I'm Back!!

Mai Mai's Sugar Cookies (I know again:)I just made these for my sister in law's baby shower (I am soo excited to meet him or her, too) and wanted to share some pics... of the cookies that is :)

Ok, so it has been a long time, a whole year and another baby later... but I am hoping to get back on track this time as I have discovered quite a few new recipes that we are loving in our house!!! We are still on this vegan journey... and really love to see how our children are flourishing.  I hope you are ready to come back and see what we have cooking here at the Vegan Kids Kitchen house:) I will try to update as often as time  allows (and with three little ones, it is hard to come by;) LOL

Mai Mai's Sugar Cookies
1 cup Cane Sugar
1 1/2 sticks of Earth Balance (which is one and a half cups)
1 Egg Replacer Equivalent (this is found in any grocery store in the natural dept.)
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 3/4 -2 cups flour (I mix whole wheat and all purpose, more all purpose than whole though)
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 F
    Beat the "butter"(Earth Balance) and sugar together until creamy, add the egg replacer, vanilla, salt, and baking powder.  After it is well combined slowly add 1 3/4 cup flour (then use the 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 not too crumbly).  Roll our the dough in small batches keeping the dough at least a quarter of an inch thickness (this is key for cookies to really shine!!)  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.

Mai Mai's "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.  I never really measure this part, I just start with the butter and then add a little milk if I need or more powdered sugar. I like the constistency to not be runny or sticky, but firm enough so that the frosting can harden up and make it easier to stack cookies after the frosting has dried.

Mixed Up!

Ready to Bake!

Done!

Tempeh Bacon!!!

Finished Product!

This is one of the quickest and easiest things to make that I have posted to date!  Not to mention the flavor is amazing and our favorite way to serve this is via the sandwich with tomato, lettuce, onion, and a little vegan mayo or avocado!  Tempeh is a great protein made from legumes and grains, and there is no fat in this stuff at all.  You can usually find this at the grocery store, but I again have to plug Trader Joe's for having the best tasting, I find that some brands can be a bit bitter and not as good, but I really think that if you start with the best tasting tempeh, your "bacon" will shine much brighter!!!  Tempeh looks a bit funny too, you can see all the texture in it because they don't grind it together, its just mixed and pressed into a cake patty form.  I just cut it into short thin slices, which helps keep it from falling apart, and when you slice it thin it really absorbs the marinade much better. Anyways, I think it is funny how so many vegans try to duplicate the bacon flavor, I was never really into bacon, but as I got older I found that I really love the tempeh bacon on a sandwich.  The seasoning is so simple and I usually never measure, just pour and taste as I go!!  The building blocks of the seasoning is basically Bragg's and real maple syrup, then you just add in a dash of vegan worcheshire and hickory smoke, a teaspoon or two of cumin powder, garlic, and some freshly grated pepper.  I used to bake this to keep it healthier but now we usually pan fry, not to mention it takes much less time and it really helps to give it that 'bacon" feel!  Either way you cook it, it is simply delicious and you have a quick, wonderful addition to any sandwich or breakfast!!!

Tempeh Bacon
1 package Tempeh (Trader Joe's has the BEST tasting one!)
2 TBSP Maple Syrup    1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP. Bragg's Amino Acids
2 tsp. Vegan Worcheshire
1 tsp. liquid smoke  
1 tsp. Cumin        
1/4 tsp. Cayenne
1 tsp. Garlic

Black Pepper to taste

Thinly slice the tempeh and mix all other ingredients together.  Pour over the tempeh and let marinate at least 10 min.  Pan fry in oil until  brown or bake at 400 F for 15-20 min, flipping halfway. Serve immediately!

This is how it looks when you buy it!

Sliced and ready!!

The Supplies!

Marinaded!

Sandwich Time!

Close up!

Berry's BLT!!!

Creamy Tomato Sauce with Brown Rice Pasta!!

This is one of my favorite creations, it is simple and yummy and with a couple of sneaky additions on my part, I have my kids eating all their veggies without even knowing it!!!  For this recipe it is a good idea to have a powerful blender, like a Blendtec or vita mix, because the creaminess comes from the cashews, so in order to have a smooth texture, you will need to blend until smooth.  Now if you don't have, you could try soaking the cashews in water overnight and then drain and try to blend into the sauce using a normal strength blender, so that is always an option.  So as I said before the creaminess is coming from the cashews, it is amazing what these little nuts can do to transform a dish.  They are so versatile and the flavor really doesn't make it too overpowering, I can't even taste them in the sauce to be honest.  I just love the idea of having a creamy pasta with no heavy cream, I mean we all know that stuff is not only horrible for our body, but forget about your waist line!  To save me time in the kitchen I usually do a store bought pasta sauce, but if you home make yours, my cheers to you:)  Just make sure to read the labels on store bought because a lot of times they will try to sneak in some cheese or other cow's milk product into the sauce.
   This brings me to an important note, if you don't read labels START!  If you want to know what you are putting into your bodies as well as your childrens', become educated.  There is so much research and news in the world that is showing us how much of a link there is from what you eat to your health!!! I am not a doctor, but I do try to stay up to date, there is even findings that link genetically modified foods to causing infertility!!! This is craziness to me, it would be the end of our world, not to mention the heartbreak it would cause my kids later in life, so just the question and doubt alone that this brings up can make me spend that extra money on organic and local food.  I really think you have to look at it like this, do you want to spend more money on your food to keep you healthy or would you rather spend it on your medical costs that will come because you didn't take care of yourself?  My husband and I have decided that although are grocery bills are high, it is worth it to take care of us now and prevent, rather than skimp on quality.  Sorry, this is just my little rant because it really upsets me when people don't care, I mean this is the foundation you are laying for your kids, think how much the whole food industry has changed in just 20 years, we need to be working on going back to where it started. Local and Organic, not all this GMO(genetically modified) food!!!  I am done, thanks for listening:)
  Back to the sauce...  It is just as simple as throwing some carrots, kale, pasta sauce, and cashews and blending it up.  If you want an adult version of this, you could just saute the veggies and leave it chunky. Also depending, I will sometimes throw a veggie sausage or "meat"balls in to give it another element.  Have fun with this and I promise you will not be disappointed on how amazing this tastes, it is almost unbelievable its possible without all the fat.  Tip: You want to use raw cashews because the dry roasted almost always have a large amount of sodium added to and it just tastes better too!!  We serve over our favorite brown rice pasta from Tjoe's with a salad and some crusty french garlic bred, mmm delicious!!!

Creamy Tomato Sauce
1 Jar  Marinara Sauce
1 handful of kale, about a cup
1-2 medium carrots
1/4-1/2 cup Raw Cashews (depending on your desired creaminess)
2 TBSP. Nutritional Yeast (optional but works like a Parmesan)
Bragg's Amino Acids to Taste

Blend all ingredients together until smooth, if sauce is too thick add a little water, heat on the stove top until hot and serve immediately!

My ingredients!

Ready to Blend!

Blending!

Ready to heat or just toss with hot noodles to keep it Raw!!

Dinnertime!

Yummy!!

Close up!!