Sunny Yoga Kitchen

Beet and cabbage slaw

2012-02-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

I love slaws in any shape and form and for today's lunch I have a slaw in the fridge blending flavors as I write. I don't make my slaws creamy but rather use vinegar and oil base. I intend to eat this on the side of a veggie burger.

This salad is so colorful and packed with great nutrients. The Hemp seeds add a nice nutty flavor but also protein and all nine of the essential amino acids. I sprinkle hemp on quit a lot of my foods from salads to smoothies.

1 cup red cabbage, sliced very thin
1 medium golden beet, peeled and grated
1 carrots, peeled and grated
A few green leaves, chopped ( I used beet greens)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs Ume plum vinegar
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbs raw hemp seeds

Combine cabbage, beet, carrot, greens, salt, vinegar and oil and use hands to "massage" the slaw to soften it up and release natural liquids. Blend in agave nectar and hemp seeds. Slaw taste best if it can developer flavors in fridge for 20 minutes before serving.

Raw lemon cookies

2012-02-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

Yuck, another evening of overeating and feeling terrible. I don't know why I did it to myself and I believe I'm fine as long as I don't eat too much sugar. I makes me shaky and keeps me up at night.

I had promised Bella to make cookies today and I did but we made raw cookies with agave nectar so I won't have another sugar roller coaster. The cookies are so delightful with a cup of herbal tea on grey morning like the one we're having here. The recipe for the cookies is adapted from this recipe.

Happy Sunday everyone!!!

1 cup almond meal
3/4 cup shredded and dried coconut
Juice from one small lemon
1 tbs maple syrup (more if "dough" seems dry)
1/2 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped out and used

Combine everything in a food processor and blend until it's a dough call. With wet hands, roll dough to small balls. Flatten slightly and dehydrate in F105 until dry on outside and chewy on inside.

Seitan and mushroom stew

2012-02-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

I had two five year olds at home yesterday afternoon so I had to act like a referee A LOT. Or at least until I finally had it and told them either they play nice or not but not to come to me anymore. It worked!!! I was very happy when it was dinner-pizza time and then a movie (Lady& the Tramp) so I got a little breathing room and they were kind of quiet...kind of:)

I didn't feel like pizza so I made a seitan and mushroom stew instead, served over pasta. It was perfect with many flavors and creamy sauce, just how I like it. I used the seitan I made the other day but off course store bought works as well. This is the kind of stew you can serve people very skeptical of vegan food and they will for sure be happy.

1 tbs olive oil

2/3 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup yellow onion, minced

1/2 cup grated carrots

1 cup seitan, diced

1 tsp ground chili

Herb salt to taste

1 tbs dijon mustard

1 tbs ketchup

1 cup strained tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped kale

1/4 cup sour cream

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium heat and brown the mushrooms. Remove and set a side. Add garlic and carrots to saucepan and cook for 1 minutes. Add seitan, chili, salt and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Now add dijon mustard, ketchup, strained tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Click in sour cream and let it melt. Toss in kale, mushrooms and blend well. Serve with pasta, rice or barley.

Frozen Berry Yogurt

2012-02-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

Wow the weeks are flying and I can't believe it's Friday already. This weekend is packed with activities and people to see and next week Bella has the week off from school. Lots of fun times to look forward to.
Today Bella has a play date in the afternoon who is staying for dinner. They are both super excited so I'm making pizza and for dessert frozen yogurt.

2 cups plain yogurt ( I used whole soy & co organic soy yogurt)
2 tbs coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup honey (maybe more if you want it sweeter)
3/4 cup mixed berries ( I used raspberries and blueberries)

Combine everything and blend well. Place in a ice cream maker until solid. Freeze for an hour before serving.

Marinated mushrooms

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's dinner on Tuesday but when I woke up on Wednesday I felt terrible and stuffed from overeating rich food. So for lunch I made a fulfilling salad with tons of veggies and marinated mushrooms that took the salad from average to amazing. These mushrooms are also fun as tapas or as a party snack.

10 white mushrooms, cut into half and then half again

1/4 cup zucchini, diced

4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, minced

1 tsp dried herb provencal

1/8 cup lemon lemon juice

Salt and black pepper to taste

Parsley, minced

Combine everything in a bowl and blend well. Let the mushrooms and vegetables soak up the liquid and spices for half an hour before serving.

Homemade nut cheese

2012-02-15T13:15:00.000-08:00

I finally gave it a try to make my own hard vegan cheese and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised how well it turned out and how easy it was. The cheese is hard so it can be sliced or grated and melts in the oven. Next time I'm going to try and make a pepper jack or garlic cheese.

Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cup raw cashews
2/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp ground paprika

Wet ingredients:
4 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup grated carrots
3 tbs agar-agar powder
3 tbs lemon juice

Blend all dry ingredients in a food processor until it's a fine meal. Combine water and carrots in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Bring to a boil again and add agar-agar and disk until dissolved. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add agar-agar-water-carrot mix to food processor as well as lemon juice and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down sides a couple of times. Pour into a bowl or jar and let cool off for 2 hours before removing cheese and placing on a plate.

BBQ Tofu Neatloaf

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's day!

Today Bella is feeling better but I'm feeling sick instead. Typical for Valentine's day right? Well the weather is also behaving strange and it's been so cold and rainy lately and it does not help that we're stuck inside all day:( However later this evening me and James are going out for dinner just the two of us so I have something to look forward to.

To make something fun I made BBQ neatloaf that I know is very much appreciated and served it very traditional with gravy, mashed potatoes and green beans.

Rainy days leaves plenty of time for cuddles

1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced

1 tsp canola oil

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 package extra firm tofu, crumbled

1 tsp chili pepper

Salt to taste

1/2 cup BBQ sauce + extra to spread on top of the loaf

Preheat oven to F400
Grease a loaf pan.
Heat canola oil in a frying pan on medium heat and cook onions until glossy but not brown.
Combine onions, rolled oats, tofu, chili pepper, salt and BBQ sauce in a bowl and use fingers to blend well.
Press tofu into loaf pan cook in oven for about 20 minutes.
Spread a layer of BBQ sauce over loaf before serving.

BBQ tofu stir fry

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bella is still feeling pretty bad and we're now on day 3 of fever and I'm getting fed up with it. My poor baby is so brave but not feeling well at all so she lays and rest a lot and we read books, paint etc. I sure hope she is feeling better by Tuesday because they are celebrating Valentine's day in her class and she has made 18 bird feeder and cards to hand out to all her friends.

Bella's appetite has been obviously down so I really have to be creative and make food I think she will really like and last nights dinner was one of those; tofu, BBQ sauce and some veggies hidden in the midst of it shhhhhhhhh!!!

1 tbs canola oil
1 celery stalk, tops and ends cut of and chopped
1 cup corn
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook seller, corn and zucchini for 5 minutes. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Add tofu and BBQ sauce, salt and pepper and blend carefully. Simmer for a minute or two before serving with pasta or rice.

Seitan in a wine marsala sauce

2012-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first time I used the seitan I made the other day and I'm very happy with the result and texture of this seitan plus it's so cheap to make. I made Italian food in the form of seitan marsala and it was divine. I served it with roasted potatoes and a side salad for us adults and steamed broccoli for the kids.

1/2 batch of homemade seitan, sliced thin

1 tbs canola oil

1 tbs butter

1 cup white mushrooms, sliced

Salt & pepper

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup marsala wine

1 tsp honey

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook seitan slices. Flip them once and they are done when they're browned. Remove to a plate. Add butter and melt and cook mushrooms in a single layer until they too are browned. Remove and place with seitan.
Pour water in skillet and use a whisk to scrape up bottom pieces left behind from the mushrooms and seitan. Add marsala wine and honey and bring to a boil.
Cook until reduced to 2/3. Add salt, pepper and and let sour cream melt in sauce. Place seitan and mushrooms mushrooms in sauce before serving.

Fruit leather

2012-02-11T05:49:00.000-08:00

Bella loves fruits and fruit leather as a snack in the afternoon. Buying them at the store can get quit pricey so I made my own and my toughest critic (Bella) gave it thumbs up and said "you're pretty cleaver mom". I live for comments like that:)

Off course for this recipe you need a dehydrator or a hot air oven. You can use pretty much any fruit but for this one I used a leftover kiwi on it's last leg and one banana. It was a great combination. If you don't like the look of the seeds from the kiwi you can always strain the kiwi first to remove them.

1 large banana, peeled

1 kiwi or other fruit, peeled

1 squirt of lemon juice

Puree until creamy and no lumps exists. Use a spatula to spread thin on a parchment paper. Dehydrate on F105 until it's dry and you can peel the leather of the parchment paper.

Creamy kale soup

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

I've one sick little girl at home who woke up with high fever or F 103.3, stomach ache and then vomiting. She has been very cuddly and mellow and needs her mom a lot. I had to pack up both kids and go to the pediatrician after naps and it's determined it's a virus so hopefully she will get better soon.

We came home and I had a hungry Noah on my hands so I had to resort to super fast kale soup. Thankfully Noah loves pretty much everything that is food so I served it with a sliced of home baked sour dough bread.

1 tbs canola oil

1 garlic clove, grated

1 cups kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

1 tbs white spelt flour or all-purpose flour

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup sour cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan on low heat and cook garlic. Add kale and sauté until wilted. Sprinkle flour over and blend and pour milk in. Whisk to remove any lumps and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in sour cream, salt and pepper.

Homemade seitan

2012-02-09T05:29:00.000-08:00

I've made seitan from scratch before but never been super impressed with the results until today. I just got fed up with the cost of store bought seitan so I did some research and found a super easy recipe on a Swedish blog. It just requires all-purpose flour and water for the base.

6-7 cups all-purpose flour
water

Blend flour and water until you are left with a shiny dough. This is where the work is, work that dough really hard because the more you work it the better result you'll have. I used a kitchen aid to help me out and probably ran it for about 20 minutes. I added more flour as I saw fit if the dough was too sticky. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 6 hours or even better overnight.

Washing out all the starch cant take it's little time

Add cold water to dough and begin kneading and "washing" the dough from all the stretch. The water will get white so drain water and add more. Repeat this process until water is clear and you now have something resembling a large piece of gum and is the wheat gluten protein.

Looks strange

Combine seitan in a food processor and any flavoring you want. I made it simple and just used a garlic and herb salt. Hold on to the processor and you blend in the flavors.

Ready to add some fun flavors

Now place seitan in a saucepan and cover with vegetables stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours. The seitan will float up to the surface when it's done.

You can use the seitan many different ways. You can slice it and cook in butter and spices in a frying pan. Cut into smaller pieces and use in stew. You can grate it and use and minced. There are endless possibilities:)

Ready to be eaten!

Roasted acorn squash soup

2012-02-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

I celebrated the rain we were getting in San Diego yesterday because my garden so desperately needs it and also because I love rain...in moderation off course. Me and Noah took a walk right before the rain started and it was quit windy which Noah was not very happy about so I ended up sprinting home and once inside in our cozy place with no winds he was again the happy little boy he is.

I thought roasted vegetables and bean soup sounded like a great way to warm up after the cold walk. The roasting vegetables made the house smell so welcoming. I served the soup slices or fresh baked bread from this morning.

1 medium acorn squash, cut in half
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and chopped in large pieces
2-3 fresh thyme twigs
1 tbs olive oil
2/3 cups cooked garbanzo beans
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to F350
Arrange vegetables in a single layer on a parchment sheet. Drizzle oil over and toss vegetables until coated with oil. Place thyme over and bake until vegetables are soft, about 15-20 minutes. Use a spoon to remove the acorn "flesh" and puree them, garbanzo beans and 2 cup vegetables stock in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Pour into a pot and reheat. Add salt and pepper.

Chocolate and hazelnuts cookies

2012-02-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

I went on a 7 mil bike ride this morning and then running around like a manic rest of the day which by the way began at 5 am when both kids woke us up. So in the afternoon when Noah was napping and put Bella to rest in her room meaning listening to music and reading books while I whipped up yummy cookies to have with afternoon tea. These are super fast and easy so enjoy, just what I needed to survive the remaining of the day.

100g butter, soft
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs maple syrup
2 1/2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup while spelt flour
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds used
1/2 tsp baking soda
1//4 cup chopped hazelnuts

Preheat oven t F350. Whip butter, sugar and maple syrup until white and fluffy. Add cocoa powder flour and blend well. Add chia seeds, vanilla seeds, baking soda and mix. Use wet hands to roll small balls and place on parchment paper. sprinkle chopped nuts over and lightly press nuts in on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes. They will be a little soft in the middle but will stiffen as they cool.

Quinoa Pizza balls

2012-02-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today my husband stated "super bowl is over so now I can cancel cable". We've been talking for months to stop cable and only use the TV for movies so I was happy it's finally happening. It's such relief not having TV and watching reruns and other crappy things that does not add anything to our lives.

These little rolls were a fun addition to our super bowl party food and the one who liked the absolutely most was Noah who ate them while still hot and all because he could not wait for them to cool off. I know I will make these a staple food of any future party.

1/2 cup Quinoa
1 cup water
1 cup cooked kidney beans
5-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried Italian herb mix
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup grated cheese ( I used rice cheese)
1/4 cup oil to brush with

Bring to a boil quinoa and water in a saucepan. Cook for 10-12 minutes until all water has absorbed. Set a side to cool. Combine in a food processor remaining ingredients except the oil and blend for a few seconds. You still want some pieces of beans left. Combine with quinoa and place in fridge for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to F400 and with wet hands shape the cooled mix to small balls. Place on a parchment paper. Brush each with some oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes until they are slightly crispy on outside and browned. Serve with a salad as a meal or with ranch dip for a snack.

Vegan BBQ wings with vegan ranch dressing

2012-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe for the wings and the ranch on the Recipe Renovator but I did end up changing just a little and it turned in to what I remembered ranch dressing tasting like. Since hubby loves anything with BBQ sauce I actually used that instead of hot sauce for the wings It will go well as a dip for the vein wings, quinoa pizza rolls, garlic bread and etc I'm making for hubby to eat during Super bowl. Go Patriots!!!!!

While the boys are watching football, me and Bella are dressing up and going to see Beauty & the beast at the movies and then were going out for a veggie burger:)

From left to right; quinoa pizza balls, tofu BBQ wings, garlic bread and sausage rolls and in the front is the ranch dip

Ranch dip:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs chives & garlic flavored soy cream cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried parsley

Combine the soy milk and the vinegar in a small bowl and let stand 5-10 minutes to curdle. Add all other ingredients in a blender or food processor along with the curdles soy milk and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more soy milk as needed if you want a pourable dressing.

Wings:
16 oz super firm tofu
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 tbs canola oil

1/4 tsp almond meal
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 onion powder

Press the tofu overnight by wrapping the tofu in a clean kitchen towel and place between two cutting boards. Put a heavy frying pan or pile of cookbooks on top.

Cut the tofu into 12 pieces, using the short side as your length, and making the pieces as even as possible. If you want the shapes to be more organic and less stick-like, use a vegetable peeler to shave off the corners of the long edges, and the corners of the top and bottom of each piece. (Reserve the tofu scraps for a stir fry.)

Prick the pieces all over with a fork to help the tofu absorb the marinade.

Whisk BBQ sauce and oil together. Set 2/3 of it aside in the refrigerator until serving. Brush the tofu with the remaining marinade, covering each side evenly, and then pour the rest over it. Cover and marinate, overnight if possible, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 350F/160C/gas mark 4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the remaining ingredients together in a shallow bowl, stirring with a fork. Roll each piece of tofu in the breading, making sure it sticks to each side evenly. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray, and flip over, making sure all the breading is thoroughly coated with spray.

Bake for 15 minutes, then flip all the pieces over. Bake another 20 minutes, until the sticks are crispy. Gently toss the hot “wings” in the remaining sauce (you’ll need to whisk it together again). Place each piece on a skewer. Dip them in the ranch dressing.

Blueberry sour cream tart

2012-02-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

Bella asked me why I don't bake sweet thing anymore and I realized it was true and since Christmas I had not baked anything sweet unless it was raw. The reason for it is that I have been giving my body a break and been eating more healthy and raw.

However, Bella asked me to make something with blueberries so I made a tart that was just perfect for a Friday evening dessert. I used a recipe from Cookie madness but changed a bit and made it vegan off course and used spelt flour instead of all-purpose flour and real vanilla bean instead of extract.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups white spelt flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 ounces cold butter

No egg replacment equal one egg

1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds used

Topping:

4 cups blueberries ( fresh or thawed frozen

2 tsp cornstartch

2 cups sour cream ( I used tofutti sour cream)

1/2 cup sugar

No egg replacement equal 2 eggs

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds used

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch round springform pan with cooking spray.In a food processor, combine flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut or process in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir or process in the no egg replacement and vanilla bean seeds.Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Stir sour cream, sugar, egg placements and vanilla bean together in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle cornstarch over the blueberries and gently stir to coat cornstarch with blueberries (it will disappear as you stir). Spread the blueberries over the crust.Pour this mixture in the bottom of the curst and spread the blueberries and carefully spread it across the top.

Set the springform pan on a foil lined cookie sheet** and bake for 50 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is lightly browned around edges – it should still look a little loose in the center and will set as it cools and chills. Loosen hot cake from pan with a knife, but do not remove sides quite yet. Cool completely and chill for a few hours. Remove sides of springform pan.

Super bowl food

2012-02-03T06:16:00.000-08:00

Although I have personally no interest at all in football, James loves is as does a lot of my friends and will be glued to the TV on Sunday for the sSuper Bowl. Me, I'm charge of the food off course and I'm planning more than chips and salsa but it will be a semi healthy crowed pleasers. Happy Healthy Mama has some really fun recipes I'm planning to try. The quinoa pizza balls I'm dying to try so they will for sure be served on Sunday as well as the parmesan roasted chickpeas but I will use a vegan cheese instead. But the one dish my husband is most excited about is these vegan chicken wings with a ranch dipping sauce from The Recipe Renovator.

What are you all planning to eat for Sunday Super Bowl party?

Bean chili with ratatouille

2012-02-02T09:41:00.000-08:00

My legs are buzzing from yesterday's 6mil bike ride and a heated yoga class this morning. But oh my how I love this feeling. And on top of that my wonderful friend Wendy also known as Chef Centehua came by and made her famous uncooked and raw food which I so enjoyed for lunch. Dinner was beans in the form of a chili and I used my last jar of ratatouille made from vegetables from our garden. Off course this vegetables stew can be made all year around with store bought zucchini and tomatoes.

This time of year is when I'm planting new things for the season as well as harvesting a few winter vegetables. I wonder if I will have as much zucchini and tomatoes to harvest this year as I did last year. I hope so. That way I can make more ratatouille to have for the winter months.

2 cups ratatouille

1 cup beans ( I used black and kidney)

2 tbs tomato paste

2/3 cup corn

1/2 tbs maple syrup

1 tbs unsweetened chocolate

2 tbs cilantro, minced

1 tsp chili pepper

1 tsp ground paprika

1 tsp coriander

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine everything in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with side of corn bread or other bread.

detox juice

2012-02-01T05:25:00.000-08:00

Beginning of the year I tend to feel a bit sluggish and tired I know it's the stress and overeating during the holiday. So I like to let my body detox in January and I like to do it with vegetables, fruit, whole grains and vegetable juices. I avoid sugar, wheat and gluten and coffee. I start my day with a chia pudding and fresh fruit and for lunch or/and dinner I like to drink vegetables juices.

My favorite juice is a beet, lemon, celery, ginger and kale. Some people have a hard time drinking vegetables juices and beet juice even more but I found if it's ice cold it does not taste that bad. A juicer is off course required for this juice. I like making up larger quantities and pour into recycled glass jars to keep in fridge. This way I have access to juice to take on the go if and when I need it.

1 large lemon, peeled

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled

2-3 large beets, peeled

3 celery stalks

2 large kale leaves

Juice everything and place in a jar with lid. Shake for a few seconds and then place in fridge to make it cold if so wish.

Tomato Lentil Patties

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

It has been a super busy day and here I'm now sitting watching Fried Green Tomatoes and drinking some tea while kids are sleeping and James is at yoga. Dinner was delicious lentil patties served with pasta,, swiss chard and broccoli. The patties are packed with protein from the lentils but also from buckwheat and sunflower seeds and they are gluten free. Could not be better hum?

2/3 cup cooked green lentils

1/2 tsp ground chili

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Herb salt and black pepper to taste

2 carrots,grated

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

3/4 cup buckwheat cereal

1/4 cups sun dried tomatoes, chopped and soaked in 1/2 cup water for 1 hour

1/2 cup cheese ( I used pepper jack rice cheese)

Canola oil to cook patties in

Combine everything including the tomato soaking water but except the canola oil in a food processor and blend until all mixed and you have a "wet" ball that's easy to shape. If not either add more water and cheese if too dry or more buckwheat cereal if too wet. Shape into small and flat patties. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook a few minutes on each side until they are browned.

Orzo casserole

2012-01-30T06:49:00.000-08:00

Another gorgeous day so we took a 6 mil bike ride along the water at Mission Bay. I had prepared lunch before we left so it was all ready to just bake for 20 minutes when we got home. I made a casserole with orzo, vegetables and beans. which satisfied this hungry crowed after our work out.

1 tbs canola oil

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup celeriac, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 tbs Bragg's liquid aminos or tamari

1/2 strained tomatoes

1 tbs tomato puree

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground chili

1 tsp Herbs Provencal

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup cream ( I used mimic cream)

1/4 cup cream cheese ( I used tofutti's cream cheese)

2/3 cup cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup orzo

3/4 cup grated cheese ( I used rice cheese)

Preheat oven to F400.
Heat oil in a saucepan on medium heat and sauté onion until glossy not brown. Add and cook celeriac, carrots for a couple of minutes. Add stock, liquid aminos, tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic salt and chili and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook another 4 minutes. If needed, add salt & pepper. Stir in the cream, cream cheese, chick peas and herbs provencal. Place orzo in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour the topping over in a even layer. bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cheese over and bake another 5-7 minutes, until cheese has melted.

Herb grilled seitan & bulgur salad

2012-01-29T09:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a big day for us because first dropped off a couple of home made meals for friends who just became parents to a beautiful little girl name Violet. She was welcomed by her parents off course but also two older brothers.

In the afternoon some other friends came for dinner to celebrate their engagement. We're so happy for all off you and honored we got to be part of all the celebrations. With the nice warm weather we had yesterday I felt like a hearty salad and made this bulgur salad with tons of vegetables and topped with garlic and herb seitan. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

1 cup seitan, pieces

1 tbs olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tsp herb salt

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 Endive head, chopped

1/2 cup corn

1 tomato, diced

1 cup sprouts

1 1/2 cup cooked bulgur

Dressing:

2 tbs hemp oil

1 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tbs honey

1/2 tbs Dijon mustard

Black pepper

Salt

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and sauté garlic for 1 minutes. Add seitan and herb salt and cook to brown seitan for a few minutes. Flip them a couple of times. Remove seitan and cook mushrooms until browned too. Mix everything for the dressing in a small bowl. Combine in a large salad bowl bulgur, endives, corn, tomato, sprouts. Toss with dressing and serve with seitan and mushrooms on top.

Tomato sauce with kale and mushrooms

2012-01-28T03:30:00.000-08:00

This tomato sauce totally dedicated to my tomato and mushroom loving son Noah. My kids have such different palates; Noah loves tomatoes, mushrooms, any acidic fruit while Bella does not like tomatoes but loves peas which Noah does not and prefer bananas and pears.

On Friday's Bella gets to choose what she wants for dinner and she wanted pizza off course. Now Noah is not so big on pizza so for him and us I made this tomato sauce with garlic, mushrooms, kale and celeriac served over some leftover bulgur from lunch and he absolutely loved it while Bella made a face when she smelled it. sigh I'm not really looking forward the arguments over food in our future.

1 tbs olive oil
1 large garlic clove, grated
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup celeriac, peeled and grated
1 cup kale, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 cup strained tomatoes
1 tbs ketchup
1 tsp ground chili
Salt to taste
3 tbs garlic and chive flavored cream cheese

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and cook garlic until glossy not brown. Add mushrooms and brown them in a single layer. Combine celeriac, kale, water, tomatoes, ketchup, honey, chili and salt in the saucepan and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cream cheese and add more salt if needed. Serve over pasta, quinoa, rice or bulgur for a complete meal.

Vegetable pancakes

2012-01-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

My little man Noah is now enjoying feeding him self. Unfortunately that does not mean a whole lots of vegetables so I have to be clever and "hide" them in foods he do enjoy. These pancakes are one of them and I added carrots and corn last time and kale, chickpeas and carrots the time before.

He loves them and I'm happy because he my vegetarian baby boy gets carbohydrates, protein, omegas and vitamins from the vegetables all in one go and I can't ask for a more healthy and nutritional lunch for him. He also munched on an apple for dessert and drank a glass of oat milk. My big boy!

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk ( I used homemade oat milk)
1.2 cup + 1 tbs spelt flour
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/4 cup corn
Canola oil to cook pancakes in

Whisk each egg and add flour and milk and blend until lump free. Add cottage cheese, carrots and corn and combine quickly. Heat oil in frying pan on medium heat and cook 1/4 cup batter on each pancakes for a few minutes and then flip and cook another couple of minutes until the are golden brown.

Mango chickpea curry

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Bella loves dried mango and is the only thing she ever ask for when we go grocery shopping. Noah loves anything with mango but almost never buy it because it has travelled so far and cost so much. But then I thought of how you eat mango chutney with indian food and the idea of a curry with dried mango was born. I admit we eat a lot of curry at home but it's so easy to make, such easy way to serve tons of vegetables plus everyone loves it. It's a win win for me.

In this curry I added a lot of root vegeteblas such as carrots and parsnip since it's this seasons vegetables. I also added broccolini for some greens. When you make stews or casseroles and cook many vegetables at the same time it's important they are they same size so they will cook even. I don't know if you really could taste the mango but they all loved it.

1 tbs canola or coconut oil
1/4 cup leeks, minced
1/2 tbs yellow curry spice or more if you want a stronger curry flavor like me do
2 cup mixed root vegetables, peeled and chopped ( I used carrots and parsnips)
1 cup broccoli or broccolini, chopped
1 cup water
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 cup cooked chickpeas
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and saute leeks with curry spice. Add the root vegetables and cook for another minutes. Add water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for another 2 minutes. Add coconut milk, chickpeas, salt & pepper and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Enjoy with naan bread and rice.

Chocolate chia pudding

2012-01-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

I'm hooked on chia puddings for breakfast, heck any time of the day is a good chia time concerning me. I find myself in the morning these days not having time to eat breakfast or forgetting really. I usually wake up an hour before the kids to work and to feed our furry friends, make Bella's lunch and Noah's oatmeal. Once the family is up I'm busy getting everyone dressed, feed, and off to work ad school and I also have to clean up kicthen and dishes. In between all of this I also sneak out for either a 20-30 minute walk or bike ride to start of the day right. Usually when Bella and James are gone me and Noah take a shorter walk. By the time he goes down for a nap around 8.30 am I'm starved so a chia pudding is perfect.

I like to prepare my puddings the night before so I have one waiting for me in the fridge. The combination of chia, fruit, almond milk and hemp seeds will keep me full and energgized for all the playing me a Noah do once he wakes up. I love having a 1 year old but boy it's intense and lots of playing all the time.

1 cup almond milk

2 tbs chia seeds
1 date, pitted
1/2 banana
1 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 cup raspberries
1 tbs hemp seeds

Place everything except raspberries and hemps seeds in a blender or food processor. Mix for a few minutes to break up teh chia seeds and to combine eerything. Pour into serving bowl and place in fridge for at least one hour to stiffen up. Serve topped with berries and sprinkled hemp seeds.

Baked quinoa stuffed acorn squash

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

At the farmers market I found one large acorn squash which I used for last nights dinner. I made baked quinoa stuffed acorn squash and it was a huge hit with Noah but then again he has not met to many foods he does not like:)

One large acorn squash was plenty for us four and still had leftovers for lunch for Noah the next day. The sweetness of acorn and butter nut squash in general apeals to kids but they are also a great vegetable to serve with the high levels of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and E for examples.

1 large acorn squash, cut in half length wise and seeds removed
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
1 1/2 cups swiss chard, or collard greens, kale, chopped
1 tbs balsamic vinergar
Herb salt to taste
1/4 cup dired cranberries
2 tbs pumpkin seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese (optional

Preheat oven to F350. Place acorn squash cut side down in a baking dish with a little water in the bottom. Bake until flesh is soft, about 30 minutes. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and saute garlic for a few seconds. Add swiss chard and balsamic vinegra and herb salt and cook until swiss chard has vilted. In a bowl, combine cooked quinoa, swiss chard, pumpkin seeds and cranberries. Add salt and pepper. Turn squash cut side up and stuff quinoa into the hole, packing in full. Sprinkle cheese over if using. Bake for 10 minutes on F350.

Buckwheat neatloaf with cauliflower mash

2012-01-23T08:52:00.000-08:00

On Sundays I like to make a little more effort and make special food I know kids are crazy about. This Sunday I made a buckwheat neatloaf served with a mashed cauliflower. I love the flavor combination of the two and I love serving cauliflower this way since it's neither kids favorite vegetable. Buckwheat is gluten free despite the name and contains tons of fiber, protein and high dose of Omega-3 and vitamin B so it's a great substitute for meat or soy products.

Neatloaf
1 cup buckwheat cereal
1 cup water
1/4 cup marinated green olives, minced
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp garlic salt
Herb salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to Bring to a boil water and cereal. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thicken while stirring often, about 5 minutes. Blend buckwheat cereal with olives, sundred tomatoes, herb salt, salt and pepper. Shape into a loaf and place in a well greased baking dish. Cook in oven for 15-20 minutes.

Mashed cauliflower

1/2 culiflower head, chopped

1 large russet potatoe, peeled and diced

water

2 tbs butter

Milk ( I used almond milk)

2 tsp parsley, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine cauliflower, potato in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Strain and mash with the butter until it's mash and not too many lumps excist. Add milk until desired concistancy. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.

Amanda’s favorite pasta sauce

2012-01-22T13:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Noah’s first birthday with a hugepancake breakfast party. I know it’s 3 weeks late but because we were travelingfrom Sweden and he was sick when we got home and then we struggled with jetlagit just seemed like a good idea to wait to have his celebration. Since we alllove pancakes and are early risers it also was natural to have a breakfastparty. We made over 100 pancakes that were original, gluten free and then thethird was my pear and coconut pancakes and they were they favorite. I toldJames before the party any leftover we can just freeze and eat next weekend orso. Believe it or not we did not have one single pancake left and that’s afterJames did not having any and I only 2!!!!! Well I guess others love pancakes almostas much as we do.

After making pancakes, lunch was a breeze and a very calmevent so I made past and pasta sauce. This dish has no name yet but Amanda whoworks for me on Gree-mom.com always ask me to make “you know that yummy saucethat I like so much”. I always go blank for a moment before remembering what itis she’s talking about. So for lack ofbetter name, it’s now called Amanda’s pasta sauce. She also asks me to often topost in so she can make herself so sweetie this one is for you:)

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 large garlic clove, grated

¼ cup leeks, minced

½ cup grated carrots

½ cup grated green cabbage

½ cup corn

2/3 cup minced quorn, seitan or soy “meat”

½ cup light coconut cream

2 tbsp. honey mustard

2 tbsp. ketchup

1 tbsp. mango chutney

1 tsp. yellow curry powder

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet on low medium heat and sauté garlicand leeks for a few minutes until glossy, not brown. Add carrots, cabbage andcorn and cook for 3 minutes. Add the minced protein, coconut cream, honeymustard, ketchup, mango chutney and curry powder. Blend well and simmer onmedium heat for 5 minutes. Serve with pasta, rice, barley or quinoa and side ofsteamed vegetables.

Chia pudding and homemade milk

2012-01-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

Milk in any shape or forms can get very expensive for a family of four like us. We mainly drink oat and almond milk here. Now Noah has started to drink "regular" milk too so I decided to make my own oat and sesame seed milk when we ran out today. Super easy and Noah like it better than store bought one. I think it has to do with that it taste like his oatmeal he eats everyday. Anyway all you need is a blender (in my case I used a hand held blender) and something to strain milk in such as a cheese cloth or a nut milk bag (what I had). I keep my milk in a glass bottle or pitcher in the fridge and it will last a couple of days. You have to stir or shake it be roe serving as with any vegetarian milks.

Noah entertaining himself while I cook:)

From the milk I also made a chia pudding that I ate for breakfast. I've talked about chia seeds before and it's super nutrition. Chia seeds it part of our daily foods and I love giving it to the kids for what better way for them to ripe its benefits of protein, Omega 3 and calcium. Chia pudding gets you going in the morning, is a low fast and low glycemic index food and will keep you for a long time. This recipe was based on one on my RAW food Goddess and friend Wendy's web site

Oat and sesame seed milk
1/2 cup old fashion oats
1/4 cup un-hulled sesame seeds
4 cups water
1 pinch of sea salt
1 tbs maple syrup (more if you want it sweeter)

Combine everything in a blender and process for a minute or two. Strain milk and it's done. Now was that not super easy????

Chia and raspberry breakfast pudding (or a great snack)

1 cup milk of your choice

1 1/2 tbs chia seeds

1 tbs maple syrup

1/2 cup raspberries (or use any other berry instead)

1 tbs bee pollen

Combine milk, chia seeds and maple syrup in a food processor or blender and mix for 1 minutes. In a small bowl stir in the raspberries and place in fridge overnight or an hour at least. Before serving sprinkle bee pollen over.

Cheesy pasta casserole

2012-01-20T08:30:00.000-08:00

This was a very popular casserole indeed with the family whoall gobbled it down so fast. I got lucky. I knew I was making something withpasta and I knew I wanted to use zucchini, everything else came about as Icooked and I came up with the idea to make a very healthy and my own version ofmac and cheese. Pasta casserole are perfect dishes to "hide" lots of vegetables and my case it was zucchini which is not Bella's favorite vegetable.

Cooked pasta for 4 people (I used whole wheat spelt)

1 tbs canola oil

2/3 cup corn

2 tbs white spelt flour or all purpose flour

2 tbs nutritional yeast

1 cup almond milk

2/3 cup grated zucchini

Herb salt

Black pepper to taste

Cheese

Panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to F400.Heat oil on medium in a saucepan and sauté the corn for a a minute. Sprinkle flour over and blend, remove pan from heat and pour in milk little at the time and whisk until you're left with no lumps except the corn off course. Place on stove on medium heat and bring to a boil while stirring constantly for a few minutes. The sauce will thicken and you can add more milk if it seems too thick. Add nutritional yeast, herb salt and pepper and blend. Toss pasta and zucchini with the sauce. Place pasta in a baking dish Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top and then cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until top is slightly browned.

Levain bread and wild yeast

2012-01-19T08:30:00.000-08:00

Sourdough is a hype in Sweden and everywhere you find many version of sourdough bread and it's not like the San Francisco sourdough. While in Sweden for Christmas, the most popular sourdough bread we ate was levain and we were hooked and I promised myself I was going to make my own levain as soon as we got home. Levain is a leaving agent used instead of commercial yeast. Levain bread is nutritionally better for you because the lactobacilli and ascorbic acid presented helps neutralize physic acids, a substance that occurs in bread that inhibits mineral absorption by the body. Bread baked with a sourdough starter also stays fresh longer.

Last weekend is when I decided to give it a try. I consider myself an avid baker and pretty good one too. I I use fermentation in my my breads all the time so I really thought this was going to be a walk in the park. Think again!!! It was very time consuming since the fermentation process takes days--read 3 and you have to care for the levain morning and evening. It has to rise for 3 days in a warm place. I told James on day 3 it better be the most amazing bread ever and guess what IT WAS. OMG it was so good and the whole family agreed in was the best. After we ate some of the bread with soup that night my husband asked " so was it hard to make, I mean really really hard?". I know where he was going with this and yes I will bake it again.

The starter

The base for fermented bread is wild yeast or also called starter and I made one from this recipe. You mix water and flour together and let it sit out for a few days to let the formation process start when the exposure starts the baceria and fungus growth. It takes 3-4 days for the starter yeast to be fermented but then you have yeast for a couple of baking sessions. I used white spelt flour instead of white flour for my starter.

Hard work turns into this!

The recipe I followed for the levain bread was this one. I made all my starters and baked all the levain breads with white and whole wheat spelt flour.

Favorite dessert/snack right now

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

What a luxary. The good friend and neighbor came by and took Bella over to their place for a play date and Noah just went down for a nap. So I'm sitting here getting a lot of work done, some blog surfing and enjoying a cup of tea.

I'm also eating my favorite snack right which also is a great dessert in my opinion. It's fruit parfait with plain yogurt, strawberries and chopped nuts. I used homemade coconut yogurt so my parfait was "raw" but any yogurt will do.I was so excited when I found local and organic strawberries at the farmers market so now we're enjoying these small and sweet berries.

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tbs agave nectar

1/2 cup fresh fruit, sliced

2 tbs nuts, chopped ( I used hazelnuts)

Place yogurt in the bottom of a small bowl. Drizzle agave nectar over. Arrange fruit on top and sprinkle nuts over. Yum!!!!

Broccoflower soup

2012-01-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

Going to the farmers market is one of my favorite things to do. I love walking around sampling things, smelling produce and eating with my eyes. I especially love going to farmers markets in other places than home to see what they are selling and what's local there. I also have my favorite vendors off course and today at Suzie's farm I was so delighted to find romanesca which kind off is a mix between a broccoli and cauliflower and is also known as broccoflower.

I knew right away what I would make with it, brocciflower soup which is by far my family's favorite soup. It so simple to make it one of those great recipes to have on hand when inspiration is lost or time is short. I served the soup with fresh bread baked the same day and still warm out of the oven.

1 romanesca head, chopped
1 squash, chopped
Vegetable broth so it covers the vegetables in a saucepan
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbs sour cream

Combine romanesca, squash and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes covered with lid. Puree soup until completely creamy and smooth. Add sour cream and stir until melted and combined. Add salt and pepper.

Chia blueberry smoothie

2012-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Chia seeds are something we eat on a daily bases here in either sprinkled on our oatmeal or in a chia pudding. I love chia seeds because if you soak them in water they become a gel which is perfecta to use for making vegan or raw puddings. They also are nutritional booms filled with omega-3 fatty acids, fibers, proteins, vitamins and antioxidants.

Today I added them to a smoothie I made for me and Bella as a snack. Bella called it purple milk because it looked like that. I had added Green super foods but the blueberries masked the color so Bella didn't see them. Whenever I make a green smoothie for us I make it with blueberries for that reason.

1 tbs chia seeds soaked in a1/4 cup water for at least one hour or over night.
1 cup coconut water
1/2 cup almond milk
1 ripe pear, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1 tbs Green super food ( I like Amazing Grass)
1 tbs bee pollen (optional)

Place everything in a blender and mix for a at least one minutes to break up the chia seeds. Sprinkle bee pollen on top if choose.

Lentil pasta sauce

2012-01-15T16:04:00.000-08:00

Oh man I'm beat today after a day of biking the whole family, bread baking, cleaning, grocery shopping and off course, playing. James is taking a yoga course four Sunday in a row so me and the kids are on our own for the afternoon and normally that's something I'm looking forward to but today I was so tired that when Noah napped I started a movie for Bella and I sat down and enjoyed the silence with a cup of green tea. I just made a princess dress out of scarfs before for Bella and now she is painting next to me while I get a chance to blog.

The best table mate who is trying to figure out how to spell Shrek:)

The fruit of my labor today, two kinds of sourdough bread

Lunch was pasta per request from hubby who wanted something that would keep him full without weighing him down for yoga. I made a lentil pasta sauce with tons of wonderful vegetables in a rich tomato sauce served over whole wheat rigatoni and steamed broccoli.

The perfect well balanced meal with vegetables, slow carbohydrates and protein

1 tbs olive oil
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1/2 cup grated celeriac
1/2 cup grated green cabbage
1/2 cup green olives, minced
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
2/3 cup vegetable stock
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tbs honey or agave nectar
Herb salt to taste
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup sour cream or cream ( I used mimic cream)
A couple of fresh basil leafs, torn

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet on medium heat. Saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add carrots, celeriac, cabbage and olive and cook for a few minutes. Add lentils, stock, canned tomatoes, honey or agave, chili powder and herb salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes and then reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add cream and blend carefully and reheat. Sprinkle basil leafs over before serving.

Rawalishes chocolate dessert

2012-01-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Me and Bella had a wonderful afternoon yesterday when Noah slept so we made dessert together, her favorite, raw chocolate pudding. I love it when I made raw dessert to my kids since my rule is that if goes into their mouths it need to have some nutrition in it and raw dessert do.

Since the base for this pudding is avocado and dates I know she gets nearly 20 essential nutrients from the avocado alone including fiber, vitamin E, B and folic acid and it contains good fats. Dates provides iron, copper an potassium amount other things.

The avocado makes it wonderfully creamy and the dates perfectly sweet. I made it a little more fun and shaved some raw chocolate on top of the pudding. For decoration I put a raspberry on top and afterward realized it was delicious combined with the chocolate so next time I will make it a raspberry flavored chocolate pudding.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

2 fresh dates, pitted and soaked for 1 hour in 1/2 cup water

1/2 large and ripe avocado

1 tsp raw coconut butter

1/2 tbs maple syrup

1/2 vanilla bean, spilt open and seeds used

1 tsp mesquite powder (optional)

1/2 tbs cocoa powder

Shaved chocolate (optional)

Place the soaked dates and water in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add coconut butter, maple syrup, vanilla bean, cocoa powder, mesquite if using and avocado and process until very creamy, scrape down sides once. Pour into portion cups or serving bowl. Shave chocolate on top and decorate with fruit to make it extra special.

Raw corn tortillas and raw sour cream

2012-01-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe on We like it raw website and gave it a try.I did modify the recipe a little. Super easy but does require a dehydrator. It only took a few hours to dry them and they taste amazing. I made enchiladas with them and filled them with marinated vegetables and beans and poured homemade salsa and raw sour cream and served it on the side of a huge salad.

I like eating raw often because it really helps me control my thyroid problems and digestion. I love all the enzyme rich food and it makes me feel good and healthy, especially after a holiday of eating. If you want to learn more about raw food visit my amazing talented friend Wendy's web site.

Raw tortilla:
3 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels
1 1/2 cups red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cup grounded flax seed ( I didn't have that and used supersede blend with chia seeds, flax seeds and brown rice
1 tbs lime juice
1 tsp garlic salt
a couple pinches of chili pepper

Place everything in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread thin on a parchment paper and then dehydrate at 105F for 2-3 hours. Peel tortilla of parchment paper and dehydrate for another hour.

Raw sour cream:
1/2 cup raw chashews, soaked for 1 hour
juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp garlic salt
5 Tbs water

Combine nuts, lemon juice, garlic salt in a blender or food processor and begin mixing. Add 1 tbs water at the time until you have desired consistency.

Fruit & nut bread and inspiration is back

2012-01-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

The last couple of mornings Noah has gone from waking up at 4:30-5 am to waking up after 6am so I feel like I'm been getting more solid sleep lately. Because of this I get up before the kids are awake to get things done and hubby is doing yoga . This morning it was baking bread from a dough I prepared last night and let it rise overnight. Off course this bread can be baked the same day as well and still taste very good.

I feel I've been in a slump in the past month with very little inspiration on the culinary side of me. I think between launching my business Green Mom, kids being sick, me being sick, help being sick and traveling I was just maxed out. Now however, I'm back again and doing my usual million things at the same time so this morning it was baking bread, soaking beans to bee cooked tonight, making kimchi, cooking apricot puree for Noah and off course the regular feeding everyone and getting Bella off to school. It feels good to be back and doing this again.

Ready to knead dough and get my morning workout

Warm fresh baked bread welcomed the family when they woke up this morning

Beautiful sunrise this morning with a view from my kitchen

2 cups white spelt flour

1 cup oats

1/2 cup sprouted whole wheat flour

1 cup grated apple

1/4 cup brazil nuts, chopped

1 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

1 cup warm water

1tbs virgin coconut butter

1 tbs Agave nectar

Combine in a large bowl or a kitchen aid spelt flour, oats, whole wheat flour, grated apple, basil nuts, yeast, salt and blend. Combine in a small bowl warm water, coconut butter and agave nectar and mix until coconut butter has dissolved. Add slowly to flour mix and work until you have shiny and flexible dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and set to rise in a room temperate for at least 2 hours or over night. Place dough on a surface sprinkled with flour and knead the dough for 5 minutes. Either make a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan or make rolls and place on a parchment paper clad cookie sheet. Preheat oven to F400 for rolls and F350 for loaf. Bake rolls for 20-25 minute depending on size. Bake loaf for 30-35 minutes. Cover with a towel when out of the oven while cool in down.

Quick pasta dinner

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

I've had an amazing day with a fresh clean house and clean beds, I attended a yoga class, got a massage from wonderful Andrea and got to spend some fun times with Noah this morning. I love days like this however I did receive a call from Bella's school teacher that she to a nasty fall and landed on her face. So when i pick her up she was as happy as normal but her poor side face has a nasty scrape and she has fat lip.

My goal all day was to keep the calm from the massage and yoga class no matter what so I made it very easy for myself and made a very simple pasta dish for dinner which is my 911 when I'm lost of inspiration or I don't have time to make something more elaborate. As long as you have vegetables, olive oil, cheese and either whole wheat or quinoa pasta you can make a great wholesome meal for a family.

Cooked pasta for 4 people ( I used quinoa pasta)
1 tbs olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes and minced
1 cup swiss chard, kale, spinach or collard greens, chopped
1/2 cup cheese, crumbled( I used soy feta cheese)
1/2 cup raw cashews, chopped
1/2 tbs red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and sauté garlic for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook for another minutes or so. Add swiss chard or greens of your choice and toss with pasta. Add salt, pepper and red pepper and blend. Serve with crumbled cheese and sprinkled with nuts on top.

Fennel & tomato soup

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhh first day back to school and back to normal days now whatever that means off course. But for me it meant a beautiful and happy five year old heading to school this morning and lots of quality play time for me and Noah. He loves being in the kitchen with me and is curious about everything I do.

I made a soup from a recipe I found in the current issue of Vegetarian Times. I love using fennel in cooking and the combination of fennel and tomato with vegan Italian sausages just sounded scrumptious. I'm happy to inform it was as good it sounded but I did add 1 tbs of agave nectar to make it less acidic for Bella. I served it with a slice of warm french bread.

The one thing I totally forgot was to take a picture of the dish before we ate it but I'm including a link to the recipe on Vegetarian Times where you can find a picture.

3 tbs olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, diced ( 4 cups)
3 vegan Italian sausages, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds (2 cups)
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbs dry white wine or water
1 tbs agave nectar
4 cups low-sodium vegetables broth
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
3 tbs chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat oil in soup pan over medium heat. Add fennel and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Stir in sausages and fennel seeds and cook for 5-7 minutes or until seeds are slightly soften and bits of sausage are stuck to bottom of pan. Add wine and deglaze pan by scraping up any brown bits. Add broth, tomatoes, agave nectar, and parsley. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer on low for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir-fry

2012-01-09T14:14:00.000-08:00

Bella had her first sleepover party this weekend which left us alone with Noah. It was so quiet and empty without her and I missed her a lot. She had a great time however and that's what matters. Since it was just us three and by the time I got home from a baby shower Noah was already fed, I made an simple stir-fry for me and James. It was perfect meal to enjoy while with did something we hardly do, watch a move from start to finish.

1 tbs coconut oil
1/2 tbs fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 cup red bell pepper, cut julienne
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 cup sugar snap peas, tops and ends cut of and cut in half
1/4 cup water
1 handful green cabbage, chopped
2 tbs vegetarian stir-fry sauce ( I used Lee Kum Kee's with mushroom flavor)
Black pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped roasted cashews

Heat oil in a wok on medium heat and sauté garlic and ginger for a minute. Add pepper, celery and sugar snap, water and stir-fry sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add cabbage and blend well and add black pepper. Serve with rice, quinoa, buckwheat noodles or barley and chopped nuts sprinkled on top.

Sweets for a Saturday

2012-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

Lisa on Sweet-as-sugar blog has a Sweets for a Saturday going on where anyone can post their sweet treat of the week. I posted my chocolate cup cakes with peanut butter frosting. There are many other fun desserts and sweet treats to check it out. Also Lisa's blog is worth a visit as well for sure:)

Slow cooked super food porridge

2012-01-08T09:10:00.000-08:00

I mainly use my crock pot to cook beans in since they take a fair amount of time to cook and this way I can leave house while they cook. But yesterday I decided to try something new and make porridge in the crock pot so there would be warm breakfast waiting or us when we woke up.

We eat oatmeal pretty much every morning but I wanted to try to make an even more powerful breakfast by using super grains such as quinoa and barley. It turned out really well and I think Noah was the one who liked it the best.
Quinoa and barley both contains proteins, fiber and iron and are both considered a low glycemic index food which means it will not make your blood sugar go on a roller coaster.

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup barley, rinsed ( I used purple barley but pearled barley will do as well
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbs crystallized ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs raw or extra virgin coconut oil
4 cups water

Place everything in crock pot and blend the last thing you do in the evening and turn crock pot to low. Serve with maple syrup, raw pumpkin seeds, milk and sliced bananas for a wholesome breakfast that last you a long time.

Guest blogger and fermented foods

2012-01-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

We eat a lot of fermented food in our house such as kombucha, sourkrauts and kimchi. Here is my friend Wendy also known as Chef Centehua guest blogging about fermented foods and some recipes. You can more articles by her on www.Green-Mom.com and her web site http://www.centehualiving.com/

By Chef Centehua

Live fermented foods are vital for a healthy digestive system. Live cultures are abundant in yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, miso, kimchi, etc. The alchemy that these micro-organisms work on our food is something that our ancestors understood and honored, but our over-sanitized and germaphobic culture has forgotten this ancient art. When sold in stores, fermented foods are often pasteurized, which kills the beneficial cultures and enzymes that heal and aid digestion.

The anti-bacterial craze not only wages war on microbes but on us as well. We have pasteurized, homogenized and killed the very life force in our food for the sake of safety and liability. We need to understand the symbiotic relationship we share with micro-organisms: not only do they protect us from potentially dangerous organisms, but they help build our immune system. We need to co-exist and co-operate with these microscopic life forms. They are us. We evolved from them. Our bodies carry an estimated 100 trillion bacteria populations. Our bodies are living ecosystems, and our survival depends on this biodiversity. Consuming fermented foods is a great way to invite microbial cultures to intermingle with us, thus becoming one with the world around us and allowing us to thrive on probiotic nutrients, which not only aid digestion and proper absorption of nutrients, but also provide antioxidants, strengthen the immune system and promote longevity.

Every culture from every corner of the world has a staple fermented food and/or drink. Kimchi is a traditional fermented dish of Korea. There are hundreds of varieties of kimchi but all consist mainly of napa cabbage, cucumbers, green onions, radishes and spices. Miso, the traditional Japanese seasoning, is made from fermented barley, rice and/or soybeans with salt and the fungus Koji-kin. Atchara is a Philippine condiment made from pickled unripe papaya, carrot, ginger, and garlic. Fermented millet porridge is enjoyed in Africa. Dosas and yogurt are staples in Indian cuisine. Europeans consume a variety of pickled foods, elderberry wine, and cultured dairy products. The Americas have enjoyed kombucha, sauerkraut, sour dough, kefir and chocolate for centuries. Not many people know that the cacao bean is actually the seed that is fermented to avoid germination. The ancient Maya enjoyed a fermented chocolate drink called chocolatl, “meaning bitter water.” We could go on and on. We all shared cultivation of the earth as we evolved from nature to culture. Fermenting foods and drinks makes me feel connected to my ancestral lineage.

When we eliminate fermented foods and consume enzyme- and nutrient-deficient foods such as refined carbohydrates, processed, and pasteurized foods, we force our bodies to utilize extra energy to break them down. Fermented foods act as a pre-digestive aid and enrich foods’ amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and proteins.

The preservation and fermentation of food is an ancient primitive skill, so there is no need to be intimidated. You can start by fermenting kraut or making your own yogurt. Since I eat sauerkraut almost everyday, I began fermenting it — it’s easy and delicious. My first batch of kraut turned out so delicious that I’ve been making it ever since, always keeping a batch going. Kraut and kombucha are a staple in my diet, and I am slowly moving into more complex and exotic ferments. Have fun and explore with these beneficial wild foods.

Basic Kraut Recipe

(You may already have some of the tools you’ll need to get started.)
Ingredients:
1 gallon wide-mouth glass jar, small plate or glass bottle that fits inside the jar

1 cabbage
1 T. good salt, Himalayan or Celtic
I started with this small batch. Once comfortable, you can graduate to larger quantities and ferment it in a crock pot.

Directions:

1. Slice the cabbage with or without the heart, then place it inside the wide mouth jar. Sprinkle salt over cabbage and, using the back of a wooden spatula, pack it in.
2. Continue pressing the cabbage down into jar tightly. You’ll notice the salt extracting the water from the cabbage. You want to keep doing this until the brine is above the cabbage. I use a bottle filled with water to weight the cabbage down and keep it under the brine to ferment.

3. Cover with a cloth, pillowcase, or thin shirt. Tie a string or rubber band at the base to keep bugs and dust out. Place in a warm place in your kitchen and come back to it a week later. Check periodically to ensure the brine has not evaporated, leaving cabbage exposed to air. If so simply, add a little water and sprinkle on a bit more salt. Your kraut should be ready in a week’s time. (I like it after three weeks of fermentation.) You can add other vegetables such as shredded carrots, beets, garlic, caraway seeds, etc. when fermenting.

Explore and enjoy the magic of this ancient craft! Here are some helpful books and links:

- wild fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
- Sacred and herbal healing beers by Stephen Harrod Buhner

The perfect snack sandwich for hungry and busy moms

2012-01-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

I always find that days when I'm most busy and/or kids are a handful are the days I don't eat well. My body needs fast energy so I reach for a sugary snack. Not good at all because that's the beginning of the downward spiral of bad eating for a day. Yesterday was one of those where I had not slept well the night before (jetlage still) Noah is teething and not happy so he screams (oh boy how loud he can be) Bella was hyper and said no to everything so I ended up playing every game imaginable. All this while I try to clean, cook breakfast, lunch and dinner and trying to work at the same time.

At 9 am was getting hungry and tired so instead this time I took a few minutes ( 5) to make a proper snack that would last me a while for all princess games I had to participate in. It's such simple whole grain bread with avocado and veggies yet so tasty. This snack does not mess with my blood sugar so I do not crave sugar or have sugar crash later. It also makes my temper more even to help me stay calm during the endless "look at me mommy, can you, can I, NOOOOO, waaahaaaa etc". Well you get the picture right?

1 slice whole wheat or whole grain bread

1/8 cup avocado, mashed

1 tbs salsa

1 slice bell pepper

Sprouts

Mix salsa and avocado and spread on bread. Arrange bell pepper and sprouts on top.

Fruity Bulgur Salad

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Jeeez what a hot day we're having here in San Diego. It's like middle of summer not January winter. It's quit a contrast from Sweden and I don't like it because it feels all wrong and I can't Noah out middle of the day when it's like this. I was not in the mood for warm food on a day like this so a bulgur salad was the answer.

1 cup bulgur

2 cups vegetable stock

1 orange, peeled and diced

1 cup arugula, torn

1/4 cup red onion, minced

1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

2 tbs flax seed oil

1 tbs honey

2 tbs lemon juice

1/2 tbs dijon mustard

Salt & pepper to taste

Roast bulgur in a frying pan for a few minutes, stirring or shaking the pan often. Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan and then add bulgur. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes covered with lid. Fluff bulgur with a fork. Combine flax seed oil, honey, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In large salad bowl, combine orange, arugula, red onion and cucumber and toss with bulgur. Sprinkle walnuts over salad before serving.

Gingery sweet potato, lentil soup

2012-01-04T04:49:00.000-08:00

I love being back in my kitchen and our house again. I love cooking where I have my "stuff" so it's easy to find. Yesterday we had a very nice and calm day since the kids are still adjusting to U.S time and Bella has no school. So we played games, laid puzzles, to a long nice walk and cuddled like never before. Since fridge and freezer was completely empty I went shopping at Whole Foods and then made it home to bake bread. I have to admit that for a second in the store I thought of making it easy and just buy some bread.

I'm glad I didn't because at dinner everyone enjoyed the still warm home baked bread. We ate it with sweet potato soup which one of those super easy soups most kids will like except my potato picky eater Bella. It's so funny she does not like potatoes in any shape or form but specially not sweet ones such as sweet potato and yams. However, she is a good eater and did finish all her soup.

know there is a hype about not eating potatoes but you should not let the sweet potatoes sweetness foul you into thinking is not good for you. Sweet potatoes are packed with good nutrition such as Beta carotene, vitamin A, C, magnesium and antioxidants for example. It's also low in calories but high in fibers making it a perfect complex carbohydrates for people watching their weight.

1/4 cup leeks, minced
1 tbs fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup yellow lentils, soaked for 20 minutes
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup bok choy, chopped
1/4 cup cream ( I used unsweetened mimic cream)
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan on low/medium heat. Cook leeks for a minute and then adding ginger and lentils and vegetables broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add sweet potato and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5-10 minutes. Place vegetables and liquid in a food processor or blender and puree. Return to saucepan and add bok choy, simmer for 3 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper.

Yogurt Cardamom Dressing

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Yuck working on jetlag which is always so much fun with kids. It's almost that it takes all our energy to change these kids from Sweden time to California time. And by the way it's 9 hours time difference and they say it takes 1 day for each hour for kids to adjust. It surely was true for Noah going to Sweden.

I love being home in San Diego with the most super fresh produce. I celebrated that with huge salad and topped with a yogurt dressing. The recipe is from Food Love Story and the author is Laura Plum who is an amazing yoga teacher and Ayurveda practitioner. I adjusted and made the dressing vegan by changing from yogurt to soy coconut yogurt and I also used baked garlic instead of raw since Bella does not like raw garlic. It's such great dressing and it also taste great as a dip.

3/4 cup plain coconut yogurt
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 clove baked garlic, minced ( bake whole clove, peel and all in oven for 3-5 minutes)
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Whisk everything in a small bowl until combined. Enjoy!!!!

Chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today we've been packing and getting ready for our flight home tomorrow. We're leaving at noon so it's nice we don't have to get the kids up so early and can take our time today and tomorrow. Last night here we have been enjoying take out salads from a cafe near us. They were filled with vegetables and quinoa and avocado dressing. They were very fresh and a perfect ending to our day.

Right before we left I made chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter frosting to celebrate the most wonderful and cute little boy's 5th birthday. His name is David and he's Bella's best friend. They have known each other since they were 10 month old in daycare. I don't make cupcakes very often but these came out very well. I forgot to post the recipe so per request here it is.

1 cup almond milk mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white spelt flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to F350. Whisk together the soy milk/vinegar, canola oil, sugar and vanilla. In large bowl combine spelt flour, cocoa powder, chocolate chips baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the wet ingredients and blend well. Pour batter into paper or silicon cup cake molds, filling them 2/3. Bake for 25 minutes. Let them cool completely before attempting to spread the frosting on.

Frosting:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup almond milk
3/4 cups powdered sugar

Combine almond milk and peanut butter until mixed. Whisk in the powdered sugar until fluffy. The frosting work best if left to rest in fridge a few hours and then whisk the frosting fluffy and spread on the cup cakes.

Creamy balsamic sauce

2012-01-01T04:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!
We had a mellow evening because Noah is still sick so we didn't want to risk him getting worse. We were suppose to be at a party with friends. As it looks now we'll not be able to fly home on Monday unless he pulls a miracle on us and gets better in the next 24 hours. It's a bummer but what can you do? It not like I'm going to risk Noah to make it easier for us. So please everyone pray for our peanut to get better soon.

I made dinner for us and it was was simple dinner with seitan steaks, roasted potatoes, asparagus and a very creamy and flavorful sauce drizzled over it. Usually I got to great length to make New Years Dinner perfecta and inspirational but this year I made it so simple and used store bought seitan potatoes and even bought dessert; a chocolate cake.

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup cream
2 tbs liquid vegetable bouillon
1 tbs butter
1 tbs dried herb and garlic salt
Black pepper and salt to taste

Combine everyithing in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. The sauce will reduce a little.

Veggie dog stew and Happy New year!!!

2011-12-31T07:29:00.000-08:00

Since we're nearing the end of this wonderful trip I'm now trying to empty out this fridge and freezer before we leave. It seems like it's all I've been doing all December. The result of that for last nights dinner was a creamy stew with hot dogs and vegetables served over rice. It was yummy and even my poor sick Noah enjoyed it.

Tonight we're spending time with amazing friends at a pot luck dinner. I hope you all will have a great New Years Eve and beginning of 2012!!!! Happy New Year you all amazing visitors to my blog:)

1 tbs canola oil

1/4 cup leeks, minced

2 veggie dogs, diced

1/2 cup rutabaga, peeled and diced

1 cup diced tomatoes

1/4 cup hot water

1 tbs honey mustard

2 tbs ketchup

2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 cup corn

1 cup zucchini, diced

1/2 cup cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook leeks, veggie dogs and rutabaga for a few minutes. Add diced tomatoes, hot water, honey mustard, ketchup and garlic salt. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add corn and zucchini and cook another 3 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add cream, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minutes.

Buckwheat and raspberry granola

2011-12-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

When I travel I like to go grocery shopping to see what is local and to find fun products. Today I found a Raw buckwheat raspberry granola made by Renee Voltaire who is a nutritional goddess here in Sweden. The granola is heaven so I was delighted to find a recipe for it on the box so I make my own. For this recipe you do need a dehydrator.

Sprouted buckwheat like the one in my granola is gluten free and contains plenty of protein and B vitamins and is rich in iron and calcium. This granola is high in nutrition and eaten with nut milk and a fruit you will stay satisfied and full for a long time.

3 cups Buckwheat groats

1 cup whole flax seeds

1 cup raspberries

3/4 cup raisins

1 tsp salt

Combine everything except the raspberries in a large bowl. Pour cold water over to completely cover the filling. Place in a cool place for 12 hours. Add one more cup of water and the raspberries and blend. Rest for another hour. Spread the buckwheat batter on parchment paper. Dehydrate for 20 hours on F105 until crunchy.

Fried rice

2011-12-28T21:39:00.000-08:00

Today was a great day because I got to spend time with two of my very dearest friends. It couldn't just get any better after that so here I'm sitting and just feeling so happy and satisfied. Both my friends are moms of two wonderful children and knows the ups and downs of motherhood and that is just a bonus. Thank you Ulrika and Molly for being so amazing.

Since one of my friends dates was in the evening I made dinner for my kids before I left. I used leftover rice I made fried rice and it was wonderful and both kids loved it. Fried rice is so easy and you can add any vegetables you have available. I also added cubes of cheese and beans for extra protein.

1 tbs canola oil

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 cup broccoli, cut into small florets

1/2 cup yellow peppers, diced

1/2 cup water

2 tbs tamari or Bragg's liquid amino's

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

1/4 cup dried figs, minced

1/2 cup cheese, cubed

1/2 tbs curry powder, maybe more if you like it spicy

1 cup cooked white rice

Heat oil in a wok on medium heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute. Add carrots, broccoli, corn, water, tamari or Bragg's and curry and reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add garbanzo beans, figs, cheese and stir in rice.

Seitan pot pie with kale and leeks

2011-12-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

Today I cooked for an old friend of my mom and some other people. It's funny when I have guest and the first thing they say as I'm cooking is that they are worried I'm making vegetarian food. I guess it never occur to me I would not. Since I was, it made me very nervous but decided not to make a big deal about and not tell them. This way they would not have an opinion before hand and actually maybe enjoy what they eat.
I had made the bread I was blogging about yesterday and also a pot pie that came out really well and was very much enjoyed by my meat eating friends.

1/2 cup leeks, diced
1 tbs canola oil
1 1/2 cups seitan, chicken style
2 cups kale
2 tbs all-purpose flour or white spelt flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1 package puff pastry, defrosted
Milk to brush pastry with

Preheat oven to F400
Heat oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Cook leeks for 1 minute. Add seitan and kale and cook for another 5 minutes stirring. Sprinkle flour over and blend. Pour on water, salt and pepper and mix well and bring to a boil while stirring the whole time. Cook until thicken and then remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and blend. Place filling in a baking dish. Roll out puff pastry and cover the baking dish complete. Use back of a fork to press down the edges. Brush top with a little milk. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with a side of mixed salad.

Saffron bread

2011-12-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm hosting a lunch for a very old friend of my mom. Since my mom's passing I've not seen this friend but we've kept in contact through mail and Facebook. I'm so excited for her come to tomorrow and to meet my mom's grand kids. For the lunch I will serve a seitan pot pie with a side of mixed green arugula salad and aromatic saffron bread. Saffron to me is Swedish Christmas and since we're still in the Christmas spirit I though it would be a great addition to the lunch.

2 1/2 cups white spelt flour (maybe more)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat spelt flour
1 package dry active yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs salt
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 tsp saffron

Combine both flours, yeast and salt in a large bowl or kitchen aid. Blend warm water with saffron until dissolved. Add olive oil and agave nectar and add slowly to large bowl a little at the time until completely combined. Work dough for at least 5 minutes and the dough "lets" go of the bowl. Add more flour if dough seems sticky. Cover bowl with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 2-4 hours. Place dough on a surface sprinkled with a little flour and knead dough for 5 minutes. Make two loafs and place in greased loaf pan cover with towel and leave to rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to F400. Use a sharp knife to slice across the loaf tops a few times. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let loafs cool before attempting to remove from pans.

Strawberry & mint smoothie

2011-12-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

Oh boy have i've been overeating the last couple of day and I can feel it in my body, especially in my digestive system. So I have made a pact with myself to eat better from now on, do a cleans when I get home and take a long walk every day and end my day with a hot cup of fennel tea. Fennel tea aids digestion and helps calm symptoms of bloating and upset stomach.

To start with I will now begin my mornings with a smoothie with fruits, berries, herbs and yogurt. To me a smoothie really is like a dessert so this one will be super easy to keep doing. It's really hard to find fresh and organic berries here so I have used frozen instead. Mint is well known for it's properties to sooth the digestive track.

1 cup plain vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup almond milk

1 cup strawberries

1/2 banana

1 tbs fresh mint leafs

1 tsp spirulina

Combine in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy. Enjoy right away.

Seitan masala

2011-12-25T01:27:00.001-08:00

I hope you all had a great Christmas Eve, we sure did. Weate well, laughed a lot and open too many presents. On Christmas day we’recooking for friends and planning a fun but more relaxing day as our trip is nowmore than half way through and we want to relax a little too in preparation forour trip home.

This seitan masala is what I’m planning to serve and it’sperfect for kids as long as you don’t add the red pepper flakes, which willmake it spicy. I served it with jasmine rice and broccoli. It was the firsttime I cooked jasmine rice and I’m a big fan now. It smells so goodJ

2 tbsp. canola oil

1 tbsp. fresh ginger,grated

1 tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tbsp. agave nectar

1 tsp. garlic salt

Salt to taste

Red pepper flakes(optional; depends if you want it spicy)

1 can crushed tomatoes

½ can coconut milk

2 tbsp. dried andshredded coconut

2 cups seitan

Combine oil, ginger, garam masala, cumin, agave nectar andgarlic salt in saucepan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes on low heat. Addcrushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes if using and coconut milk and bring to aboil on medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and put in the seitan and blend well.Simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Serve over rice and vegetables and sprinkleshredded coconut over right before serving.

Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday!

2011-12-23T23:32:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh I love this day!!!! It's easy Christmas morning and only me and James are awake. I'm preparing breakfast for everyone and when the kids wake up we'll eat and then open some Christmas presents.

I'm making coconut pancakes amount other things that will be served with a dollop of yogurt, trail mix and maple syrup.

Later we'll spend the day with family having a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner, more presents and fun games.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!!!!

1 cup white spelt flour

1 cup light coconut milk

1 tsp No egg replacement mixed with 1 tbs warm water

1 pear, grated with peel, core and all

1 pinch of salt

Canola oil to bush griddle with

Top pancakes with:

Yogurt

Honey or maple syrup

Trail mix or chopped nuts

Shredded toasted coconut

Mix the no egg replacement and let it sit for a few minutes. Blend flour, coconut milk, No egg replacement, pear and salt and stir just to combine. Heat griddle on medium heat and brush with canola oil. Fry a spoonful of batter for each pancake and flip once.

Oat crackers

2011-12-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

One day before Christmas and I'm so grateful to be here in Sweden and celebrating it with my family. I'm also so grateful for all the amazing vegetarian restaurants available here in Stockholm. I've been eating so well while out shopping for the holiday. Now if the snow just could come back everything would be perfect.

These oat crackers are great with cheese and wine or tea in the evening as well as the perfect snack for kids. They take a while to bake but you get a lot of crackers so you can freeze and have stocked up.

150g butter

1 1/4 cups milk ( I used oat milk)

3 cups oats

1 cup while spelt flour

1/2 cup whole wheat spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in a saucepan and add milk and oats and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let in rest until cold. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Divide dough in half and roll it out with a rolling pin pretty thin on a flat surface sprinkled with flour to prevent sticking. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out crackers. Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Preheat oven to F400. Prick each cracker a few times with a fork. Bake 5-10 minutes, flipping them once. They should be dry and golden brown when done. Place on a wire rack to cool down.

Ginger bread snaps

2011-12-21T17:55:00.000-08:00

Me and Bella are in full swing of getting ready for Christmas so we baked ginger bread snaps. The dough is so easy to handle and therefore perfect for little hands to help you out. They are so good that even Amanda who is not a ginger bread fan liked them. To make the dough can be a little complicated because it contains many ingredients and then the dough has to rest at least one day in the fridge. However, once you have made the dough you can bake a few each day because it will last in the fridge for up to a week.

200g butter

3/4 cups dark corn syrup

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cream ( I usually use mimic cream)

1 tbs ground ginger

1 tbs ground cinnamon

1/2 tbs ground cloves

1/2 tbs ground cardamon

1 tbs baking soda

5 cups white spelt flour, maybe more if dough seems too sticky

Combine butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan and cook until everything has melted. Pour into a large bowl. Add spices and cream and blend. Add baking soda and flour until you have shiny dough. Let dough rest in fridge over night. Take dough out of fridge 1 hour prior to baking the ginger breads. Preheat oven to F400. Divide into smaller pieces and use a rolling pin to roll out to a very think sheet on a surface sprinkled with flour. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookies. Place on baking sheet and bake for about five minutes.

Creamy sunchoke soup with roasted garlic

2011-12-20T17:27:00.000-08:00

Trying to eat for the season while in Sweden is hard and limiting but I was happy to find sunchokes in the stores along with an amazing sour dough bread. Right away I knew I wanted to make soup with earthy flavors served with fresh bread for dinner. For Noah I added lentils in his soup and he absolutely loved this soup. He has not been eating so much since we got here and I think it has to do with him still suffering from jetlage. Every night since we got here he wakes up at 10 and stays up until 3 am which is his normal bed time.....in San Diego!

Sunchokes has a bit sweet and nutty flavor and can be used like a potato and substitute a potato. It's great in gratins, stews and served pureed. It contains good amount of iron and potassium.

1 garlic bulb, sliced in half and roasted with 1 tbs olive oil
1 pound sunchokes, scrubbed and sliced thin
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup cream, I used a oat cream called Oatly they have here but mimic or coconut cream will work too
1 pinch nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tbs dried thyme

Preheat oven to F350 and place garlic drizzle with oil cut side up on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Combine sun chokes, stock and nutmeg in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until sun chokes are soft. Pick out the baked garlic cloves from the bulb and mince. Place half with the soup and puree the soup until creamy and smooth. Add salt and pepper. Serve soup sprinkled with the remaining minced garlic and thyme.

More nuts for sweet roasted nut

2011-12-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

After a few days of jetlage and still getting over our colds we're getting into swing of things and having tons of fun. I always find it so much fun to be cooking in someone else's kitchen and this time I have a very nice view from it. We're staying in a very nice apartment middle of the city.

Today we went to a Christmas fair in Old Town. There so many wonderful homemade items and foods to look and buy. One thing my husband loves to get at the Swedish fairs are warm sweet roasted nuts off course that challenged me to go home and try to make them myself. It was a perfect snack to enjoy after dressing our christmas tree.

We're so proof of our tree who we bought and had to carry home. We still need more decorations and teach Noah not to try to climb it.

250g blanched almonds

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the nuts, cinnamon and 1 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar in a frying pan and cook on low/medium heat while stirring the whole time until you hear a cracking sounds and the sugar has crystallizes. It takes about 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for 1 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and pour the nuts onto a parchment paper and separate the nuts.

Chili or Garam masala roasted nuts

2011-12-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

These roasted nuts are addictive, once you start eating them it's hard to stop. I made these for my friend Jackie's Solstice celebration along with my rum cake, crackers with sun dried tomato hummus. The nuts are perfect for Christmas parties and snacks before Christmas dinner. I make one batch with chili spiced cashews and one with almond spiced graam masala and in my household the chili nuts are a clear winner..

2 tbs canola oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups raw cashew nuts

2 tbs canola oil
2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups raw almonds

Preheat oven to F350
Blend the oil, chili or garam masala and salt in a large bowl and then add the nuts. Toss them until they are all coated with the oil/spice. Spread nuts in an even layer on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 5-10 minutes, or until nuts are golden brown. Use a spatula to flip them once. Be careful not to burn the nuts.

Sun dried tomato and bean soup

2011-12-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

Altough I had absolutly zero appetite I still had to cook lunch for me and Noah. As I sat on the sofa with chills my thoughts went to a warming soup with lots of vegetables. The good thing about soup is that the flavors develops the longer it sits.So I knew that I could get it started while Noah was napping so we could eat it when we got hungry. As always I used whatever I found in my fridge and since it was soaked sun dried tomatoes and cooked black beans, well that's what I started with.

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs canola oil

1 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp coriander

1 tsp ground ginger

1 cup carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 cup potatoes, diced

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked

1 handful sugar snap peas, ends and tops removed

2 cups hot water

Salt & black pepper to taste

1 handful kale, chopped

1 cup cooked black beans

1 tbs dried or fresh parsley

Heat oil in a saucepan on low heat and cook garlic with turmeric,coriander and ground ginger for 1 minute. Add carrots, potatoes, sugar snap peas and tomatoes and cook for another minute or so. Add water, salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Put in the kale, beans and parsley, blend and serve with bread for a complete meal.

Homemade taco seasoning

2011-12-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

I guess the healing properties of yesterday's chili failed because today I'm sick too. I can't believe this is happening to me the day before we're flying across the world with two kids. Noah's poor nose is still super stuffy so I'm getting worries about that too:( On a lighter note, his teeth broke through and now he has six pearly whites. As I'm writing this Noah is busy exploring the kitchen and even figured out how to open the fridge so he can do inventory:)

I use taco seasoning often when cooking because I like it in stews, casseroles and pasta sauces but sometimes it can be hard to find it in the store so I found a recipe for homemade one. It's super easy to make and this way you also know what's in the mix.

Oh oh, I just want BBQ sauce to spice up my baby food

Oh come on you have to admit you're pretty impressed I open that all by my self right?

1 tbs chili pepper

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tbs smoked paprika

1 tbs oregano

1 tbs salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp sugar

Combine all of the ingredients and voila you have an amazing taco seasoning blend

Black bean chili

2011-12-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

Since we're a cold recovering family at home I thought a hearty chili with lots of garlic would help us heal, if nothing else, the soul. Since I don't eat chicken soup, this is my being sick food. I like adding a little bit of dark chocolate to my chili because it makes a very nice and rich sauce for the beans and vegetables to simmer in. I learned this from a neighbor who treated my family and me to a home cooked Mexican meal one night. I like to serve my chili topped with diced avocado, cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds.

An apple a day will keep the doctor away, well Noah who is still not feel well after his bout with both a cold and teeth coming sure loves nibbling on apples.

2 large garlic, grated

1 tbs green jalapeño pepper, minced

2 tsp canola oil

1 cup carrots, diced

1/2 cup corn

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 tbs tomato paste

1 1/2 tbs dark unsweetened chocolate, grated

1 tbs maple syrup

1 cup cooked black beans

Bragg's liquid amino's to taste

Chili pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro, minced

Heat oil in a large saucepan on low/medium heat. Cook garlic and jalapeño peppers for 1 minutes. Add carrots, corn, tomatoes, tomato paste, dark chocolate, maple syrup, water and 1 tbs bragg's liquid amino's to start with. Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add more bragg's if needed, black beans, chili pepper and sprinkle cilantro over before serving.

Noodles in a miso broth

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

The days before we're going on vacation just seems so stressful. We have a hundred things we have to do to get ready and on top of that Noah still being under the weather had to see our pediatrician. I was worried about his stuffy nose and then today he refused to eat. It turned out he is the end of his cold and he's teething at the same time.Poor little man is so miserable.

Finally he took a good nap so I got a lot of things done. I'm baking for my friend Jackie who is having a solstice celebration. So today I bakes rum cake and chocolate ginger bread cup cakes with a cranberry frosting. At the end of the day I was so tired and had a very nice ending when I got to cuddle with both kids at the same time while I was feeding Noah.

And operation empty out fridge and freezer continues and todays result of that was a noodle dish. It's getting pretty low on vegetables so I probably will have to do some shopping before we leave but for today's vegetables I used mushrooms, green onion, celery. Off course me and James like it spicy so we added Harissa paste to our broth.

3 cup undo noodles, cooked and drained
1 tbs canola oil
1/4 cup green onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup zucchini, diced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup hot water
1 tbs yellow miso
1/2 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs mushroom stir fry sauce
1 tbs cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs water until it's lump free
Harissa paste or red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a saucepan on medium heat and cook onions and mushrooms until mushrooms are lightly browned. Add celery and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in water, miso, agave nectar and stir fry sauce. bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add cornstarch and simmer for 1 minutes while stirring. Add harrisa and salt if so wish and toss with noodles to coat them with the sauce. .

Herbed mashed

2011-12-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

I think most people know how to make mashed potatoes, it's pretty simple. What I do think is interesting is that most people do "their" mashed potatoes different. I like to make mine with absolutely no lumps and with herbs. So here is my favorite mashed potato recipe.

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/4 cup butter ( I use Earth balance butter)

1/2 cup milk ( I use almond milk)

Herb salt to taste

2 tbs dried dill

Place potatoes covered with water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook for 10-20 minutes, until soft. The cooking time depends on the size of our potato cubes. Drain and add butter and use a masher to mash butter and potatoes are combined. Add milk, herb salt and dill and mash,mix until smooth and fluffy.

Pasta casserole

2011-12-12T08:18:00.000-08:00

All yesterday afternoon Bella was with a friend and his family at Sea World so it was just us three. When Noah took a nap me and James were amazed how quit the house was and remembered that a year ago, before Noah was born, this was our life. We did however, get tons of things done in preparation for our trip to Sweden and preparing the house for our houseguests.

We're having a major storm here in San Diego so something warming and creamy sounded good for dinner and pasta casserole is what we had.

4 portions cooked pasta ( I used Quinoa pasta spirals)
1 tbs canola oil
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 tbs white spelt flour or use all-purpose flour
1 cup cream ( I used mimic cream
1 tbs Bragg's liquid amino's or tamari
1/2 sour cream ( I used tofutti's)
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes.
1 handful baby spinach
Black pepper and salt to taste
1 cup grated cheese (Pepper jack is great unless you're cooking for kids then a milder cheese is better)

Preheat oven to F400
Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and cook garlic and mushrooms until golden. Sprinkle flour over and mix quickly. Pour cream and blend well until there are no more lumps. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Add bragg's. sour cream, sundried tomatoes, spinach, salt and pepper and blend. Simmer for another minute or so. Toss pasta, sauce and cheese in a casserole dish. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Eat with a mixed salad for a complete meal.

Quinoa Pilaf with yams

2011-12-11T13:31:00.001-08:00

Today I braved the masses and went to the mall. I had no choice and off course it ended up being super crowded because Santa was there and so was a million kids, all dressed up and ready or not to have their picture taken with him. I was pretty efficient and was done by 11:40 am, not bad considering most stores only open at 11 am.

I was greeted by a hungry crew when I got home so luckily I had prepared by cooking quinoa and cutting vegetables in advance for the planned meal of quinoa pilaf. Me, James and Noah thought it was wonderful but miss picky said it was not human food, whatever that means. But in then end she ate it all. The yams and kale made this a very colorful dish, packed with amazing vitamins and minerals.

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tbs olive oil
1 large garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup green onions, minced
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1 cup yam, cut in small dice
1/2-2/3 cups hot water
Lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
1 tbs lemon juice
1 cup kale, chopped
Dried oregano
Fresh mint, minced
Fresh basil, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet and cook garlic and onions on low heat for a few minutes. Add mushroom and cook until slightly browned. remove from pan and add yams, lemon zest, juice, oregano and 1/2 cup hot water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 5-7 minutes or until yams are soft. Add kale and combine. Cook until wilted. Add mushrooms, mint, basil, salt and pepper. Blend, reheat and serve hot!

Holiday veggie burger

2011-12-10T08:44:00.001-08:00

I have lots of cranberry baguette and cranberry sauce left from Thanksgiving so in my effort to create dishes from food in my fridge and freezer I made a veggie burger sandwich with holiday feeling to it. It really did work and I think I just come up with one of my favorite ways to eat burgers.

1 vegetarian burger, cooked

1 piece baguette, sliced open

Cranberry sauce

Cheese

Lettuce

Sprouts

spread cranberry sauce on one side of the bread, place burger on top. Top with cheese, lettuce and sprouts. Serve with a side of mixed salad and done!!!!

Mexican influenced stew

2011-12-09T07:59:00.001-08:00

Today I have two sets of stuffed noses and miserable kids, oh joy:( I guess I should be happy they are sick at the same time and a week before we're going to Sweden. So now we're pushing vitamin C rich food and lots of fluids which seems to be all they are interested in anyway. Me and James are both going to our acupuncturist to boost our immune systems to make sure we stay healthy.

Operation cleaning out fridge and freezer continues and going pretty well however, it does not allow the making of a lot of interesting dishes. Yesterday dinner, I had all of these ingredients but did not now what was going to be the end result. It turned into a stew because stews are fairly easy to make from few ingredients. This stew got a Mexican influence from the spices I guess and it was very good and satisfying. The base is minced Quorn which is a mushroom and egg white vegetarian protein. For vegans use textured vegetable protein or soy mince instead.

1 tbs canola oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup green onions, diced

1/2 tbs green jalapeño pepper, minced

1/2 cup carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 cup corn

1 large stalk celery, diced

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 tbs tomato ketchup

1/2 cup hot water

1 tbs capers

1 cup minced vegetable protein such as soy, Quorn or textured vegetables protein

Salt & pepper to taste

Chili pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat and cook garlic, onions and jalapeño peppers for a few minutes. Add carrots, corn and celery and cook for another minutes. Pour tomatoes, ketchup and capers, water and combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Add the protein, salt, pepper and chili pepper and cook for another 5 minutes or until the protein is hot and has blended into the stew. Serve with corn bread, rice and/or vegetables.

Rum cake with lemon glaze

2011-12-08T15:11:00.001-08:00

I have to admit that I never tasted a rum cake before and never had any interest because I'm not a fan of rum. That's until yesterday when I tasted a rum cake for the very first time and it was love at first sight. Yesterday evening I could not the get that darn cake out of my mind so I made one and added lemon glaze which just took it from great to fabulous.

I based the recipe on one from Quirky knit girl who in her turn adapted it from Vegan Thyme. I changed it a just a little by using spelt flour instead of all-purpose flour, used almond milk instead of soy and added lemon. This is a super moist cake with the perfect rum flavor.

3 cups white spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted veggie margarine ( 2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
5 tsp Ener-g Egg replacer mixed with 6 tbs warm water or use 4 eggs
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
Grate and juice from 1 organic and washed lemon
1/4 cup rum
1 cup unsweetned almond milk
1 tbs apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to F325. Mix egg replacer with water and set aside. Mix milk with apple cider ad set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl cream sugar and margarine. Add slowly the egg replacer, little at the time until completely combined. Add vanilla beans. Alternating flour mix and milk, beginning with flour, add about of third of each beating well after each addition to mix in. With a spatula, fold n the rum and lemon grate and juice. Pour batter into a greased bunt pan smooth it out. Bake for about 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cook for 15 minutes in pan before trying to remove cake from pan.

Glaze:

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Peel, grated from one organic and washed lemon

2 cups confectioner's sugar

1 tbs water

2 tbs butter, melted

Combine lemon juice, grated peel and sugar in a bowl. Beat in the melted butter and water. Poke holes in the top of the cake and pour glaze over.

Red cabbage & orange salad

2011-12-07T05:35:00.001-08:00

This year we're going to Sweden for Christmas and we're so excited since it's been since before Bella was born (2005) since we spend a holiday there. Because we're leaving next week I'm working under the eat-out-of-fridge-freezer-panetyr-and-buy-as-few-thing-as-possible rule to empty out fridge/freezer/pantry for the family who is doing a house exchange with us.

Yesterdays dinner was a result of that so we ended up with veggie burgers, quern nuggets and seitan cutlets served with mashed potatoes, broccoli and a very nice crisp red cabbage parsnip salad. I served the protein under a layer of BBQ sauce, yum. Noah also got egg yolks for his dinner.

1/4 head of red cabbage, shredded, use a cheese slicer
1 small parsnip, peeled and grated
1 large orange, peeled and diced
1/4 cup fresh basil leafs, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs honey
1 tbs raspberry vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine everything and toss with dressing.

Oat bread rolls and Green Mom

2011-12-06T08:06:00.001-08:00

Finally my business web site Green mom is up and running so please check it out and read some very inspiring articles on green living and families by some very special writers. My food blog will eventually move over there as well but for now it's just linked.

Yesterday night I realized we had no bread fro Bella's lunch so I had two options; 1. go to the store and buy bread or 2. bake it myself and I was super tired last night. Well since driving to the store would take as much time as preparing a dough I went with #2. I prepared the dough and let it rise all night. This morning when I woke up and preheated the oven and kneaded the dough and made it into rolls while the oven was heating. It was perfect and the bread was done by the time everyone was up, diapers changed and everyone dressed.

1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup rolled oats
4 dried apricots, minced
1 cup whole wheat spelt flour
2 cups white spelt flour

Mix whole wheat, white spelt flour, dried apricots, salt, oats and yeast in a large bowl or kitchen aid. Blend warm water, oil, and honey in small bowl and add slowly to flour mix and combine and work dough for at least 5 minutes, until it's elastic and not too sticky (it should let go of the bowl pretty easy). You might have to add more flour. Cover bowl with a towel and set to rise a couple of hours or over night. The dough should double in size. Preheat oven to F350. Knead dough in a surface sprinkled with flour. Divide into rolls and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until buns are golden and center is dry.

Lime & honey seitan casserole

2011-12-05T09:02:00.001-08:00

I was making a marinade with honey and lime yesterday for my seitan when I had a thought about making a sauce with these flavors instead. It was a success so I made it into a casserole with black beans and seitan.

1 tsp canola oil
Juice and grated peel from one lime
1 tbs honey
1 tsp ginger powder
All seasons salt to taste
1/4 cup plain cream cheese
2/3 cup cup cream
1/2 cup Seitan
1/2 cup cooked black beans
Grated cheese (optional)
Cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to F400. Combine oil, lime juice and peel, honey and ginger in a sauce pan and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce to simmer and add cream cheese and cream and let the cream cheese melt. Whisk while simmer for 1 minutes. Place seitan and beans in a casserole dish and pour sauce over. Sprinkle with cheese if desire. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro over before serving. Serve with a side of sweet potatoes, rice, millet, barley or quinoa as well as steamed vegetables.

Quinoa breakfast porridge

2011-12-04T19:17:00.001-08:00

Wow I'm one relaxed mama tonight after spending the afternoon at a spa with my friend Andrea. Usually I get a massage from her every Sunday but this week we wanted to do something special to celebrate her birthday.

For breakfast we eat blueberry oatmeal almost every morning. This morning we ran out of oats so I made porridge from quinoa instead. I also want to post this recipe for my father in-law who is interested in adding quinoa to his daily diet. Quinoa being a super food because of its loads of so much fiber, protein and vitamins, is also a fairly fast cooking grain so it's perfect as a breakfast food. I served the porridge topped with diced fruit which in my case was an orange.

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup milk ( I used almond milk)
1/2 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped into the porridge
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of cardamon
2 dried apricots, diced
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs virgin coconut oil

Combine everything except the coconut oil and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the coconut oil and discard the vanilla bean. Serve with fruit and/or with milk.

Raw chocolate dip

2011-12-03T08:19:00.001-08:00

Bella decided that yesterday afternoon was pajamas day in the afternoon when she got home from school and that we're going to have a "happy hour". Our happy hour is quit different from what I remember it to be.

We drank kombucha and juice for Bella and ate two kinds of dips; hummus with cut up vegetables and one raw chocolate and almond dip which we ate with apples. Mmmm it was a much better happy hour in my opinion and we did not wake up with a headache either. If you don't have access to raw almond butter than regular one is perfectly fine as well as using other nut butters.

1/4 cup smooth raw almond butter
1 tbs virgin coconut oil
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs agave nectar (more if you like it sweeter)
Water

Combine everything and add water until it's very smooth and lump free.

Chickpea flour flat bread

2011-12-02T14:56:00.001-08:00

When I look into my fridge for yesterdays dinner all I foundwas potatoes and cauliflower. Time to go grocery shopping I guess. Well I knewjust what to make of it; Aloo gobi. It’s a super easy and simple yet so tastydish. It was a huge hit with Noah who loves anything with some extra spices. Ijust remove his portion before adding salt. I used this recipe for this dish.

To add some protein and to make it more fun I made thesegarlic chickpea flat breads. There are so easy to make but will be easier tomake if you let the batter sit for a few hours before cooking them.

1 cup chickpea flour

1 ½ cup water

1 tsp salt

1 ½ tbs olive oil + more to cook them in

1 large garlic glove, minced and cooked or baked for a fewminutes.
1 tbs dried parsley

Combine flour, water, salt and oil and whisk until lumpfree. Set to rest and thicken for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to F400. Stir in the garlic. Pour batter into two well greased round bread pan. Sprinkle parsley over batter. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until bread is dry and slightly browned.

Tuscan tomato soup

2011-12-01T08:05:00.001-08:00

Brrrrr it sure was cold when I got up this morning and it makes me hate having stone floors in the bathroom and kitchen. But nothing like a warm cup of tea and warm kid's bodies cuddling with you can't warm you up. Despite the cold morning, me and Noah still went out for our regular 2 mil morning walk. Noah loves being out and looking at all the people the neighborhood going wherever they are going. The cold did not seem to bother him and he even fell asleep.

Now he's down for a nap and I'm doing a quick blogging before getting ready for the day. I have a very busy day which mean I have to plan ahead for lunch and dinner. For lunch we're having a warming tuscan chunky tomato soup. So easy but yet delicious. We're eating it with warm home baked bread.

Fall in Tuscany, I wish I was there:)

So instead I'm bringing a little of Tuscany here

1 tbs canola oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs tomato puree
1tbs brown sugar
Salt & black pepper to taste
1 tbs dried Italian herbs

Heat oil in a large soup pot and cook onions and garlic for a few minutes on medium/low heat. Add carrots and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar,salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add italian herbs and blend.

Chocolate energy shake

2011-11-30T13:36:00.001-08:00

I just finished watching the movie May I be Frank which is about a man called Frank off course who is overweight, sick with diabetes and Hep C. He's dealing with a lot of anger. He embarks on a 42 day raw food and holistic healing journey. I highly recommend the movie.

I'm a smoothie junky, specially green smoothies and I love trying new ones. What's not to love, super food in a glass:) In the movie Frank drinks a smoothie that just sounded so good I decided to try to make it. It's amazing and now part of my daily routine. It keeps me full for a long time and gives me a little kick instead of drinking coffee.

1 cup almond milk
1 tbs almond butter
2 dates, pitted and chopped
1 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs cocoa nibs
1 tbs Green superfood ( I used Amazing Grass green superfood)

Golden beet & lentil salad

2011-11-29T08:01:00.001-08:00

I woke up feeling rested this morning and I think it had something to do with the amazing relaxing yoga class I took last night. James also made it to class after I got home, so we literally just exchanged kisses before he headed out but I find we both really do so well when we do yoga and happy parents makes happy kids.

I found beautiful golden beets at the farmer's market this weekend. I love eating baked beets with just some olive oil and salt but I also like them in salad such as this one with beets and arugula. Beets are high in potassium, fiber and folacin. Don't throw away the beet greens because they are very nutritional and contains protein, calcium, fiber, beta carotene, vitamins A and C, and some B vitamins. They're known in the arena of natural healing for their ability to purify the blood and the liver. We use beet leaves in green smoothies or in stir frys.

1 1/2 cup brown lentils, cooked and drained

1/4 cup green onions, minced

1 cup packed arugula

4 small golden beets, cooked, peeled and diced

2 tbs flax seed oil

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Salt & pepper to taste

Blend flax seed oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Combine lentils, onions, arugula and beets in a bowl and toss with dressing. Enjoy with with warm bread for a complete meal!

Swiss chard pesto

2011-11-28T07:56:00.001-08:00

Back to normal again, whatever that means. Bella and James just left for school and Noah is trying to to talk him self to sleep while I'm working and cleaning up.

Bella wanted pizza for dinner last night but I felt like pasta with pesto so we compromised and I made pizza with pesto. I used swiss chard to switch it up a bit and skipped the raw garlic so Bella would like it better and she did. For the pizza I used this recipe and spread the pesto on instead of tomato sauce and then sprinkled grilled zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and shiitake mushrooms. If you think the pesto is too "raw" for pizza you can always make it creamy by mixing it with some cream cheese.

2 cups swiss chard

2 tbs capers

1/2 cup almonds

Garlic salt to taste

1/2-3/4 cup olive oil (maybe more if it seems dry)

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine swiss chard, capers, almonds and garlic salt in a food processor or blender for 20 seconds. While machine is still running, slowly add the olive oil until smooth and combined. Stir in salt and pepper by hand.

Beans in a creamy taco sauce

2011-11-27T18:17:00.001-08:00

I still had some green, yellow and purple beans I had bought for Thanksgiving dinner so they were served as a side dish with neatloaf, mashed potatoes on Friday night.

I'm beat after this weekend and after a week with no school which off course means I have to be even more creative than usual:) I know Bella is so happy to be back to school tomorrow and see her friends again. It's a good feeling with when your child loves her school.

2 cups green beans, ends and tops cut off

2/3 cup hot water

1 tbs taco spice (maybe more)

1 tbs dijon mustard

2/3 cup sour cream

Salt to taste

1/4 cup chopped Brazil nuts

Place beans, hot water, taco spice and mustard in a saucepan and bring t a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes or until beans are al dente. Add sauce cream, salt and simmer for another minute or so. Right before serving, sprinkle nuts on top.

Stir-fry cabbage and kale in a creamy balsamic sauce

2011-11-26T08:07:00.001-08:00

This dish came out very pink and purple which was quit funnybecause it matched Bella’s outfit for the day and what better way to get yourkids to eat vegetables than if they match themJOtherwise, kids usually like this dish because it has a slight sweetness fromthe balsamic vinegar. I served this dish with quinoa but it will taste greatwith rice or noodles too.

¼ cup green onion,diced

1 cup purple cabbage,chopped

1 cups kale, stemsremoved and chopped

1 tbsp. canola oil

¼ cup hot water

2 tbsp. balsamicvinegar

Salt & pepper totaste

2 tbsp. sour cream (I used Tofutti sour cream)

Heat oil in a wok on medium heat and cook onions, cabbageand kale for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add balsamic vinegar and hot water andcook for another 5-10 minutes until cabbage is al dente. Remove from heat anddrop sour cream, sat and pepper in and blend.

Chickpea & date tagine

2011-11-25T08:45:00.001-08:00

This North African dish I found the recipe for in the current issue of Vegetarian Times. I've been receiving so many fresh dates from Sea Breeze lately so it was perfect recipe to try a lazy day like this. Tagine is a slow-cooked stew combining savory with sweet such as apricots, raisins or like in this case dates. Dates comes in many different kinds and is sticky and sweet. In contains very good amount of dietary fibers and flavanoids that is anti-flamatory as well as potassium and iron. I changed the recipe and omitted the lemon juice and added kale and corn to add more vegetables. I didn't have a couscous so I served it with quinoa instead.

Bella has a slight fever so we're cuddling and taking it easy today. I'm planning to go to a yoga class later and hopefully and wonderful walk in the sunshine.

1 tbs olive oil

1 large inion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1tsp coriander

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 15-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup kale, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup corn

3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 15-oz cans

1 cup whole-wheat couscous

1 cup pitted dates, halved

1/4 cup lemon juice (optional)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 10 minutes, or until starting to brown, stirring often. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, kale, corn, chickpeas and 1/4 cup water; simmer 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast couscous in small saucepan over medium heat 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add 1 1/4 cups water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
Stir dates and lemon juice into tagine and season with salt and pepper if desire. Serve over couscous and cilantro.

Happy Thanksgiving and neatloaf

2011-11-24T07:06:00.001-08:00

I have so much to grateful for this year; my beautifulchildren, wonderful husband, friends and family and wonderful readers. I hopeyou all have a great day. The sunny yogakitchen is buzzing with all the cooking that’s going on and this is what’s onthe menu for today.

Walnut and buckwheat neatloaf
Cranberry and pomegranate sauce
Gravy
Green bean and creamy mushroom casserole
Corn bread stuffing with apples and dried cranberries
Mashed potatoes
Home baked breads and crackers
Desserts by Jessica

Someone once asked me if we only eat the side dishes onThanksgiving. I found it funny but realize that if you never been around vegetariansor been one you really have very little idea what we eat during the holidays. Iknow many vegetarians and vegans eat tofurky on the holidays and we have too.The past 4 years I’ve been making neatloaf instead which has been loved byvegetarians as well as meat eaters.

This year I’m planning to make a walnut neatloaf made withbuckwheat to make it very hearty and protein rich. I find that neatloafs can bemade so many different ways and you can be adventures and add all kinds ofthings that sound good. I don’t know why I associate walnuts with Thanks Givingand Christmas but I do and besides it add great flavor to a neatloaf. I likeusing buckwheat cereal as a base because it adds a lot of nutritens and alsomakes it easier to shake and cut the loaf.

1 ½ cups walnuts

½ cup yellow onion,chopped

1 large garlic clove,grated

1 tbsp. canola oil

2/3 cup creamybuckwheat cereal

1 cup water

½ bullion cube,crumbled

1 tbsp. dried thyme

Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to F400. Process the walnuts in a foodprocessor or blender until you’re left with a fine meal. Heat oil in a skilleton medium heat and cook onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add buckwheat,water and bullion cube and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirringoften. Add thyme, pepper and walnuts and blend well. Spread the batter into agreased small loaf pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Let loaf rest for 10 minutesbefore removing and slicing. Enjoy as a neat loaf sandwich, or with mashed potatoes,cranberry sauce and gravy.

Cream of mushroom soup and green bean casserole

2011-11-23T12:21:00.001-08:00

When I was a little girl and traveled with my mom by trainto see my grandfather, we used to eat lunch in the restaurant on board thetrain. They served a cream of mushroom soup which I thought was heaven. I lovedsitting there looking at the country side and cities passing by while sippingmy soup. Yesterday I made a creamy mushroom soup and when I tasted it broughtme back to that memory and it’s funny how food can do that.

I’m going to make this soup on Thanksgiving to use it for agreen bean casserole. I will just lightly steam green, yellow and purple beans and place that in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour sauce over and sprinkle some slivered almonds. Bake for 15 minutes in F400.

2 cups white mushrooms,sliced thin

2 canola oil

1 tbsp. spelt flour

1 cup milk ( I usedplain almond milk)

2/3 cup cream (I usedmimic unsweetened cream)

Bragg’s liquid amino’sor Tamari

Black pepper to taste

1 tbsp dried parsley

Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan and a single layerof mushrooms at the time, until browned. Remove from frying pan place into asauce pan. Then repeat, add more oil and keep doing this until all mushroomsare browned. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and then combine with milk untilthere are no more lumps. Bring t a boil on medium heat while stirring. Addcream and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes on low heat. Add bragg’s, blackpepper and parsley.

Gingerbread caramels

2011-11-22T02:01:00.001-08:00

I love holiday’s and cooking for it. As soon as we gettingcloser to Thanksgiving and Christmas I start to cook and bake holiday food.These little caramels are divine and in my option a perfect present to bring toa hostess, friend or family. The gingerbread flavor is perfect for the holiday.

50g butter

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup cream ( I usedmimic unsweetened cream)

½ cup corn syrup

2 tsp. pumpkin piespice

½ cup dark chocolatechips

Melt butter in a saucepan and add cream, sugar and cornsyrup and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes, stirring often.The caramel is done when you can shape the batter to a ball after dripping insome cold water or if you are using a thermometer, the temperature reachesF260. Add pumpkin pie spice and chocolate. Stir until combined. Pour on to aparchment paper on a baking sheet or baking dish. I used candy silicon molds to make them look pretty. Place in fridge until stiff.Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut. And then wrap in paper.

Polenta terrine

2011-11-21T08:49:00.001-08:00

I saw this dish being made non-vegetarian off course on TopChef long time ago but when I found I had some corn meal in my pantry I wasreminded of it and decided to make polenta terrine with vegetables and soysausages.

There are a lot of different element to this dish and it hasto be chilled over night so maybe not a dish for a regular weekday when thefamily is starved but for a cold Sunday dinner it was perfect. I served the terrine with a simple tomato,basil and arugula salad but for the little ones maybe steamed vegetables wouldbe more appreciated.

Polenta:

1 ½ cup vegetablebroth

½ cup milk ( I usedoat)

1 cup corn meal

Salt to taste

Bring broth, milk and salt to a boil on medium heat and addcorn meal. Stir contantly until polenta is smooth and lump free, about 5-10minutes.

Filling:

½ large red bellpepper, diced

1 small zucchini, endand top cut off and diced

1 large soy sausage,diced

1 tbs olive oil

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to F400

Place vegetables, sausage, oil, salt and pepper on a baking sheet, toss to combine. Bake for 10minutes.

Place plastic wrap in the bottom of a terrine mold. Pourhalf of the hot polenta in the bottom and then the filling in the middle beforespreading the final layer of polenta on top. Place in fridge over night. Thenext day, preheat oven to F400 and slice terrine carefully and place on abaking sheet . Sprinkle cheese over if so whish. Bake for 5-10 minutes to giveit a slight color and warms it up.

Cranberry and pomegranate sauce

2011-11-20T14:13:00.001-08:00

This weekend I have been working on preparing for Thanksgiving so I've been making cranberry sauce, crackers, cranberry baguettes, whole wheat spelt loaf and ginger bread caramels. I'm finally done and my poor feet are super tired. I was lucky that Bella went to the movies with my friend Jess and Noah took a long nap so I could work undisturbed, a rare occasion for any mom.

For years I've been making the same cranberry chutney for Thanksgiving and Christmas which has been very appreciated but this year I decided to make a new version because I had beautiful pomegranate and I wanted to use them. I personally things this sauce is amazing and I used it on a sandwich yesterday with tofurky on a cranberry baguette.

1 bag cranberries, washed

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1 tsp cinnamon

3 cloves, grounded

1 tsp dried ginger

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Combine in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil on high/medium heat, covered with lid. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until it resembles and syrup consistency. Let it cool before pouring into bowls, glass jars etc.

Pumpkin curry

2011-11-19T07:54:00.001-08:00

Last night we had planned to take Bella to Sea World se experience their winter wonderland. We're all ready to go and was waiting for James to come home. Finally 30 minutes late he arrived just to inform us there is a bad accident where we had to drive to get there so we could not go. Bella was devastated but with a promise to take her either on Sunday or Monday changed her mood.

With a stay a home night I made pumpkin curry with was a appreciated by everyone but mostly by Noah. It's a mild curry with sweet hints from the pumpkin but which can be made more spicy for the adults.

1 tbs coconut oil

2 cup pumpkin, diced

1 cup broccoli

1 tbs yellow curry powder

Bragg's or tamari to taste

1 cup hot water

Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

1 cup light coconut milk

Heat oil in a large sauce pan and cook pumpkin and broccoli on medium heat. Add curry powder, bragg's or tamari and hot water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add coconut milk and cayenne pepper if using and simmer for a few minutes. Enjoy with rice and chutney.

Lentil soup

2011-11-18T14:11:00.001-08:00

Days go by so fast these day and on top of this is so dark all the time. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving next week already. When you're out and about your can feel people's holiday stress building so I try to stay away from stores and malls as much as possible.

I made a flavorful lentil soup for dinner last night to help make the day a little more colorful. I like lentil soup because they are so easy to make and easy to make nutritional. My daughter is not a big fan of tomatoes but she like this soup and calls it tomato soup. Hey whatever works:) I added cayenne pepper to make the soup a little but spicy for us adult but I added it after I served the kids.

1 tbs canola oil
1/2 yellow onion
1 large garlic cloves, grated
2 tsp garam masala spice
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
1/4 cup red lentils
1 cup hot water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup kale, chopped
Bragg's or tamari to taste

Heat oil in a large sauce pan and cook onions and garlic on medium heat. Add garam masala, lentils, hot water and diced tomatoes. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the kale and return to cook for another 5 minutes. Add bragg's or tamari as well as cayenne pepper if so choses.

Roasted brussel sprouts with pomegranate

2011-11-17T08:35:00.001-08:00

I've planted brussel sprouts in our garden earlier this year with the hopes I would have some to harvest for Thanks Giving dinner. Well that didn't work out so instead I bought some local ones at the farmers market. Brussel sprouts used to be one of two vegetables I was not keen on my once I learned how to cook them and make the fabulous they are now one of my favorite vegetables.

Brussel sprouts are naturally rich in dietary fibers, vitamin C and specially in the natural health promoting compound glucosinolates which is a cancer fighting property.

I like to roast them with a little honey, oil or in the case balsamic vinegar to make them slightly sweet. I also added some pomegranate I had leftover from a lunch salad and it made a very nice combination. I served them with me roasted seitan and mushrooms and couscous with garlic and herbs.

1 pound washed brussel sprouts

2 tbs olive oil

3 tbs white balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup pomegranate seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to F400
Cut of the ends of the sprouts and if they are quit large like mine where, cut them in half of even quarters. Place in a baking dish along with oil, vinegar, salt and pepper and blend well. Roast for about 25-30 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over before serving.

Coconut lentils

2011-11-16T12:45:00.001-08:00

I have determined that we kind of obsessed with kombucha here. Amanda and I drink at least one a day so now I wonder if I should start making my own since they are so pricey. If someone has a kombucha recipe please do share!!!

I found a recipe for coconut lentils that sounded fun in Whole Food's "the whole deal" and gave it a try. I give it thumps up because both kids really liked it so I feel it's a perfect lentil dish for kids or anyone not so sure about lentils.

1 tbs coconut oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp ground ginger ( I used fresh instead)

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 1/4 cups brown lentils

1 cup dates, pitted and chopped

2 tsp tamari or bragg's

1/2 cup shredded coconut

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soften and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in ginger and turmeric and cook 1 minutes. Add 6 cups water, lentils and dates and bring to a boil. reduce heat to medium/low and simmer 30 minutes. Preheat oven to F350. Stir in tamari or bragg's and transfer lentils to a 2-quart baking dish or casserole. Cover and bake 30 minutes, then uncover, top with coconut and bake 15-20 minutes longer or until lentils are tender and coconut golden.

Cranberry spelt baguettes

2011-11-15T07:53:00.001-08:00

This is a bread I bakes last weekend and it's one of my favorites now and I will bake this again for Thanksgiving. I like baking and cooking with spelt flour since it better for you. Whole wheat spelt flour is more nutritional than white spelt flour but by using white it's still good option to white all-purpose flour.

7 cups white spelt flour

1/2 package dry active yeast

2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp honey

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Combine flour, yeast, cranberries and salt in a large bowl. Mix warm water, oil and honey until honey is dissolved and add to flour. Work dough until combined and elastic, about 5 minutes. Set aside covered with a towel to rise for 1 1/2 hours. Place dough on a surface sprinkled with a little flour.

Knead the dough by folding sides over and over again for a minutes. Divide dough into four and shape each to a baguette by twisting each end carefully. Place on a baking sheet and cover with towel. Rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to F425. Place a small baking dish with 1 cup water in the bottom of oven. Brush each baguette with water. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

Braised red cabbage and apples

2011-11-14T08:00:00.001-08:00

Fall is all about warm colors, warm fires and warming food such as braised cabbage and sausages. I found vegan beer brats and I love the combination of salty/spicy with sweet & sour taste of braised cabbage. Bella did not like the sausage but loved loved the cabbage and ate it with quinoa instead.

2 cups red cabbage, chopped

1/4 cup green onion, minced

1/2 cup apples, peeled, cored and diced

1 tbs canola oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbs honey

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan on medium/low heat. Saute onion for a few seconds. Add cabbage and apples and sauté for 3 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and cook covered with lid for 20 minutes on low heat. Stir once in awhile. Serve with peppered tofu, brats, seitan or beans.

Orange ice cream

2011-11-13T14:16:00.001-08:00

We had a very lazy morning at home where both kids still wore their sleepwears at lunch time, good day indeed. I went for an amazing massage with Andrea Liddle and now James and Bella have gone swimming while Noah is sleeping. We're planing to go out for a short hike to enjoy some sunshine when he wakes up.

I was way to tired last night to post my orange ice cream recipe so here it is instead. This ice cream taste great served with brownie, warm chocolate sauce or like I served it with ginger bread muffin.

1/2 cup fresh sqeezed orange juice
Zest from 1 organic orange
1/2 cup plain cream cheese, I used tofutti
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped out and used
1 cup mimic whipped topping

Mix everything in a blender or food processor. Pour into ice cream machine and run until solid. Yum!!!!