Red wine sauce & fried potatoes

Bella has been home sick all day. She woke up with a 101,6 temperature, stuffy nose and sore throat. She has not had an appetite all day but after a nap she was hungry so dinner and a movie was in order. I made fried potatoes, seitan, grilled tomato and a red wine and fig sauce. It was a date night worthy dinner even with sick little girl next to us.

Fried potatoes

2 cup russet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin

2 tbs olive oil, maybe more

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil on medium heat in frying pan and fry potatoes in single layer until browned and cooked. Sprinkle salt and pepper and mix well.

Red wine and fig sauce

1 tbs canola oil

2 tbs green onions, diced

3 dried figs, diced

1 1/2 tbs sugar

1 cup red wine

1 cup water

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1/2 bouillon cubed, crumbled

1/2 tbs corn starch

1 tbs margarine

Heat oil on medium heat in a sauce pan, fry onion and figs until glossy, not brown. Add sugar and let it melt for a few seconds. Add wine, water, vinegar and bouillon and bring to a boil. Cook until liquid has reduced to 2/3. Remove from heat. Strain. Mix corn starch with a little of wine reduction until there are not lumps. Mix with remaining wine reduction and simmer while stirring for 20 seconds. Remove from heat and add margarine. Blend well.

Kidney bean burrito

Bella wanted burrito for dinner last night and lucky us we had some tortillas left from her birthday party. I made kidney bean and cheese burritos with added arugula and avocado for greens. The beans I marinated in left over dressing from the warm sweet potato salad I made the other day.

1 large tortilla

1/4 cup cheese, grated

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 cup arugula

Marinated beans:

1/3 cup kidney

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs water

1/2 tbs white balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbs dijon mustard

salt & pepper to taste

Mix the dressing and marinate the beans for 10 minutes.

Spread the cheese on the tortilla and place either in oven or in a frying pan to just melt the cheese. Remove from heat and add filling and roll up. Done!!!!

Rice pudding

Today I made rice pudding for Bella to take to school. I got inspired by Vegan Lunch box which had a recipe for it but I made mine a little different. Rice pudding might sound like you are sending dessert but when you look at all the ingredients and their nutritional value you realize their is a lot of nutrition in this pudding. I ate some of this pudding warm, sprinkled with pumpkin seeds for breakfast and it's very filling.

Here is how it breaks down:

Brown basmati rice--Contains all eight essential amino acids, good protein, manganese

Quinoa--Contains essential aminos making pretty much complete protein, contains iron

Almond milk --Contains vitamin D which helps the body absorbed high levels of calcium

Carrots--High in dietary fiber, vitamin A, K, B6 and folate

Raisins--Contains fiber, calcium, iron and potassium

Maple syrup--potassium, calcium and magnesium

Bella's lunch; carrot rice pudding, cucumbers and red peppers

Creamy rice pudding, loaded with nutrition and flavor

1 1/2 cup brown basmati rice, cooked

1/4 cup quinoa grains, rinsed

Dash of cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (unless you use vanilla flavored almond milk then none)

2 cup almond milk (maybe more)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup carrots, grated

Maple syrup to taste

Place rice, quinoa, cinnamon, vanilla and almond milk in a pan and bring to a boil on medium heat. Lower to low heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked and you have a creamy constancy. You might have to add more milk. Don't forget to stir sometimes so the pudding wont burn in the bottom. Remove from heat and add salt, raisins and carrots and blend well. taste before adding maple syrup not to make too sweet.

Warm sweet potato salad

I had sweet potatoes left from Bella's party so I made a warm potato salad which we enjoyed with marinated beans.

3 medium sweet potatoes, cooked

2/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled (Soy or dairy)

1 1/2 cup arugula

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup sweet corn, cooked

Place the warm sweet potato slices on top of a bed of arugula. Place tomatoes, corn, tomatoes and cheese over. Drizzle dressing over and eat right a way.

Dressing:

4 tbs olive oil

1 tbs white balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tbs dijon mustard

2 tbs water

2 tsp dried parsley

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix together.

Bella's 4th birthday party!!!

Yesterday our baby girl turned 4 years old and we celebrated with a big party and the science museum which is her favorite place. We were 35 people having a blast. The museum offered to arrange the but we knew that would not work withour idea what good for is about so instead we make it all our self. I purposely kept it simple but off course yummy. Below the picture is the menu:

Birthday menu:

• Sweet potato and lentil quesadilla
• Almond butter & jelly sandwiches
• fruit kabobs with yogurt dipping sauce
• Hummus and pitas
• Spinach & strawberry salad
• Carrot cake

Brownie

Since it was James birthday last week we celebrated during the weekend with his favorite food and a brownie sunday. I served the sunday with coconut vanilla ice cream and a passion fruit sauce. The sweet, sour and creamy was a great combination. The passion fruit sauce was simply passion fruit juice mixed with powdered sugar until desired consistency.

2 1/4 cup spelt flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup milk ( I used oat milk)

3/4 cup canola oil

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and used

Preheat oven to to F350

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ones together and then add it to the dry mix and blend quickly. You don't want to over work the batter. Pour into a greased baking pan. bake middle of oven for 25-30 minutes or until center is pretty dry.

Bean and mushroom stew

Boy did we have a massive storm hit San Diego today. I was so happy to be inside working but then during the heaviest rain I had to go to a meeting, off course. Today was about cuddling inside,fire in the fireplace, about putting socks on and eating warming stew such as this hearty bean and mushroom stew.

1/2 cup leeks, chopped

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tbs canola oil

1 cup carrots, sliced into thin coins

1 large portabella mushroom, stem removed and chopped

1 bouillon cube, crumbles

2/3 cup water

2 bay leafs

1 tbs thyme

1 cup kidney beans, cooked or canned

1 tbs all-purpose flour mixed with 1/3 cup water until there are no lumps

Black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pan and satay onion and garlic for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add carrots and mushrooms and fry for about 3 minutes. Add bouillon , water, bay leaf and thyme and simmer until carrots are soft about 5-10 minutes. Add beans and flour/water mix and simmer while stirring carefully for 1 minute. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve with potatoes, rice or simply with some bread.

No moo milk shake

This is a healthy version of a milk shake which is a perfect treat or afternoon snack. Almond butter is a great alternative to peanut butter and is an excellent source of calcium, magnesium and potassium. as well as rich in antioxidants. So this one shake you can treat your kids without the guilt and will it will give them a boost of calcium even if made with water. I made a chocolate flavored shake but can easily be made into a fruit shake by adding any fruit of your choice.

2 tbs almond butter

2 tbs cocoa powder

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey

2 cups water or milk ( I used almond milk)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract or use vanilla bean

Blend everything in a blender until smooth.

Maple bread buns

I'm already planning Thanks Giving dinner and it's special this year since it's the first time in a long time we're home in San Diego because usually we spend the holiday in Hawaii. Due to the pregnancy we can't fly and as sad as we are about that we're excited to be home hosting a dinner instead. I like baking my own bread for dinner parties so today when I baked bread for the week I decided to try making these maple bread buns to see if they will work out for Thanks Giving dinner. I give them thumbs up and they will be perfect for Bella's lunch as well this week.

4 cups spelt flour

2 cups all-purpose flour (maybe more)

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 packed active yeast

2 1/2 cup milk ( I used 1 1/2 cup almond and 1 cup oat milk

3 tbs maple syrup

1/3 cup margarine, room temperature

Mix all the dry ingredients well in a large bowl. Heat milk to finger warm temperature. Add syrup and blend and add to flour mix and mix well. Add margarine and mix well again and work the dough really well for about 5 minutes. Place a towel over bowl and let the dough rise to double size (about 45 min-1 hour. Place dough on a even surface sprinkled with flour. Kneel the dough for a few minutes. Divide the dough into about 14-16 pieces. Roll each piece between hands to make a round roll. Place on a cookie sheet. Let the rolls rise for another 40 minutes. Preheat oven to F435 about 5 minutes before. Bake for about 10 minutes or until they are golden and center is dry. Place on a wire rack to cool down.

White wine & tofu gratain

We're having very cool weather here which is unusual for San Diego. Being seven month pregnant, I personal love it and relish in making stews and gratins. This is a festive tofu gratin with a creamy white wine sauce. It was a perfect dish to celebrate hubby's birthday. The dish taste great with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

1 package extra firm tofu

1/2 lemon

1 tbs margarine

1/2 cup leeks, diced

1/2 cup fennel bulb, diced

1 tbs all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 bouillon cube, crumbled

2/3 cup milk ( I used almond)

1 tbs fresh dill, chopped

1/2 cup cheese, grated

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to F415

Slice tofu and place in single layer in a baking dish. Squeeze a little lemon juice over tofu.

Melt margarine in a sauce pan on medium heat. Satay onion and fennel for 2 minutes until glossy. remove from heat and sprinkle flour over and mix well. Add wine and mix until there are no lumps left. Add milk and bouillon and mix well. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add dill, cheese, salt & pepper. pour over tofu. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Fast baking bread

It's amazing how tired I can be. I think of sleep 90% of time these day and think it's funny when people say I should just sleep. But between my bathroom visits and the baby abusing me from the inside it just does not happen. I also am a busy mom of a very defiant child right now there is not enough hours in the day anymore.

Sometimes I don't have time to wait for a bread to rise so make this bread which take almost no time to prep and only 50 minutes to bake however still taste amazing. I made it for Bella's sandwich for school and she loved it. It contains baking soda instead of yeast and that's how you can skip the rising part.There is also no need to kneel the dough. My new this is that I love adding jam or cranberry sauce to my bread which make the fluffy and adds a nice flavour to it.

1/4 cup wheat berries

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

2 1/2 cup all-purpose non bleached white flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 cups So delicious coconut cultured milk

1/4 cup cranberry sauce

1/3 cup light syrup

Preheat oven to F400

Mix all dry ingredients and then mix all wet. Combine them together to a sticky dough. Pour into a loaf pan. Bake for about 45-60 minutes or until center is dry. Let it cool completely before slicing.

Risotto

Today Bella had a play date with two beautiful girls from her class. I made lunch for everyone which was risotto and banana ice cream for dessert. Risotto is such easy dish to make but require you to stay by the stow until it's done. It's an Italian dish, high starch rice cooked with a broth to a creamy consistency. It's perfect for kids because creamy rice, what's not to like?

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup green onions, diced

1 1/2 cup arborio rice

1 /2 vegetable bouillon cube, crumbles

3 cups water

1/2 cup cheese (I used Daiya mozzarella cheese)

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat and satay onion until glossy, about 2 minutes. Add rice, bouillon cube and 1 cup of water. Blend well and simmer. Stir often and when it seems dry, add more water and repeat until rice is cooked. You might need more or less water. When rice is soft, add cheese, salt and pepper and blend. Serve immediately!

Peach melba

With our weekly delivery from Sea Breeze we received peaches but they were all bruised and I know from passed deliveries they have a very short shell life. On Friday they were starting to go bad so I peeled them and saved whatever could be saved on each peach and made Peach Melba. Usually in this dessert you use canned peaches but why not use fresh ones? It was a huge hit and a lovely ending to our family Friday night dinner.

3 peaches, peeled and cubed or sliced

1 cup raspberries

1/4 cup powdered sugar

vanilla ice cream

Puree raspberries in blender or food processor. Strain to remove seeds. Mix powdered sugar and the seedless puree until smooth. To assemble, place peaches in the bottom of dessert bowel, place a generous scoop of ice cream on top. Pour the raspberry sauce over. Enjoy!

Sunflower seed buns

These are super easy buns to make for dinner etc. I used mix of spelt flour and all-purpose flour because I ran out of spelt flour :( They are still very healthy and good. I added cranberry jam to the bread and it might sound strange it adds a nice slight sweetness to the bread. It's a perfect dinner roll or breakfast bread. We love eating them in the morning with a lot of rice cheese and jam.

1/2 package dry active yeast

3 cup spelt flour

1/3 cup psyllium powder

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cup warm water

1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup cranberry jam (or use whatever jam you have at home)

3 cup all-purpose flour (maybe more)

Blend yeast, spelt flour, psyllium powder sunflower seeds and salt in a large bowl. mix water, oil and jam and add to flour mix. Work the dough really well adding all-purpose flour little at the time until you reach the right consistency when the dough is not too sticky. Let the rise under a kitchen towel in a draft free place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.

Knead the dough on a flour sprinkled area. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll each pieces in our hands to make a roll. Place on a parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place a towel over and let it rise for another 30 minutes. mean while, preheat oven to F425. Brush each roll with water and bake for about 10-13 minutes.

Homemade ketchup

I've been drowning in tomatoes here so I decided to make my own ketchup. It's very easy to make and taste to much better than store bought plus you know what in it and what you feed your kids. I made two kinds of ketchup; one regular one and one curry flavored for my curry loving hubby. He now wants me to make home fries so he can test them :) I think homemade ketchup can be a really fun gift idea.

5 large and ripe tomatoes

1 small yellow onion copped

1 garlic clove, grated

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup tomato puree

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tbs vegetarian Worcester sauce (I used Amy's)

1 1/2 tsp salt

A couple of pinches black pepper

3 tbs yellow curry powder (optional)

Skin the tomatoes by cutting a cross at the top with a knife. Submerge the tomatoes one by one into boiling hot water. When u see the skin curling or flaking, remove from water and place under cold water. It should be very easy to to "slide" of the skin now. Chop tomatoes and place in a pot with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes on low heat. The liquid will become slight syrupy. Puree the tomato mix in either a blender, food processor or with a hand held blender until completely smooth. Let it cool down before pouring into clean glass jars or bottles.

Sunday dinner--BBQ neat loaf

Sunday dinner I always try to do something extra so tonight we had neat loaf with BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes and green beans. I guess it's our version of Sunday roast which I grew up eating. The neat loaf contains nuts and mushrooms and can be changed many ways. My husband loves anything with BBQ sauce so I added that this time and it was a wonderful addition. It can also be served without the BBQ sauce but served with a simple gravy instead.

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced

1 garlic clove, grated

1 tbs canola oil

1 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 tbs flour

1 bullion cube

1/2 cup water

1 cup nuts, grated to a coarse meal in food processor ( I used walnuts and almonds this time)

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2/3 cup bread crumbs

2 tbs BBQ sauce (maybe more)

In a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. Satay onion and garlic until glossy, not brown. Add mushrooms and satay for a couple of minutes. Add bullion cube, crumbled, sprinkle flour and mix well. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Make a log and place in a greased bread pan. Bake in a preheated oven to F400 for 20-30 minutes. It should be slight brown and slight dry. Let it rest before slicing.

Kids lunch--zucchini & carrot pancakes

I have to get really creative when it comes to making Bella's school lunch which is eaten cold. This zucchini & carrot pancake is her favorite so far. I guess what kid does not like pancakes hum?. However, these are different with almost nu sweetener, spelt flour and two vegetables in them. I use spelt flour for almost everything I bake or cook because it's more nutritional than all-purpose or even whole wheat flour. It contains good amount of fibers, protein as well as minerals and vitamins. I serve these pancakes with side of fresh cut green or orange peppers for vitamin C, dried sweet peas for more protein and iron. This way I know she gets a lot of vegetables in her lunch. You can use different vegetables than zucchini or carrot. Feel free to email me or post your variation.

1 cup milk ( I used vanilla flavored oat milk since Bella is lactose intolerant)

3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 pinch of cinnamon powder

1 tsp canola oil + more for cooking the pancakes in

1 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar if you use regular milk

1/2 cup peeled and grated zucchini

1/4 cup peeled and grated carrot

Mix milk and spelt flour until no lumps. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Let it rest for a few minutes before frying them just like regular pancakes on medium heat.