Halloween Treats

SPIDER CRACKERS
Ritz Crackers with peanut butter inside to hold the 8 pretzel legs. Use a small dab of peanut butter to attach the raisin eyes.
Tailor these to your kids preferences. Another healthy variation is almond butter, cranberries, and Ritz whole wheat crackers.
My kids love making and eating these. A perfect October after school snack!




APPLE DUMPLINGS
1. Core and peel apples, leave an inch of the lower unpeeled.
2. Divide a pie crust for each apple and place the apple on top.
3. Fill the core with a small mixture of raisins, cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.





4. Press and seal the pastry around the apple. Put a dollop of coconut oil on the top.
5. Bake the dumplings @ 375* for about 15 minutes while making the basting sauce.
6. Bring 2 tablespoons Earth Balance, 3/4 C. apple juice, 3/4 C. water, 1/2 C. sugar, & 1/8 tsp. cinnamon to a boil in a small sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.





7. Baste the dumplings with the sauce and pour the rest in the pan and continue to bake about 30 minutes until they are tender. Continue to baste the dumplings about every 15 minutes.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are always a treat this time of year! I hope you are enjoying a healthy Halloween season!!

Mostly Green

I updated my FB status with, "Vicki asks What to do with all this broccoli?" Getting responses like a YouTube of Dana Carvey's "Chopping Broccoli", or the "Love Food Hate Waste" link with recipes to use it up. Or, a PPK recipe Theresa suggested "Classic Broccoli Quiche" which you see. It was OK. I think it'd be righteous sandwich spread, or burrito filling - being complimented by other ingredients. If nothing else, go learn potluck faux pas & eves drop on the fall-out of one potluck party gone bad.


This is the pie shell I used for the quiche. It was delicious and convenient. No wonder Wholly Wholesome was named "Best Pie Crust" in the November 2008 issue of Real Simple Magazine.

Green because they are organic, animal-free pie shells. They are available in Traditional, Whole Wheat & Spelt, as well as Graham & Chocolate Pie. No kneed to roll the dough.



My Costco broccoli bag continued...
VICKI'S BROCCOLI POTATO SOUP
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 lb yukon gold potatoes, chopped
6 cups boiling water
2 tbsp "Better Than Bouillon" vegetable base
4-5 cups fresh broccoli, cooked & drained
sea salt, fresh ground pepper & nutritional yeast



1. In a soup pot saute onion & garlic in oil. Add potatoes, water and veg base. Cover, bring to boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Clean & remove broccoli stems and steam. Once cooked add to soup.
3. In a food processor puree the soup and return to stock pot. Season with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast.
If you're lucky, you'll have Sweet & Saras on hand for dessert! Seriously.

Have you heard of Cono Sur?
You can feel even nicer drinking this wine because it's green. They are the first winery in the world to obtain CarbonNeutral delivery status, which means that CO2 emissions from the shipping has been measured and balanced to net zero through Greenhouse Gas Emissions reductions projects. They also grow organic grapes, and ride bicycles. Bet they recycle & compost too. And the wine doesn't suck either!

Pampered Chef Vegan Cooking Show

Here's Marliece setting up the party in my home. I met her through a vegan meet-up group (click here to find/start a group), we got to talking, and I became interested in hosting one of her cooking shows.



We decided on a veganized version of the 'Chipotle Ck*n Cornbread Cups'




1 c. grated vegan cheddar cheese
1 c. cornmeal
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 c. Tofutti sour cream
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp Chipotle Rub (PC item)
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 c. finely diced cooked ck*n (Morning Star Meal Starters Chik'n Strips)


1. Preheat *350. Combine cheez, cornmeal, sugar, 1 c. sour cream, flour and 1 tbsp. of the rub to form a thick batter.

2. Spray mini-muffin pan with nonstick spray. Divide batter evenly among the cups, and bake 15 minutes until golden brown.

3. Saute bell pepper. Add ck*n and remaining rub and heat through. Combine ck*n mixture, green onions, 1/4 c. sour cream in a small bowl.


4. Remove muffins from oven and quickly press tops to form cups. Cool. Divide ck*n mixture evenly among cups. Top with additional sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro if desired.


The party was fun, the food yummy, conversation casual, and check out this kitchen booty I received. . .



Mini Muffin Pan
Mini Tart Shaper
Season's Best Recipe Book
Prep Bowl Set
Food Chopper
Mini Loaf Stoneware Pan
Sweet Cinnamon & Chipotle Rub

all this for $28, which is less than the price of the chopper alone! Not bad, eh? :)

Australian Anzac Biscuits

I'm delighted that my daughter's school has adopted an international focus in their curriculum. I hopped on board the cooking committee, and our first mission was to make Australian Anzac Biscuits for the entire school. How fun! There were four of us baking, and there was enough for the staff, too. These traditional biscuits were baked by anxious wives and mothers during WW I, packed & sent to the Australian soldiers in the trenches.



I veganized the recipe (easy since it didn't call for eggs), and tweaked it slightly (my changes in parenthesis), and these cookies (actually called "biscuits") are simply delicious!
Appropriate for schools since they aren't obscenely unhealthful, and are basically allergen-free without nuts or dairy. You could probably make them gluten-free using 1 1/4 c. spelt flour instead of white.


Anzac Biscuits
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup desiccated coconut (I used regular & processed it to fine in my food processor)
1 cup white flour
1 cup sugar
125g (4oz) butter (Earth Balance, of course)
2 tablespoons golden syrup (I used 2 tbsp. brown rice syrup & 1 tsp. molasses)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon boiling water

Preheat oven to 300F
1. In a big bowl, mix oats, flour, sugar & coconut together.
2. In a little bowl, melt syrup, molasses, & butter together.
3. In a baby bowl, mix soda with boiling water. Add to melted butter and syrup. Then, add that to dry ingredients.
4. Place 1 tablespoonfuls of mixture on parchment paper lined cookie sheets (allow room for spreading). Bake for 20 minutes.

Good Dog Treats

Wow, I really feel like a stranger around here. Life has gotten in the way of blogging lately...

For instance, it was shocking to discover a lump the size of a lemon on Jolie's side. The vet operated the next day, and she got her stitches out two days ago. It scared me so much I took myself in for a mammogram. It wasn't so bad.
The girls put their heart into making some treats for our Good Dog.



GOOD DOG TREATS

1/2 cup cornmeal
7 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup water
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet







Preheat the oven to 35o* F. Mix all the ingredients together well. They each made their own batch, and we shared the extra treats with some good dog friends, Suki & Mattie.

If the mixture is too tough to stir, encourage them to use their hands to knead the dough. Dog treats are the perfect recipe to let the kids fully experiment.



My kids are always jones'n to work with knives. Only certain meals warrant a butter knife at the place setting, and cutting up the spaghetti by yourself is about as big as it usually gets.

The point is, Abi was thrilled to divide the dough into 4 parts.






Roll out the dough, doing only one section at a time to keep it manageable for little hands. It should be about 1/4 inch thickness before busting out the cookie cutters.

Bake 40 minutes.






Making homemade dog treats is a great way for kids to practice their culinary skills. I let them take the leading role every step of the way giving them skills with a no risk recipe. The treats always turn out, and not one has gone to waste. We talked about Jolie's surgery, stitches, life and death, and it felt good to celebrate our dog together.





Abi likes to assist Jolie's special talent of













balancing treats on her nose!



Let the kids do the cooking for a special dog in your life!









This is our favorite way to get around town. It's hard not to feel smug passing parked cars with the breeze in your hair and then parking right by the entrance. Segue: See our Obama sticker on the side? Art did the music score for the upcoming film, "Third Term," which explains the connection between McCain and Bush. This is a food blog, not a political one, so I'll leave it at that, and ask that anyone interested can check out the trailer and watch for parts of the documentary to air on TV soon, in selected theaters and on DVD.

Bear Sweets

We used to make something like this when I was a kid. We creatively called them Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats, and it's what we settled for when we were out of marshmallows.

Things have changed since then. I don't feel the same love for marshmallows, and thanks to my daughter, they now have a snappy new name.





Bear Sweets
1 1/3 c Rice Krispies
1/3 c confectioners' sugar
1/3 c smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp Earth Balance

Adorn with dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, nuts, or piped icing. Olivia can't resist chocolate chips, and pictured are baby sized semi-sweet m&ms I found in bulk, and 'Lets Do Organic Coconut Flakes'. Use what you have.




Mix together the cereal and confectioners' sugar.












Melt the peanut butter and margarine in a pan over low heat.

Pour the mixture into the bowl and stir until everything is well mixed together.









Use an ice cream scoop to divide the mixture into 6 parts on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Squish them together to make patties. Use a plastic baggie as a glove to keep fingers clean if you must. Try to flatten and consolidate them as much as possible.

Decorate!




Chill in the fridge about 30 minutes or until they hold together nicely in your hand.


To say these were a hit with the younger generation would be a serious understatement!

Cherry Orange & Creamy Peach Sorbet to Cool Ya

Summer's in full swing, and we've found a delicious way to keep cool! It's simple, nutritious, and you don't even need an ice-cream maker.


Cherry Orange Sorbet

2 c fresh/frozen cherries
2 c orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice




Put everything into a food processor and puree.












Transfer to a pitcher, and pour the mixture into 2 ice-cube trays and freeze it until firm.

When you're ready to serve the sorbet, transfer the fruit cubes to a food processor. Pulse them, in short bursts, to make smooth sorbet.

Serve & eat immediately.





Here are the ingredients for another batch of sorbet.

Creamy Peach Sorbet

1 c coconut milk
1 large banana
3 peaches (I used some I canned last year)





This yielded a creamy, tropical flavor that my family loved.

Next time you make a smoothie, pour some of it into ice-cube trays to blend later into a frozen treat. The possibilities are endless, and I have a baggie in the freezer loaded with various frozen fruit ice cubes ready to be made into sorbet.




And because it's vegan, you'll also be cooling the planet. Does it surprise you that dairy cows are responsible for 25% of Idaho's carbon footprint? Dairy production produces loads of methane gas, which is 20 times more effective as CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Read this article to learn more about the vegan/global warming connection.
Hey, this dish is so chill that you might need toe socks to warm up your flip flops!

What's Been Goin' On...

This is a photo of Liv begging with all her might. When she heard we were baking a birthday cake for grandma, she made me get down Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, and flipped through until she came to page 65, and said, "This is the one. Make this one." I've never seen her do this before. I was convinced, and would have attempted it if I'd been prepared. I couldn't find the agar I used back in 2006, was out of silken tofu, and am unfamiliar with castor sugar. So get this creamy picture out of your mind! It's not what I baked.


I came up with this 'Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Frosting' from Joy of Vegan Baking. I've found that one of those giant tupperwares upside down transports a cake from my spring form pan perfectly. The red lid is beneath the plate.
I like this cookbook because it uses ingredients I have on hand and I haven't found a dud. It was a dense & delicious cake, and the frosting could have used more soy milk (my bad). Olivia never mentioned the creamy cupcake again. We'll tackle that another day.



My mom LOVES roosters, so I felt lucky to spot this cookie jar from the street at a garage sale. $10. Sold.

I filled it up with the crowd pleasing 'Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies' from Vive le Vegan!

I went over the critical 11 minute cooking time, and even a little crisp, these cookies are great.





If I'd had an Endangered Species bar, I would have made our favorite cookie, 'Chocolate Mint Melties' from eat, drink, and be vegan.

We think these cookies are the best.









See Jolie checking out the best of a Farmer's Market run? Tomato, Swiss Chard, and Kale plants for our garden. I also picked up some vegetables from The Peaceful Belly, but overall, I can't help but be disappointed about the lack of variety at the market. Next time I'm doing a head count, cuz I think there's as many meat vendors as veggie vendors. Is that wrong? I'm for local selling, buying, eating, etc. & I know meat speaks volumes of my location, but still...



Speaking of veggies... This is the 'Super Spring Salad' from the May issue of Meatout Mondays. It's a recipe from the wonderful blog, Live It Up Vegan!

As much as I love this kind of food, my family does not. Their idea of trying the salad was plucking out the big chunks of fresh corn cut off the cob. I don't overly try to convince them and enjoy it myself over the course of a couple days. Loved it! Thanks, Gaia!


Lately, this has been occupying the girls while I cook or do the dishes. They love it.

Write the shape of a letter using white glue. Stick beans (or noodles, or whatever) along the shape.
They are now on "J" and I plan to string up the alphabet.

This idea came from Kids Craft Weekly, which is a great resource for fuss-free themed ideas.


The kids also love to get in on the kitchen action using rolling pin and cutters. Abi had fun making 'Whole Wheat Sesame Crackers' from May All Be Fed by John Robbins.

Originally I was drawn to his 'Chapatis' recipe on the opposite page to accompany the dish below, which was my second (hand) Smoked Paprika experience, which is much less harmful than it sounds! :)



The crackers scooped up this 'Chana Dal'

2 c (uncooked) split baby garbanzos (chana dal)
6 c water
3 cloves red garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
sea salt to taste

Saute the garlic in oil until fragrant, add the rest and simmer until tender. Puree to desired consistency (I reserved some). Feeling brave, I threw on tomatoes after learning that tomatoes are OK if they're still on the vine, cherry, or from your own garden!! Buy organic.

I broke my Smoked Paprika seal on this awesome 'Smoked Paprika Hummus' recipe that the urban vegan sent after reading my desperate plea below.

This was delicious! I used Triscuits to scoop, and when those were gone, I grabbed a spoon. Thank you for this yummy recipe, Dynise!!

We've been bicycling everywhere! I pull the girls in a trailer and it feels great on many levels. More later.....

Foods & Fads

It snowed yesterday!

So we made what we think will be our last snowman of the year....










Which is kinda weird, since this is what we were doing just the day before....

That's Spring in Idaho for ya.










Liv's favorite cookie! Oatmeal chocolate chip. I use the recipe 'Oatmeal Raisin Cookies' from The Joy of Vegan Baking and simply sub in the chips. I LOVE that this recipe uses ground flaxseed instead of eggs.
I sent some of these cookies with Art to band practice the other night. Art produced the band's CD and also will be playing guitar for a few numbers at their Record Release Show. You can check them there:
www.the-invasion.com


'Wolffie's Banana Blueberry Muffins' from La Dolce Vegan!

These muffins are really good - light & moist. I always omit the ginger and use vanilla soy milk.

When I want an easy & reliable recipe, I turn to Sarah Kramer. Who is Wolffie, anyway??





'Crock Pot Stew'. I've made this once or twice before, but this time I topped it with Lightlife Steak Style Strips. If you haven't tried the strips before, you should. They are really good and are super easy to prepare.








'Blueberry Cake' from The Joy of Vegan Baking for my friend's birthday. (At some point in life, one candle is sufficient)

Ann doesn't like things overly sweet or fattening. I wanted her to enjoy the dessert without feeling guilty, so I thought this would be perfect. Her first post-bite words were, "Light, delicately sweet. Mmmm, this is really good!"



For an appetizer, I served an old favorite of mine -- Dreena Burton's 'Cornmeal-coated Polenta Fries' from the Dec. '06 issue of VegNews. (#52)

The dipping sauce is my own creation!

1 package Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1 can Mandarin Oranges
Many squirts SRIRACHA Hot Chili Sauce