Garbanzo bean salad

Today was a miserable hot day and on top of that I have strep throat, yikes. I can't eat hot food but cold taste good so I made this tomato and garbanzo bean salad from tomatoes and basil from our garden.

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 avocado, diced

1/2 fresh basil leafs, chopped

1/2 cup garbanzo beans

1/8 cup olive oil

1/8 cup good quality balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything in a bowl and toss carefully with dressing. Enjoy with a slice of multigrain bread bread for a complete meal and protein.

Seitan cutlets

I'm sick as a dog and feel miserable. I don't know if I got what Bella had last week but sure hope it goes away soon. Off course Noah decided it was day of short naps today but was still a happy little boy thank god.

I did not feel up to cooking something complicated so we ate creamy cauliflower gratin and seitan stripes with BBQ. I used Sweet Earth's seitan cutlets and it was the first time I bought them. I really like the texture and flavor of the cutlets and there are endless possibilities for them. Tonight I simply, sliced into stripes and fried them in a little canola oil and them poured BBQ sauce over.

Pumpkin seed buns

Today was Bella's first day of summer camp and oh boy was she excited. I guess we'll see if she is as excited when she comes home, I sure hope so but I have to admit I was sad to see her leave and felt a little bored without her this morning.

I baked bread last night for Bella to have for lunch this week. I got spoiled and didn't need to bake as much when she was home with me. I don't want to bake too much since we're going to Sweden in less than two weeks. The bread ended up being buns because Bella wanted them like that and I made them with carrots, spelt, pumpkin seeds and oats. They are very moist and yummy.

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup spelt flour

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

2 tsp salt

2 tbs maple syrup

1 1/5 cup hot water

1 package active yeast

2/3 cup grated carrots

2 tbs olive oil

2 cups warm water

5-6 cups white spelt flour

1. Place oats, 1 cup spelt flour, pumpkin seeds, salt and maple syrup in a large bowl and pour the hot water over.
2. Mix and set aside to rest for 1 hour.
3. Mix in the carrots, olive oil.
4. Mix the 1,5 cup warm water with the yeast and let in dissolve.
5. Add to dough and blend well.
6. Add flour 1/2 cup at the time and really work it into the dough until the dough is elastic. Sprinkle some flour on top and let dough rest for 2 hours under a towel.
7. Place dough on a surface sprinkled with flour.
8. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed.
9. Divide dough into smaller pieces and roll each to a round bun.
10. Place on parchment paper on a a cookie sheet to rise for another 30 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to F400.
12. Bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on size.
13. They are done when golden on top and have a dry center.

Lavender & honey ice cream

All this sun and heat has brought harvested goodies from our garden; tomatoes, figs and zucchini. My lavender bush is also growing out of control and I have long wanted to make lavender ice cream and today it finally happened. After eating the ice cream, Bella said "mom you did real good". For this recipe you need an ice cream machine.

1/4 cup fresh lavender flowers

1 cup water

2 tbs honey

1 tbs coconut oil

1 packaged Mimic cream whipped topping, refrigerated for a couple of hours at least

1. Place lavender and water in a sauce pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add honey and coconut oil and stir until completely dissolved.
4. Strain flower and save liquid.
5. Let it cool completely in room temperature.
6. With an electric hand mixer, whip the mimic cream until fluffy.
7. Add the cold lavender liquid to the cream and keep on whipping until mixed in.
8. Place cream batter in ice cream machine and run until solid. Yum!!!!

Quinoa salad--the perfect picnic food

Quinoa is one of those wonderful foods that is high in nutrition and protein, easy to cook, easy to digest and you can eat it hot or cold. The hot weather has kept going here in San Diego so I've been looking for easy lunches with a lot of vegetables and fruits. To stay cool we try to spend time outside at park, by the ocean or at the bay. For a day at the bay I made a quinoa salad and it was a perfect picnic food.

1 cups cooked quinoa

1/2 cup mango, diced

1/2 cup black beans, cooked or canned

1/2 cup leeks, steamed

1 cup broccoli florets, steamed

1/3 cup corn

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 tbs honey

Salt & pepper to taste

Blend quinoa, mangom beans, leeks and broccoli in a large bowl. Mix oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl and pour over salad right before serving.

Health kick oatmeal

I eat oatmeal pretty much everyday and it's a great way to start the day with fiber and iron. It keeps me full all morning and I need that to keep up with two kids and work. I make my oatmeal a little special by adding dried fruits and different seeds.

I like to soak my oatmeal the night before so when I get up in the morning all I have to do is cook it. I usually eat it with some vitamin-C rich fruit to better absorb the iron.

2/3 cup oats

1/3 cup water

2 dried apricots, chopped

2 tsp flax seeds

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbs raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tsp hemp seeds

Place oats, water, apricots, flax seeds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, salt in pot and either let it sit over night or cook it on medium heat, stirring once in a while. Add more water if it seems dry. Cook until all water has absorbed and it's kind of clue like. Remove from heat and sprinkle chia and hemp seeds over oatmeal before serving.

Black bean and avocado salad

Phew it's so miserably hot here so eating hot food is not an option. I made black bean salad which I served as a tostada with a green salad, jicama, Amanda's dad's homemade salsa (yum) tomatoes and dessert was a nice slice of fresh water melon. It was the perfect hot day lunch.

1 ripe avocado, diced

1/2 cup ripe mango, diced

2 tbs red onion, chopped

1 tbs cilantro, chopped

1 tsp jalapeno pepper, chopped

2/3 cup black beans

2 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

Blend everything together in a bowl making sure it mixes well but be careful not to end up with a mash.

Cinnamon apple muffins

I love summer breaks, no running around, rushing and getting ready to go somewhere in the morning. We stay in our pyjamas until we're ready. This morning while Noah was napping me and Bella baked muffins together which we ate on a picnic by the bay. In just two weeks we're leaving to go to Sweden and that's when the real vacation begins because then daddy will join us as well.

100g butter, melted

1/4 cup zucchini, grated fine

1 cup milk ( I used oat milk)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean seeds

2 cups white spelt flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 large apple, peeled and cut into small pieces

4 tbs sugar mixed with 1 tbs cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to F350
2. Blend butter, zucchini, milk, sugar and vanilla bean in a large bowl.
3. Whisk until fluffy.
4. Add flour and baking powder and blend well.
5. Pour batter into baking cups, about 2/3 full.
6. Toss apple pieces with sugar and cinnamon mix until coated.
7. Push pieces into the muffin batter. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden and center is dry.

Chocolate chia pudding

If you say chocolate Bella's eyes lights up, like many others I assume:) Bella does not eat a lot of candy or sweets and she hardy ever drink juice. When she does eat sweets it usually vegetarian gummy bears or some dark chocolate.

When I made a chia pudding with chocolate flavor guess if she was excited when I told her she could have that after dinner. She licked the bowl! I was happy because everything in that bowl gave her some sort of nutrition. It's not just for kids, James and I loved it as much.

Chia seeds are packed with nutrition and contains a high concentration of omega-3, calcium, iron and potassium. Chia seeds can be bought at Henry's, People's Coop, Whole Foods and etc as well as at many places online. I found this recipe for the pudding at Love Raw but I changed it a little.

1 cup almond milk

1/2 vanilla bean seeds

2 tbs chia seeds

1 tbs maple syrup

1 tbs coconut oil

1 tbs cacao powder

1 banana

Place everything in a blender and mix until lump free and smooth. Let the pudding sit for a few hours to set and for seeds to soften.

Father's day lunch

I don't think James could have been more celebrated as a father than he was today. He spend the whole day cuddling with the kids and eating his favorite meals, one after the other and on top of that...he also got a massage. Happy Father's day sweetie, you are the best dad there is for sure:)

For lunch we had an amazing french potato salad which is not mayo based since James does not like that. The potatoes came from our own garden so it was extra special. We also enjoyed marinated seitan and beets in a pesto cream sauce.

Happy Father's day everyone!!!!!!

French potato salad

3 cups small red potatoes, cut in half

1 1/2 cup green beans, tops and bottom cut of and cut into half

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tbs honey

1 tbs dijon mustard

1 tsp Herbs provencal

1 tbs capers

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook potatoes and steam green beans until soft. In a small bowl, mix oil, vinegar, honey, mustard, herbs provencal, capers, salt and pepper. Place cooked potato and beans in a larger bowl pour dressing over. Blend well but carefully. Can be served cold or semi-warm.

Marinated seitan

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1/8 cup canola oil

2 tbs Bragg's liquid amino's or light soy sauce

1 1/2 tbs honey

Salt to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

2 cup seitan pieces

Mix, hoisin sauce, canola oil, bragg's or soy sauce, honey, salt and cayenne pepper in a zip lock bag or large bowl. Add seitan and blend well. Marinate for at least one hour. Cook in a frying pan on medium heat in a single layer to get a nice color on seitan. Repeat until all seitan has been cooked.

Energy smoothie

Another super hot day here and another super busy and crazy day for me. Since Bella is officially on summer break she was home today cuddling with us but I left to go do my weekly grocery shopping at the People's Coop this morning. I came home to unpack, feed Noah and approve the color in our bedroom to our handyman remodeling our home before I had to rush off to a yoga class. I was in a desperate need to for a yoga class today and since it was my favorite teacher in the world, my friend Sue, it was an amazing deep class.

All this in and out and running around in the heat makes me hungry and in need of some fast calories. My answer to that is liquid energy in the form of a green smoothie. It's basically a fruit smoothie mixed with some green leafs and/or spirulina. G

reen leafs is a major source of iron and calcium and is low in fat and high in fibers. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is an amazing source of protein and essential amino acids. So adding these will take your smoothie from healthy to super food. I like to make up a pitcher of green smoothie in the morning and keeping it in the fridge so I can drink it through out the day.

For one pitcher of green smoothie

2-3 cups filtered water

1 small banana (frozen or fresh)

1 cup fruit ( I like to add blueberries and some kind of melon)

1 tbs spirulina powder

1 cup green leafs such as beet greens, kale, swiss chard, spinach etc ( I used kale)

Place everything in a blender and mix until completely smooth.

Bella's graduation cake

Today Bella graduated from preschool. My little girl is growing up too fast..... Off course dinner tonight was a graduation dinner and I served a pasta casserole with quinoa pasta, vegetables and cheese and tomato sauce and for dessert we had a chocolate cake with a maple & chocolate frosting which we and Bella made together.

1/2 cup cream ( I used unsweetened mimic cream)

1 cup milk ( I used vanilla flavored oat milk)

1 cup sugar

2 1/5 ounce melted margarine ( I used earth balance)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbs cocoa powder

2 cups spelt flour

Frosting:

2 ounces margarine

1 tbs maple syrup

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tbs cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to F350
2. Blend cream, milk, sugar and margarine in a bowl and whisk hard for a minute.
3. Add cocoa powder, baking powder and flour and mix well to a smooth batter.
4. Pour into a well greased cake pan.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until center is dry.
6. Let it cool completely before removing from pan.
7. Beat margarine and maple syrup until blended.
8. Add powdered sugar and cocoa powder and blend until fluffy.
9. Spread on cake once cake is completely cold.

Homemade broth

My mom used to make her own broth and I swear it made a huge difference when she cooked. I had read somewhere that you could use all scraps you have cut off and not used from your vegetables to make a veggie broth. Last week whenever I cooked I made sure to save tops, ends and part of vegetables I would normally throw away.

Yesterday I cooked them to make the broth. It turned out great and I'm so happy to have my own homemade broth available when I need it. It will save me a lot of money and I can even freeze it. Another way to limit garbage and saving the planet I guess:)

3 cup various vegetable scraps ( I think I used carrots, leeks, cauliflower, parsley, garlic etc)

5 cups water

2 garlic cloves

2 bay leafs

2 tsp salt

5 black pepper corns

1/2 cup sea weed (optional)

Place everything in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes. Strain and let broth cool completely before pouring into glass jars or pitchers. Keep in fridge or freezer.

Barley water lemonade

We're expecting hot weather in San Diego today and in generally that does not bother me unless I'm dealing with a child with a 103,5 temperature, a baby and renovation going on in my house, all at the same time.

However, to help us stay cool and get some extra vitamin C to help us all stay healthy, I made lemonade with a hint of ginger. I used barley water as the base for it's healing properties. Barley water is said to provide energy for the body, removes toxins and nourishes the kidneys. It's a really nice refreshing lemonade which by the way is great paired with my graham crackers.

3 cups water

1/2 cup barley

Juice from two large lemons

Grate from one well washed organic lemon

1 tbs grated ginger

1/2 cup honey (more if you want it sweeter

1. Place water and barley in a pot and bring to boil
2. Reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Strain and add lemon juice, lemon grate, ginger and honey and blend well.
4. Let the lemonade rest in fridge for one day before serving for best result.

Vegetable and bean casserole

Because I had lots of vegetables and beans and was not feeling my best with my hip pain, I made a very simple casserole for Saturday night dinner. I guess it must have been really good because when Bella and daddy was waiting for test results and Children's hospital she started talking about it.

According to James she was talking about how good it was and was wondering what I would cook that night and perhaps I would make it again. Maybe it was just that good or maybe she was just feeling better and hungry, who knows hum.

3 cups various kinds of vegetables, but into bit

e size pieces ( I used carrots, cauliflower, asparagus and cabbage)

1 cup chick peas, cooked or canned

1/2 cup sour cream ( I used tofutti)

1/2 cup cream ( I used mimic)

1/2 can diced tomatoes

2 tbs mayo

2 tbs harissa paste

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup grated cheese

1. Preheat oven to F400
2. Lightly steam vegetables and the place in a baking dish.
3. Pour chick peas over.
4. Mix in a small bowl sour cream, cream, diced tomatoes, mayo, harissa paste, salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and beans to cover them.
5. Sprinkle cheese over.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Serve with rice, barley, millet or pasta.

flowery pasta for sick little princess

Last night Bella got sick with high temperature so we spend most of the night up with her and today she and daddy went to Children's hospital. It turns out she has a bad viral infection so it will take a couple of days of healing before she is back to her normal self. Before she went to the hospital she and I picked zucchini blossoms from our garden and I promised her I would cook them for her for dinner. She thought it was so special to eat flowers so she called the dish "princess pasta". I had some great pictures of the pasta as well as the blossoms but for some reason I'm having problems uploading them. I will try later or tomorrow which is such a pity since they are so beautiful.

Cooked linguine pasta for 4 ( I used whole wheat)

2 tbs canola oil

2 large garlic cloves, chopped very fine

1 tbs honey

Salt & pepper to taste

2 cup zucchini blossoms, cleaned well, dried and chopped (Save some for decoration)

1 cup grated cheese ( Used rice cheese)

1. Cook pasta according to package and drain.
2. Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet.
3. Saute garlic for 30 seconds.
4. Add honey, salt and pepper and blend well.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add blossoms and stir carefully.
7. Toss with pasta.
8. Place on plates and sprinkle cheese over before serving.

Antipasto

I'm feeling a little better this morning and one reason can be because Noah slept over 11 hours last night!!! I think he is going through a little growth spurt because he wants to eat a lot and sleeps a lot. Yesterday I showed him the avocado he was going to have for lunch and he grabbed and bit into it. A hungry boy indeed.

Tonight's dinner was a vegetarian antipasto. Antipasto is traditionally a dish served before dinner including a ray of meat, cheese and vegetables. Off course we skipped the meat and ate a lot of veggie dishes, non-dairy cheese and bread instead. I made olive tapena and marinated green beans to be included as very great addition that was easy to make. Other things on the plate was, baked apple slices topped with vegan cheese drizzled with a honey/balsamic sauce, warm tomato salad with seitan sausage coins, a harrisa sauce, bread, and a simple salad.

Tapena:

1 cup kalamati black olives, drained

2 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 tbs capers

2 tsp olive oil

Place, olive, tomatoes, garlic and capers in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides ones. With the processor running, add oil carefully. Stop blending as soon as you have poured in all oil. Let the tapena rest in fridge for 1 hour before serving for best result.

Marinated green beans:

2 cup fresh green beans, top and ends removed and lightly steamed

1/4 cup red onions, diced and lightly sauteed in 1 tsp canola oil

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tbs white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp dried parsley or 1 tbs fresh

Salt and black pepper to taste

Place beans, sauteed onions in a large jar or bowl and add canola oil, vinegar, mustard, parsley, salt and pepper and blend well. Marinate for at least a few hours before serving or over night for best result.

Daddy's ziti

I'm out of commission today due to pain in my hip. I think my body returning back from being pregnant and then giving birth and not everything is going back where it belongs. Thank you to my angels Amanda and Jess who helped taking care of kids and driving me to the chiropractor and acupuncturist. I'm slowly starting to feel better but I think I still have some staying still time a head. Not an easy task for someone who has small children and has a hard time sitting still to begin with.

Tonight after the kids were fed and a sleep I turned to hubby and told him either he cooks or we do take out. With the help of my guidance from the sofa he cooked a great pasta dish with garlic, seitan sausages, swiss chard and tomatoes. He did so good and I'm so proud of him since he never cooks anything besides pancakes. He even made a comment the he loves cooking when he knows what to do.

James, a great dad and now also a great cook:)

3 cups ziti pasta, cooked according to package

1 seitan sausage ( He used a smoked rosemary flavored from Field Roast)

2 tsp canola oil

2 garlic cloves, sliced very thin

1 cup swiss chard, chopped

1 large tomato, diced

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated cheese

1. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat.
2. Saute garlic and sausage for a few minutes.
3. Stir in swiss chard and let it wilt.
4. Add tomato, salt and pepper, stir and let it all get hot.
5. Toss with pasta and sprinkle with cheese before serving

Look who's coming for dinner....

It was day two of construction zone in our house so me and Noah spend the day and the wonderful Jess's house. I was starved when I arrived so she showed me what she had and took Noah so I could do some magic. I love the challenge to cook at someones home. I made a very simple, but so amazing good pasta sauce which we ate with whole wheat pasta and some sausages.

1 tsp canola oil

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 cup canned tomatoes

2 tbs sour cream

Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

1 cup steamed broccoli

Cheese to sprinkle over

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan and saute garlic until glossy, not brown.
2. Pour tomatoes and sour cream in a simmer for a few minutes.
3. Add salt, pepper and cayenne and blend well.
4. Toss with cooked pasta, add broccoli and sprinkle cheese over right before serving.

Wok

We're doing some renovations and changes to our home so it's been filled with workers, dust and a whole lot of noise all day. At 5:30 pm when they finally stopped for the day, I was beat and had zero energy to cook. But I still had to so I just made a very simple wok with different vegetables and mushroom which we ate with rice.

2 tbs canola oil

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 cup cabbage, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cup asparagus, cut in half

2 tbs Bragg's liquid aminio's or light soy sauce

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

2 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp ginger powder

1/4 cup water

1 large tomato , cut into smaller wedges

Salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp corn starch mixed with a little water

1. Heat oil in wok and saute mushrooms until lightly brown.
2. Remove from wok and set a side.
3. Place onion in wok and fry for 1 minutes.
4. Add cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, bragg's or soy sauce, balsamic brown sugar, ginger and water. Simmer until vegetables are soft.
5. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper.
6. Let it all got hot.
7. Add the corn starch mixed water.
8. Let sauce thicken while stirring.
9. remove from heat and serve

Cauliflower gratin

I know I have done well when my friend Jess who's the one who gives me most honest criticism and she happens to be a picky eater too, loves my food, Yesterday she absolutely loved my cauliflower gratin which by the way is the easiest and lowest in fat gratin I ever made I think.

We ate it as a side dish with lemon scented mushroom & seitan, garlic & balsamic baked green beans, cooked baby beets and fresh bread. As a dessert we eat a berry and rhubarb tart.

Why so much food you wonder? Well it was Sunday and that's how my mom would serve Sunday dinner and I also had cauliflower and rhubarb getting a little sad in my fridge. But really, do you need an excuse for cooking and serving your loved ones a fabulous meal? I had planned to eat leftovers for lunch today but surprise, surprise, there were non. I guess I will have to just make a swiss chard soup or something instead.

1 head of cauliflower, cut stems removed and cut into small florets

2 tbs all purpose flour

1/2 cup water

1 cup un-sweetned almond milk

Salt to taste

1 pinch of nutmeg

2/3 cup grated cheese

1. Lightly steam cauliflower florets until just before done.
2. Mix water and flour together really well until it's lump free ( I used a jar with lid on and place flour and water in that and simply shook it until mixed).
3. Place in a sauce pot and bring to a boil while stirring.
4. Boil on medium heat for 1 minutes, stirring the whole time.
5. Reduce and add milk, salt and nutmeg.
6. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes while stirring until it thickens to a creamy sauce.
7. Preheat oven to F400.
8. Place cauliflowers in a baking dish. Pour sauce over.
9. Bake for 10 minutes. sprinkle cheese in an even layer over and then bake another 5 minutes.
10. Enjoy!

Graham crackers

Life has been quiet for us today because my friend Jess took Bella to Sea world. She was so excited to spend a day with Jess and at sea world on such beautiful day. Me and James got a lot of things done but also got to spend some cuddle time with Noah which is a treat.

The Graham crackers I made yesterday has been a huge hit with everyone and are almost all gone. I'm saving some for tomorrow when Bella is having a play date here. We'll be making home made apple juice and the girls can have a picnic in our garden with the crackers:)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups graham flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean

1/4 tsp cinnamon

115g butter, room temperature

3 tbs maple syrup

1/4 cup cold water

1. Preheat oven to F350. Place both flours, sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla bean, cinnamon in a food processor or pulse a couple of time to mix.
2. Add butter, maple syrup and water and blend until it's a crumbly dough.
3. Place in a plastic bag and in the fridge for 1 hour. remove from bag and use a rolling pin to roll dough to desired thickness.
4. Use cookie cutters to cut out cookies.
5. Place on a cookie sheet covered with a parchments paper.
6. Prick each cookie with a fork a couple of times.
7. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness.

Pancake breakfast morning!

We had a lazy day at home today and the only trip out we did was when me and Bella went shopping at People's Coop. The morning started out with a pancake breakfast which we hosted for our friends and neighbors, the Torres. We ate multi grain pancakes from a recipe borrowed from Vegan visitor, fresh blueberries and strawberries. They have a baby girl born just one week after Noah, and both babies behaved very well through the breakfast by taking turns napping so parents could eat in peace.

The rest of the day we been cuddling, doing yoga and baking bread and graham crackers which I will post about tomorrow because now me and James are going to enjoy a cup of Mighty Leaf chamomile tea and the movie "Capricorn one". Good night and have a great weekend everyone!

Nice breakfast time!

Bella hosted her "own" breakfast and insisted on a table cloth and flowers. She is my girl for sure:)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup quick cooking oats

1/3 cup yellow corn meal

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups almond milk

1 large ripe banana, mashed

4 tbs vegetable oil

2 tbs maple syrup

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and stalk disposed

1. In a large bowl blend together whole wheat flour, oats, corn meal, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a smaller bowl blend milk, mashed banana oil, syrup and vanilla bean and mix well.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and just blend quickly not to over work the batter.
4. Cook pancakes a few minutes on each side on a griddle brushed with oil on medium heat.

Lentil pasta sauce with taco flare

I love making pasta sauce from lentils and vegetables. Bella usually loves them and they are fast, easy to make and very high in nutrition. I used red lentils which is my favorite pulse to cook with because it does not need be soaked and cooks fast, in about 10 minutes or less. Perfect for a busy mom:) Now if I could just have some extra time to dust of my pasta maker I got for Christmas last year it would be great. I'm so dying to try it out.

I served my pasta sauce with whole wheat linguine for a complete meal and there was no need to add anymore vegetables since the sauce contain

s a lot already.

A couple of years ago I got some comments from someone about how lentils and pasta did not sound like a good combination and all I can say about

that is, just trust me, it's DELICIOUS!!!!

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped very fine

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 tbs canola oil

1/3 cup grated zucchini

1/3 cup grated carrot

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 cup corn

1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed

2 tsp taco spice

1 tsp paprika

Salt to taste

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sour cream ( I used tofutti)

1. Heat oil in a skillet on medium heat and saute onion and garlic for 2 minutes, not letting them brown.
2. Add zucchini, carrots, corn, lentils, taco spice, paprika, salt and water and blend well.
3. Reduce to a simmer and simmer covered for about 5-10 minutes or until lentils are soft. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Let it melt and blend well.

Balsamic sauce

I love thursdays because it's the day Sea Breezed deliver my weekly bag off goodies. Our pets get super excited as well since for them it means fun snack and they do love all those carrots and beet greens.

For dinner we had seitan steaks served with lots of steamed vegetables and this amazing balsamic sauce. I used a 18 year aged balsamic vinegar some kind soul at James work gave him for Christmas but any balsamic will do. It also taste great with wilted greens or even with pasta.

1 tsp canola oil

1 garlic clove, grated

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup water

Salt & black pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.
2. Saute garlic for 30 seconds, not letting it brown.
3. Add balsamic vinegar, water and reduce to a simmer. cook for 1 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and mix in sour cream, salt and pepper and blend well.
5. Sauce is ready.

Hearty bread

Today both kids have been pulling me in opposite direction and at one point I just closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I scrambled and got hubby off to a yoga class tonight which I know he so desperate need right now and that makes me happy that it worked out. I'm sitting here now with a cup of tea just waiting for one or both of them to wake up because off course that will happen when I'm home alone. And yes it did:(

This is the bread I baked for this week and it was a little more work than I normally would do but boy was it worth it because it's a super moist, yummy and filling bread. In reality it was not THAT much more work.

2 cups hot water

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup rolled oats

3 tbs flax seeds

1/2 cup raisins

2/3 cup grated carrots

3 tbs raw sunflower seeds

1 tsp salt

1/2 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 tbs honey

2 tbs olive oil

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

1. Blend the hot water, spelt flour, raisins, flax seeds and sunflower seeds in a large bowl and let it rest, covered under a towel over night.
2. The next morning, mix the warm water with the yeast, honey and oil.
3. Add to the dough made the previous day and blend well.
4. Add salt and all-pupose flour a little at the time and work the dough well until you have an elastic and slightly sticky dough.
5. Sprinkle some flour on top and cover with a towel.
6. Let it rise to almost a double size for 2 hours.
7. Place dough on a surface sprinkled with a little flour.
8. Knead the dough for 5 minutes.
9. Divide into two pieces and shape into a loaf.
10. Place in a well greased loaf pan.
11. Cover with towel again and let it rise for 1 hour.
12. Preheat oven to F350.
13. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the loafs are golden brown and center is dry.