crystals on top but they became invisible upon baking.  They tasted good.

BALSAMIC MAPLE SAUCE

This sweet and savory concoction is made on the stove and is one of those sauces that adds pizazz and awesomeness to most any ho-hum dish.  It was suggested for drizzle on the Quinoa Chickpea Confetti Casserole, and it made a really good meal more superlative.  Find your basil pasta a little dry?  Drizzle on a little BMS.  Got a case of sweet potato stew blahs?  BMS.  New brand of veggie nuggets a bit on the bland side?  BMS dunk.

QUINOA CHICKPEA CONFETTI CASSEROLE

Way better than I was expecting, and certainly interesting.  Quinoa (keen-wah) is the "it" grain these days, and no wonder; it makes these dainty little sprouts while it cooks, and has a fluffy yet springy pleasant texture.  Cooler yet, I did not have to cook the quinoa before compiling casserole; just threw it and fennel slices and red pepper pieces ('confetti') and a bunch of other good stuff into the dish and baked, stirring occasionally.  It was a weird casserole like that.  Tasted fantabulous, kids loved it, especially with the suggested Balsamic Maple Sauce.  Sadly, my sister and my niece started the drive back north just after I popped this dish in the oven, just missed it.

LEMONY CASHEW-BASIL PESTO ON PASTA

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND ALMOND HUMMUS

It is not the best picture I could have taken, but this stuff rocked!  I prepared it with freshly soaked and cooked chickpeas and ground up almonds and stuff the night before my sister and niece came to visit.  I served it to my sister with pita chips and she loved it! 

COCOA BANANA MUFFINS

Have you ever seen anything as sweet and scrumptious as my kid?  Despite the fact that the muffins were sweetened with maple syrup, spiced up with cinnamon and nutmeg, and used barley and oat flours instead of white flour, she did not care for this nutritious treat.  But that's ok, she is cute.   

POPCORN FRIES

Home-made french fry potato type items just seem to take so long in the way of scrubbing, peeling, slicing.  Roasted with coconut oil and tossed with nutritional yeast, they were a nice little treat.  And kids ate them.

LEMON GARLIC PASTA

If you like garlic.  If you like lemon.  If you like toasted pine nuts.  Then you will go bananas over Lemon Garlic Pasta.  You might not win any friends or dates in the ensuing hours, but it is well worth the experience.  The author recommended linguine or spaghetti but my little one voted for Italian penne, thereby unknowingly creating an environment for half the toasted pine nuts to hide in every 2nd or 3rd noodle - just a noodle in that bite? Pine nut surprise!

WARM & CHEESY WHITE BEAN DIP

I liked this dip, but would not call it cheesy.  Nutritional yeast is a fantastic ingredient to prepare cheese-like sauce substitutes, but calling it 'cheese' sets up false expectations.  Along with the cannellini beans, this also had ground up cashews, savory seasonings like onion powder and garlic, and fresh lemon juice.  I liked the zingy twist the lemon added, but I think that level of zing precluded my kids from eating it.  Next time I will add less of the juice.

TAMARI-ROASTED CHICKPEAS

When you grow tired of edamame as your go-to salty and protein-full snack, this a pleasant substitute. When roasted with a little coconut oil, the chickpeas nicely absorb the rosemary, lemon, and tamari to impart a lovely flavor.

SOFTLY SPICED NUTS

There is no better line to utter upon walking into a low-key 30-something and our young kids soiree on a Saturday night than "I brought Softly Spiced Nuts!"  Instructed to use mixed raw nuts, I did equal parts pecans, cashews, and walnuts.  These guys were roasted with a nice little mixture of spices including cinnamon, vegan Worcestershire, chili powder, sugar, tamari, allspice, and nutmeg.  I was tempted to take the half-full container with me before leaving, but I took the courteous route and jammed a handful in my pocket, left the bowl there.

WALNUT, WHITE BEAN, & SPINACH PHYLLO ROLLS

"If you're new to phyllo, don't be shy, it's easier to use than you think, and very forgiving!"
Not so much in my case.  It was plenty tasty with its toasted walnuts and fresh basil leaves (clipped from a plant I bought from store and failed to keep alive for any additional growth), but also plenty unattractive.  My 6-year old was way better with the delicate sheets of dough than me.  That dough just punished me - I could not decipher the actual shape/length one sheet was supposed to be, it just ripped in my hands.  It has a lot of protein and healthy greens and the kids both ate it all up within a day.  Success.

"HONEY" MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE

Honey mustard can mean so many things, many of which are eh, some are decent, and a select few are mind-blowing.  We struck a gold mine with this one.  The author provides a standard recipe along with a side-note for how to prepare a creamier version utilizing vegan mayo and soft tofu.  I tweaked it to somewhere in the middle by using the mayo and not the tofu - at the time I only possessed extra firm tofu and envisioned a chunky honey mustard dressing result.  In my version, I replaced a portion of the olive oil with vegan mayo.  Other ingredients included red wine vinegar, yellow mustard, agave nectar, garlic, and lemon juice.  It was fantastic to the point of my daughter preparing more of a "Honey" Mustard Vinaigrette salad soup than a salad with dressing.

CREAMY CASHEW DIP

 

Wow, wow, a thousand times wow.  Of the 6 ingredients, the bulk dip volume comprised cashew butter and vanilla soy yogurt, enhanced by applesauce, agave nectar, and cinnamon.  Blend and eat.  With anything.  Pita chips, pretzels, carrots, strawberries, celery, toast, bananas, a spoon.

BEAN & CORN TORTILLA LASAGNA WITH AVOCADO

It usually strikes me as daring to heat up avocado; I was concerned that the avocado layer would brown upon the baking and surely at the time of re-heating.  This worry was addressed and alleviated by the author's instruction to drizzle lime juice over the layer of thinly sliced avocado, and indeed, no nasty browning ensued.  My guests and my younger and typically more finicky child could not get enough of Bean & Corn Tortilla Lasagna, while my older child did not dig it - whether she turned up her nose at the warm avocado or because of her disinclination for corn (vs flour) tortillas I do not know.  I loved it and had fun preparing it.  One of these days I will take the leap and make a for-real lasagna - as soon as I get hold of a good vegan recipe that utilizes those no-cook noodles.

TAMARI TEASE CHICKPEA SPREAD

This incredibly simple sandwich spread is ridiculously easy to prepare.  There are only 4 ingredients- rice vinegar and Vegenaise being the other 2.  Throw 'em in blender.  Done.  Next let your kid have fun building a messy but very healthy sandwich and she'll ask to make her own sandwich for lunch the next day too.

GARLICKY BROCCOLI, CORN, & BEAN BURRITOS

The tortillas utilized in this recipe were made from scratch by my older daughter (see 'Tortillas from Scratch' January recipe).  A black bean/curry/tamari concoction was blended up and then dolloped onto each of the four tortillas and topped with broccoli/garlic/corn saute (see photo).  The saute included the vegan Worcestershire sauce I have been eager to use since purchasing a few weeks ago - a wizard face is on the label.  Next, to the best of my abilities [homemade tortillas], I folded each one up and placed seam down in baking dish.  Toward the end of baking I shredded on some Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella.  The end result was good and zippy.

ZUCCHINI SPELT MUFFINS

Based on taste and flavor, I think the one could get away with calling these Banana-Nut Muffins (+ minced Zucchini) - however, banana and zucchini are present in equal amounts.  Zucchini Spelt Muffins are full of healthy ingredients like flax meal, spelt flour (though I cheated and used equal amounts spelt and white rather than all spelt), pure maple syrup, and sweet spices - but they taste like a treat!

MOLASSA-SAUCE

I got to bust out the black-strap molasses for this fruit dip - or in this case, dip for Peanut Banana Tortilla Turnovers.  It is a simple dip of applesauce, agave, cinnamon, and molasses.  It was OK, but I would prefer addition of vanilla soy yogurt to give it a creamy consistency.  Molassa-sauce is pictured with the above mentioned turnovers.

PEANUT BANANA TORTILLA TURNOVERS

If you have eaten and loved peanut-butter and banana sandwiches, then you will experience euphoria while eating Peanut Banana Tortilla Turnovers.  I did not use whole wheat tortillas because I only had flour variety on hand.  Peanut-butter, cinnamon, banana slices, fry it up in pan.  

GODDESS GARBANZOS

This is meant to replace tuna- or chicken-salad.  It is a simple mash-up of cooked chickpeas, veganaise, tahini, 'Goddess' salad dressing, and minced apple, celery, carrots.  It is great on a sandwich, or scooped onto a pita chip.

MONKEY MINESTRONE

I have no idea why this recipe minestrone is described as 'monkey,' but it is tasty.  Even though I sprung for the over-priced multi-colored transportation themed shape pasta and used fresh green beans, the soup seemed to have too many flavors and textures for the girls.  I also sprung for fresh sage and thyme but I do not believe I chopped them up enough.  I will need to learn and invest in a few indoor herb/spice plants; it is too expensive to keep buying the prepared version at Whole Foods.  The package instructs me to rinse before using, but I think I probably also want to chop before rinsing.  As much as I tried to dry off the thyme, it kept sticking to my fingers as I tried to pluck the needles off the sprigs.  Is the sprig itself edible?  Should I have chopped it all up?  Regardless, Monkey Minestrone is plenty fine.

THAI COCONUT CORN STEW

Another can of coconut milk recipe, usually a good sign it will be a crowd-pleaser!  Another interesting ingredient was lemongrass.  I found it in the fresh spice section in a tidy little stalks within a plastic container for fresh spice price ($2.50-ish) and then also as raw, un-cut big stalk for $2.99/lb.  Giving into sense of culinary adventure I went with the latter, which amounted to 20 cents (see photo).  I was instructed to 'bruise' the bulbous portion of lemongrass and make slits in remainder of the stalk with a knife.  Very pleasantly aromatic, enhanced by the ginger, coriander, fresh basil, and lime zest.  I did not actually think the girls would eat/enjoy something this exotic, but I did not indicate this sentiment to them, and they ate it, pushing aside the red peppers of course.  Very tasty!

SWEET POTATO LENTIL CHILI

It was good.  Red lentils are nice and quick and easy to cook with.  I have prepared and/or eaten numerous variations of this dish.  It was tasty, just not original or knock-my-socks-off awesome like Smoky Split Pea Soup and other recipes from EDBV. 

Cha Cha Cha Horchata

Trapped inside by DC's second major blizzard this winter and inspired by an awesome new Vampire Weekend song, Horchata, I played around and came up with an approximation of a Horchata recipe.  Though it has a milky appearance, this beverage is dairy- and soy-free.  A number of Horchata varieties are out there, originating from Mexico or Spain or my kitchen.  It has been identified as an ideal beverage to serve on Cinco de Mayo, however, since it is rumored to provide hangover relief, Horchata may be better suited to May 6.  With a side-bar of rum.

Audrey's Cha Cha Cha Horchata

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/4 cup almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2-1 tsp uppermost layer lime zest ( I used one circumfrence of lime)
2.5 cups water
3-3.5  Tbs agave nectar (or honey or 1/3 cup sugar)
1/2-1 Tbs vanilla

Chop rice and almonds in blender for 30 seconds (result will be powdery with some rice and almond chunks).  Add water, cinnamon, and zest.  Blend for another 30 seconds.  Let sit at room temperature overnight, minimum 4 hours.  Add agave nectar and vanilla.  Blend 1-2 minutes.  Strain [coffee filter too dense, metal sieve too porous - stuff called cheesecloth is supposedly ideal].  I tasted prior to filtration and it was interestingly gritty.  A metal strainer ameliorates grittiness but does not remove it completely.  Dispose or save the solid paste left behind (add water and cook on stove to make an extra tasty cream of wheat).  Pour liquid over ice into a glass, adorn with a dainty lime wedge, press play on the Horchata track (http://www.vampireweekend.com/), and enjoy.

In December drinking Horchata  
I'd look psychotic in a balaclava
Winter's cold is too much to handle 
Pincher crabs that pinch at your sandals.........

KIDS' DYNAMO HUMMUS

"I don't like hummus," Alessandra said repeatedly during preparations, with Vivien echoing her.  Sigh.  The blender did not quite cut it for this one.  The first step is to grind raw cashews in a food processor, a gadget I lack.  I got by with the blender, but had to settle for a somewhat chunky hummus, despite many minutes of blending peppered with intermittent pauses to scrape sides.  Some other key ingredients included chickpeas, tahini, flax oil, and nutritional yeast.  Alessandra happily learned how to use a vegetable peeler and made carrot sticks to go with the Kids' Dynamo Hummus.  We also smeared some olive oil and paprika on pita wedges and broiled to make pita crisps.  They loved the hummus and agreed with me that hummus could have many different tastes depending on how it is made.

PALAK SOYABINA PANIRA

Spinach in the blender again leads to culinary heaven.  I am floored at how good my Indian-type dish turned out.  I have had the traditional item with cubes of cheese, but I genuinely prefer this tofu version.  The cheese tends to be a bit much and overtakes the spice flavors (coriander, cinnamon, cloves, ginger) in the spinach sauce.  Using a full pound of spinach, this recipe is a great way to use up a wholesale bin of the leaves before they go bad.  The final product is not much to look at, but the girls loved it!

SMOKY AVOCADO SAUCE

This is a great dip to pair with crudites and chips for after you have had some soup and salad and are just feeling 'snacky.'  The trusty old blender is used to whir up avocado, tamari, liquid smoke (I am so excited I finally found this stuff), fresh squeezed lime juice, orange juice....yes, it confuses the taste buds initially, but they quickly learn to LOVE the quirky Smoky Avocado Sauce.

DRINK YOUR GREENS SMOOTHIE

Frozen banana + avocado + cantaloupe + heaping spinach pile + OJ = lazy Sunday mid-morning refreshment.

SMOKY GREEN SPLIT PEA SOUP

"I don't want to eat anything with the word smoky in it," said Alessandra when I suggested we make this soup.  Hence, from that point on we discussed preparing (Smoky) Green Split Pea Soup - the smoky is silent.  It is a perfect Saturday late afternoon meal to make while girls watch Santa Buddies movie.  The prep was a bit more extensive than I like it to be - chopping of onion, celery, carrots, sweet potato (along with peeling).  To me that's a lot of prep.  On top of that the cook time was an hour +.  I would have liked to use the smoked tofu at the end, but stupid market nearby, haver of all things healthy and cool, did not have any.  Fortunately author suggested as an alternate Fakin Bacon Tempeh Strips.  During the simmer I fried those guys up and let them cool before finally crumbling into the finished soup.  Oh man, this was a good one.  I don't know if it was the inclusion of sweet potato or the paprika directly from the Istanbul Spice Bazaar, but this was hands down the Best. Split. Pea. Soup. Ever.

BANANA CREAM PANCAKES

I was really excited about these flapjacks because they are made with coconut milk, and I had 4/5 of a can sitting in my fridge leftover from recipe I had made a week earlier.

In the past when I have made banana pancakes I have either smashed banana with a fork or a potato masher.  This recipe dictates that the banana, coconut milk, and vanilla need to hit the blender.  The wet is then added to the dry (flour, nutmeg, shocking 1+ tablespoon baking powder), the batter ladled onto the electric frying pan, and Banana Cream Pancakes served to the princesses with some of that good and pure maple syrup.