Vegan on the Go!!

Banana Leaf on Bethel!!

My boy loving the Indian donuts as he calls them!!

My one year old loving the dumplings!! At the Loving Hut!!

This was YUMMY!! at The Loving Hut

Well, I recently reactivated my account on facebook, so that I could let everyone know about my blog and I got my first question yesterday from an old friend.  She has long been a vegetarian but trying to go vegan was a bit overwhelming, she asked if I could put a couple of typical days' meals and places to eat while out and about, especially for the kids.  So I had to really sit down and think about this because I am lucky enough to try to plan on being at home for mealtimes, just so I don't have to worry about what to feed the kids (and to save some money, I seriously don't get the argument that pizza or eating out can save you any money at all because its at least 20 bucks for a family of four and most of my meals can be made for less than that, with LEFTOVERS!!)  This brings me to my first important note that leftovers are huge in this house because they save me time and they are just as good the next day, if not better:)  But leftovers can be tricky to eat while out because they often need to be heated and they are hard to eat while moving or strolling (as the kids are doing).  If I know I am going to be out with the kids, I will try to pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches b/c this is a never fail choice for them and it's easy to pack and go.  We only have a handful of fast food places that we go to because of the limiting options, my number one would be Noodles and Co., as you cannot go wrong with pasta and they have a whole slew of vegan options, my kids love the Japanese pan noodles, which can be spicy, but I looked on their web page and many of there dishes can be made without the cheese and cream and there you go, a quick vegan option!!!!  The other two places that we eat are Banana Leaf on bethel, but its not for the faint hearted, some of their stuff is spicy, but my hubby and I love the Indian there, and we just made a new discovery; The Loving Hut, in Reynoldsburg, yes its a totally Vegan spot in Columbus, Ohio; hard to believe, but OMG, this place is sooooo good and everything is vegan, so you cannot go wrong!! If we lived even 20 minutes away from this restaurant we would be there all the time, the prices are amazing and I promise you will not be disappointed, try it out next time you are in the area!!!!
This all being said, it can be hard to get to these places, besides Noodles and Co.(they are popping up everywhere), but my hubby has just gotten a new job and now he is on the road for most of his lunches and he is finding luck at subway and taco bell.  At subway, he just gets a cold cut trio (with the meat on the side, to be fed to dogs!!, and no cheese), and at taco bell he gets a fresco bean burrito with no red sauce and extra lettuce!!  He tells me too that salads are always a no fail, but I know with kids that this is wishful thinking and its only some days I can get them to eat their salads.  The biggest thing when eating out is reading labels and asking questions, most places will be happy to substitute or make your meal made to order, I never feel bad about asking because if we are spending our hard earned money there, we deserve it!!
I am putting together a list of all the quick lunch options that we do at home for the kids, plus pictures too!! I know that food is better spoken through pictures and words, than just words so I will get too work!! Thanks Jen for the questions and keep them coming everyone, I love helping anyone who wants to start getting "Veganish" and I am learning while researching too!!!

Vegan Artichoke Holiday Dip!!!

I have always had a love affair with artichokes, it all started as a kid when my mom used to steam them and me and all my brothers and sisters would each get a little bowl of melted butter to dip the leaves in, and then it was a fight for who would get to eat the heart.  Ok, so now looking back maybe the butter was the highlight, but since then I have always loved anything with artichokes.  When I first got married, I used to put them in everything, pasta, pizza, salad, my husband finally had to say, "I need a break from artichokes, seriously."  So I hadn't really been using them as much as I like, but then I saw the dip on Christmas Eve...
THE Holiday dip, as I call it because it truly is the epitome of the holidays, warm, comforting, rich, fattening, and oh so yummy. (I could go on but I think you get the idea:)  My mom used to make this dip and serve it with a wheat cracker, I guess since the actual dip is so unhealthy that a wheat cracker is the only justifiable thing to eat it with.  Yes, I am calling this a holiday dip because for your health (and my waistline :) I can only make this a couple times of year, but oh my when it is here, watch out this is ADDICTING!!!  I always remember having this as a kid during the holidays and it couldn't even cool before I was eating it up. So, when I decided to give up dairy I thought this was gonna be something I always saw at the Christmas party and just had to deal with looking at it, but this year after seeing it at my grandma's I thought, I am gonna make my mom's artichoke dip, it shouldn't be difficult to veganize!  Well, it was sooooo worth it and I think I may have perfected the recipe on the first try!!!  The key to this recipe would be the type of vegan mayo you use, I have fallen in love with Veganaise by Follow Your Heart because it is not too oily and the taste is just right.  They sell large size jars at Whole Foods and it is the only place I can find, currently.  This is one of the simplest dishes to put together, you just put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix up; I actually just mixed it up in the dish I cooked it in, which saved me a extra dirty dish and who doesn't love less mess, especially when all the family is coming over?!? This was a total hit with everyone even my 1 year old was loving it, a girl after my own heart!  Make this as little or much as you like, just remember it is a TREAT, so live a little and enjoy!!!!

Nana's Artichoke Holiday Dip

1 1/2 -- 2 14 oz. cans artichokes hearts (chopped course) depending on how chunky you want, I prefer more artichokes, but you can always cut down the amount if you want.
1 cup Veganaise by Follow Your Heart (this is how much I used, but my next batch I will attempt to use 3/4 cup and see if that works as well, will let you know!!)
1 8 oz. tub of Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 cup Daiya Cheddar Cheese

Mix together and bake at 350F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all those that I love out there and all those that are enjoying my blog, I hope your day was amazing!!!   So, the dust is finally settling in our house and the babes are sleeping peacefully...  Just wanted to reflect on what an amazing Christmas this has been, I am truly blessed to have so much love and happiness around me!!  I am not going to post a recipe today, but I have a bag full of treats for you this week because we had an amazing VEGAN spread over here today!!! So stay tuned, I made the yummiest dip that definitely rivaled my mom's and my daughter (and everyone else) was banging it up!!!
   I was not sure if I was even going to be up for the challenge to cook today because I caught a bug or rather some nastiness from a can called spaghettiNO's (if you know what I'm saying.)  Ok, I am sure you are all a bit confused since I do have a blog with the name vegan in it and if you ever read labels, yes there is DAIRY in that crap!! Well, call me a dummy because I was unprepared this past weds with the kids at work and had no food, I found this at work, so I thought what the heck one can shouldn't hurt.  Well, if I said I was "veganish" before; I've realized once again that I hate eating animal crap (because if you get right down to it, thats what it is in one form or another), so here I am saying my formal goodbyes AGAIN!!!  I hope this will be the last...  I have to send a huge thank you to my sis in law, Elise, because not only did she come and watch my kids while I slept off this terrible poisoning but she arrived with the only cure that when I finally could eat again, was the only thing I could stomach, Soup good old Vegan Bean Soup with noodles, tomatoes, lentils, mmmm.... it was lifesaving... Thanks sis (and it was her bday, she rocks:)  
   Sooo.. to sum up the holiday, thanks everyone for the support and hope you keep reading and trying out the recipes, I made an adjustment to the flour in my sugar cookies, so check out the revision and stay tuned I will have pics and recipes soon!!!  Merry Christmas again!!

P.S. I didn't send out Christmas cards this year, (total slacker), so if you didn't get you are not Alone:)  peace and love to everyone!!!

Berry Good Shakes!!!!

Ok, so my hubby has been bugging me about putting on our number one meal/dish/everything of our day, which would begin with our morning shake!!!  I can honestly say that it has been an evolution to find the perfect balance of everything and have it taste delicious and the kids eat it too!  Let me start by saying, when I first met my husband he was always having some type of shake or protein drink when he woke up, I always passed on this because I was never a big breakfast type of person especially some drink chalked full of healthy stuff, I mean really?!? But then he started adding fruit which got me a little bit interested, still having to drink it was more like a chore and trust me he never stopped hearing me complain;)  When we found out we were expecting for the first time, I knew that I had no choice but to find a way that I could drink and get all those nutrients my baby needed as well.  So, here we are 3+ years later and we feel as though it couldn't get any better than this!!! It is our morning ritual to have our shake, which literally takes 5 mins to get ready and served.  I already know the argument about not having enough time, but once you start and see how you feel, it is worth it and takes no more effort than cereal, toast, or whatever!!!  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you don't want to start your kids off with a bunch of processed junk do you?  In our house we have one rule (well we have way more than that, but in regards to breakfast, if you drink your shake you can have it!)  Put it this way, I know that if my kids have drank this they have gotten the goods, anything above that is a bonus!!

We have always used plant milk for our shake and usually not soy milk because as "veganish" people we already get a lot of extra soy in our diet, so we usually do rice, but almond, coconut, hemp, these are all good options.  We purchased a Blendtec about 2 1/2 years ago and it has been the best purchase, I think it really makes a difference to have a good blender and the investment is totally worth it, especially if you use it everyday!!  The fruit we buy frozen except bananas (but a tip, we do freeze a few peeled bananas so if we run out and this prevents them from going bad!!)  When I visited my sister overseas she was sweet enough to buy me fresh fruit (love you sis:)  and they were amazing!!!! On this trip they called me the "shake pusher" because I made these every single morning for everyone and I gave you some major guilt if you tried to turn it down:) Point being if you can buy FRESH!!!  The added supplements we use are flax seeds (give you all your omega three fatty acids) or chia seeds (give omega 3 as well), brewers yeast (gives you all your B vitamins and tons of energy), smoothie mix which has a whole bunch of goodness in it (from my sis in laws shop: www.hotboxfitness.org) and fresh Kale!!!  We drink this every morning and it always puts my body on track, you feel like a million bucks after you drink this!

Berry's Morning Shake (makes 2 servings)
3-4 cups Plant Milk (depending on the consistency you want)
1 cup Blueberries
1 cup Strawberries
1 cup Kale (we freeze ours so it lasts longer)
1 banana
2 TBSP. Flax Seed or Chia Seeds
1 TBSP. Smoothie Mix (get this at www.hotboxfitness.org and check it out, its the BEST WORKOUT you can get!!)
1 TBSP. Brewers Yeast (get this at www.hotboxfitness.org too!!, best price and best place:)
1 tsp. hemp seed
dash of Cinnamon
agave to taste

Blend all together and Enjoy!!!!

Mai Mai's Sugar Cookies

Supplies!

Mixing!

Getting ready to roll out the dough (small batches is key!)

Ready to Bake!

Finished product!

Happy Holidays!!

I have decided to give you all a present, yes it is my world famous Sugar Cookies (recipe that is)!!!  It's also my unofficial tribute to THE cookies that really started my passion for baking and creating my own cookies.  I remember always baking in my house, my mom is the best baker I know and she and I were always making homemade bread, cookies, or anything else we wanted (love ya momma:).  Anyways, my sister and I came up with this recipe when I was in high school (forever ago!!) because we wanted something that was ready to go right after mixing, which is huge because most recipes have to be chilled for at least an hour!!  And if you know me at all, patience is not my strong suit LOL!!  My friends from high school will remember these I am sure because it was pretty much like a tradition of mine, that whenever it was your birthday, I would make you my sugar cookies!!!  I really began to love and enjoy doing this because the happiness and excitement it brought to everyone's faces, wow, it just makes me smile thinking about it.  I think it is such a simple idea, a cookie with some frosting, but it truly is a cookie that makes you smile. You just can't go wrong on these (sorry bout the gushing, I just love these!!)..... So when the opportunity came to bring cookies for my son's preschool class, I jumped at the chance!!!  I know you must be thinking I can go buy these at the store and be done with it, but trust me, there is no comparison between these and store bought, plus all the junk they put in those things, no thanks!!!  These are so easy to veganize and the key to my sugar cookies is to keep them thick, I can't stand thin sugar cookies, I like them to be thick and chewy!!!  Then I frost with my "better"cream frosting and sprinkle for fun.  When these come out of the oven they need to be moved to a cooling rack before you frost them and completely cooled.  After frosting you may think these are a bit hard, but not to worry store in an airtight container and they will soften up overnight and be perfect the next day.  I personally like to do mini cookies because they are so much more fun this way and a lot less commitment to eating a big cookie, of course it may make you eat more because you think they are little, either way they are a special treat, definitely worth the calories!!!  I hope that at any special occasion or whenever you need a pick me up that these can come to the rescue! From my heart to yours... p.s. this is the first time I have given this out, consider yourself very lucky;)

Mai Mai's Sugar Cookies
1 cup Cane Sugar
1 1/2 sticks of Earth Balance
1 egg replacer (you can buy this in any grocery in the natural dept. it's 1 1/2 tsp. mixed with 2 TBSP. warm  water)
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 3/4 - 2 cups flour (I mix white whole wheat and all purpose)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F
Beat the "butter" and sugar together until creamy, add the egg replacer, vanilla, salt and baking powder.  After it is well combined slowly add 1 3/4 cups flour (then use additional 1/4 cup as needed in mix or to use while rolling the dough to prevent sticking, you want the dough to be firm and not sticky, but also to not be too crumbly).  Roll out the dough in small batches keeping the dough at least a quarter of an inch thickness.  Use the cookie cutters and place on parchment paper or silpat, to prevent sticking.
Bake for 9-12 mins or until bottoms are golden brown. Remove and place on wire racks to cool. Frost after they are completely cooled.

"Better"cream Frosting
2 TBSP. Earth Balance
1 -2 TBSP. Plant Milk
8 oz. Powdered Sugar
(food coloring if desired)
I cream the "butter' first and then add the milk, adding in the sugar slowly as needed.
To be honest I never really measure this part, I just add a little milk if I need or more powdered sugar, I like the consistency to not be sticky but firm enough so that the frosting can harden up and make it easier to stack cookies after the frosting has dried.  I will be making these again soon for Nana's holiday party so I will measure then and update and post more pics too!!!  Happy Holidays!

Vegan Pesto Sauce

Supplies!!

Bout to blend!

Blending!!

Heating to Serve

Mixing!

Time to Eat!

she was loving it!

yummy

Gotcha, eating your dinner, Yay!!

on the left she's saying "cheeze" too cute:)

Happy kids = Happy momma!!  my angels:)

On a personal note, I just wanted  to say a prayer for my family, who has lost Gordon Jones today, he was a great man and I feel blessed to have known him!!  We will miss you!! 

I realized after saying that I was going to make this tonight, that I had no fresh basil on hand, which to make basil pesto would be an issue for most.  But I like to think I am a bit inventive on substitutions around this joint, so I decided to use some frozen basil cubes to get the flavor and in place of the actual leaf to do  some baby kale, to act as my green veggie!  Adding this to my dish not only improved the flavor, but if you haven't heard, Kale is a superfood and does wonders for your body.  This would be a great sauce to do in raw form (as in no heating, except the hot noodles warming the sauce), but with the garlic it can be a bit overpowering especially for my kids.  So I actually warm and cook the sauce, but you could do either way with the same yummy results!  You need a good food processor or a sweet blender, which we invested in a couple of years ago, one of the best purchases ever!!  Then I add in all the ingredients and blend until smooth.  Now if you wanted to have this not as creamy, you could lower the avocado amount down to half an avocado and add more oil, but not in this house.  My one year old saw the cut up avocado and couldn't get enough of it just plain and she wasn't feeling so great today, so I knew she was gonna love this sauce!!  Anyways, I serve with my penne brown rice noodles, but you could do on anything, it would also be great on pizza or garlic bread; I guess I should say anything Italian would be a yum!!!  Enjoy and have fun with it:)

Raw Vegan Pesto Sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh Basil (this is where I did the Baby Kale and then about 8 tsp of basil)
2 TBSP. Pine Nuts
1 whole avocado
2 cloves of Garlic
3 TBSP. Nutritional Yeast
1 TBSP. Lemon Juice
Bragg's to taste
1 TBSP. Olive oil (more if needed)

 

Blend together and serve over hot pasta or heat and serve!!  

"Buttered" Noodles with Basil, Garlic, and NT

So.... It does seem a bit silly to post about the classic and "anybody can do this, no way to mess up" dish, but having two young kids, I am a realist.  I know those nights where you look into your fridge/pantry and think "what can I make that is quick and my kids will eat?" And usually this is where I end up, making good old buttered noodles.  OK, so pasta and butter may not be a top healthy food but veganizing it and adding a couple more ingredients does upp the nutritional value a bit.   I did try to switching to whole wheat, which I just found I couldn't use in everyday dishes, lasagna yes, but anything else I was sticking with my white noodles.  I was wandering the aisles at Trader Joe's, a favorite pastime of mine, and I came across this organic Brown Rice pasta and I was totally interested, they make three types, a fusili, spaghetti, and penne.  I bought a bag of each to try out and when we made the penne, we fell in love, not only is it totally kid friendly, but soooo yummy!!  We also think that after eating this pasta we feel much less bloated and overfull and it's wheat free, carbohydrate free, sodium free, and to top it all off, gluten free!!!  I am in no way getting paid by trader joe's, though after reading this, they should definitely be paying me, haha!)  The key to this pasta is making sure to cook properly, I do the whole ten minutes and drain without rinsing, then serve hot, this is the best way to enjoy them!!  There is two whole ingredients in these noodles; organic brown rice and water, I mean really, its a no brainer!  Anyways, my little twist on the classic buttered noodles is to use Earth balance of course, and add in the basil, garlic, and nutritional yeast, sprinkling with Bragg's to flavor.   This is one of my favorite combo's in flavoring for almost anything too!!

Twisted "Buttered" Noodles
1 package Organic Brown Rice Pasta (penne)
2-3 TBSP. Earth Balance Vegan Butter
2 tsp. Basil
2-3 TBSP. Nutritional Yeast
Bragg's to taste

Brown Rice Krispy Treats!!!

The Supplies!!!

Melting...

My lil helper!

Mixing

Finished Product!!

YUMMY!!!

Yes, It's True!!!  I have finally got my hands on Vegan Marshmallows!  I've been hearing about these for awhile now but the only way to get them was to order online, so I held out and finally they have turned up at our local Whole Foods.   Back to the point, My inner child is jumping up and screaming for joy, these bring back so many memories.  We always made these when I was a kid and with 5 brothers and sisters, they hadn't even had time to cool before they were eaten up!  Oh, but if only I had known that they had come from a base of animal skin and bones! EWW, officially grossed out.  If that is not enough to make you interested to try these vegan versions, well... I will try not to judge (too much, just kidding!) These are just as easy to make as you remember, melt the "butter" and add marshmallows, stir until melted and smooth, pour into cereal and put into a buttered pan, press with parchment paper and eat!! I used brown rice cereal to add some needed nutrition here and why not because we all know it's better for us!!!

Brown Rice Cereal Treats:
3 TSBP.  Earth Balance Vegan Butter ( this is the ONLY brand I will buy, it tastes like the real thing, get the original version, and it comes in sticks too!)
1 bag of Vegan Marshmallows (I used Dandies, they are expensive, but definitely worth it!!)
6 cups of Brown Rice Cereal

Nutritional Yeast and Salsa Con Queso

Nutritional Yeast, Flour, and Spices!

All mixed up!

Amazing, Cheese!!!!

I know it's been a little while, but what can I say except, I am trying my best to be up to date, which is some days not so easy:)  Anyways, as I was looking at my last post I realized that I had included one of the most awesome and easy to use ingredients! It has been a staple in my pantry since 2007!!  I remember the first time that me and my hubby made this dip (I have a heart around the recipe and the date I made it), if that tells you anything about how much we liked, yes I know we are such dorks! I first brought this to Sunday night dinner at my parents house, which is a big deal in my family b/c all my brothers and sisters are there and especially since my family is real honest about my vegan dishes (they are my toughest critics, but I love you guys for it;)!!  I was of course asked what was this made out of? and I began to list off ingredients and the second I said the word nutritional yeast, the look on every one's face, priceless!  They were all so grossed out, thinking it was real, active yeast.  So I had to calmly explain that nutritional yeast is INACTIVE, full of vitamins (esp the B's), and is a complete protein; on top of this is is naturally low in fat, sodium, and has no sugar, dairy, or gluten!  Basically this stuff rocks!! After the initial shock of it all, the dip was eaten up so quickly and I felt a tremendous amount of pride that I was able to bring something to Sunday night that everyone loved, so much so that I got the biggest complement a cook can get, my food was gone, quick!!! By the way, I served this in a fondue pot to keep warm because this is key to the yumminess factor!  I begin with the flour, nutritional yeast, all the spices in a pot; heat the pot to medium heat and slowly add the plant milk or water, using a whisk to constantly keep mixing it.  After it is well mixed I add the oil, miso, and mustard.  It will thicken within ten min, then you are ready to add salsa and serve warm!! This recipe adapted from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook (a great book by the way!)

Salsa Con Queso Dip

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (I get at whole foods in the bulk section)

1/2 cup flour (I like whole wheat pastry)

2 tsp. Bragg's

1 tsp. Chili powder

1 tsp. Garlic

1/2 tsp. Basil

dash of cayenne

2 cups of plant milk or water

2 TBSP. oil

1/2 tsp. yellow mustard

1/2 tsp. miso paste (this is usually by the tofu at whole foods or you can find at the Asian market!)

 add 1/2 cup Salsa to finished product!

Tofu Nuggets

tofu with spices

 

nutritional yeast and flour

all mixed together

finished product!!

Dinnertime!! Tofu nuggets with couscous dish(i will post this recipe soon!)

Yes, my three year old going for seconds!!!

Ok Ok.  I know tofu nuggets might not sound so appetizing to someone who doesn't like tofu, but before you judge, you must try.  Trust me you are hearing this from a woman that used to hate tofu, but no longer!!  So,  I always buy extra firm organic tofu for this dish because it really holds the shape and mimics the chicken best.  I start by pressing the tofu, this is a key step to the whole dish because if you don't do than the marinade/spice mix will not absorb and therefore not flavor the tofu.  If you are short on time, like I was last night I just wrapped with paper towels and squeezed the tofu to quickly remove the water. (If you have never bought tofu, it comes in a package filled with water, you cut into and drain, and then press!) This takes no time at all to do, then you cut into small bite size cubes, pour some olive oil and bragg's over it and then get creative and have fun!! Now, for the breading, I put flour and nutritional yeast over top, I do this as I go and shake the tofu to cover, as long as you have put enough oil and bragg's over top, it should cover the tofu without any problems.  You can always add more liquid if you need too!!  I then bake for 40 mins at 350 F on a silpat sheet (similar to parchment, but reusable!!) Ok, so I am trying to work out the kinks with putting pictures up here, so they are not in order , but I will have it worked out soon!!! Oh, and one last thing you will get some tiny pieces of breading and tofu that break from the shaking, but bake these as well and sprinkle over salad (we call them the Crackles!!) yum, they are addicting!!

Tofu Nuggets:

1 package Tofu

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 TBSP Bragg's 

seasonings are to taste

I used chili, garlic, cumin, basil, salt and pepper, couple drops of hickory smoke liquid and a dash of vegan worcestershire sauce.

Breading:

1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (adding more if you need, equal parts)

Bake for 40 mins at 350 and it's ready!!  My hubby likes to toss in barbecue sauce after they are baked too, gives it a wing type of feel!!