"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.