Stuffed Bell Peppers & Roasted Chickpeas

Vegan MoFo (Vegan Month of Food) is almost up...the other night I made stuffed bell peppers, using peppers from dad's garden.

I stuffed them with a mixture of quinoa, onions, leftover taco crumbles, corn, tomatoes, avocadoes, spices, and salsa.

Here they are after I added the whole wheat bread crumbs and Daiya cheese. Tornado gobbled up 2 bell peppers himself and asked if he could take one in his lunch the next day, which he did. Dash and Sissy ate a modified meal this night...bowls of quinoa, tofu, cheese, baby carrots, and also avocado and tomato for Sissy.

I just wasn't into the idea of stuffed bell peppers, and I didn't feel particularly hungry.

I just ate some of the roasted garbanzo beans I'd made from using up the pot 'o beans I had from the day before. In a bowl, I drizzled them with olive oil and salt. On half of them, I also sprinkled Simply Organic spicy steak seasoning. I baked them at 350 for about 45 minutes, I think. I turned them halfway through. Yum. These didn't last very long around here.

Here's another recipe for them.

Fondue Night, "Fudge Babies" and "Quick and Easy Tastes Like PB Cookies"

Daddy was a little late getting home last night so we ate dessert first!

I told the kids we were going to make cookies, and they went upstairs to get their aprons and chef hats. The boys came down in their sailor hats. Sissy had my old Martha Washington cap (from my 6th grade Constitution play). They said they couldn't find the others', but they didn't seem to care at all. Tornado and Sissy put on their Lowe's Build and Grow aprons.

We had two cooking stations going on, for two different kinds of cookies.

We made these "Quick and Easy Tastes Like PB Cookies" that I saw on Rawdorable's blog.

Here is the recipe.

It's basically just almond butter (we had to throw in a little cashew butter because we didn't have enough almond), nuts, flax, and agave. I'm telling you, my kids gobbled these up as quickly as they would any cookie with sugar and margarine. Daddy loved them, too (although I had to finally hide some away for him before the little cookie monsters ate them all). He said these were his ideal kind of dessert.

I had to use my tiny food processor to make the "flour" because I was already using my other one. Next time, I will try to pulverize the nuts even more.

I am definitely going to be trying out more of Rawdorable's cookie ideas. Look at these fun Play-Dough cookies. This is a different post about how she made them.I got this idea from Chocolate-Covered Katie, a very fun blog. You can check out her recipe she created; it's just walnuts, dates, vanilla, and cocoa powder. Look, chocolate is very important to me, and I'm not usually quite so satisfied by any raw type of dessert. However, this tastes GOOD (although I only ate a couple myself - "I" don't need as much "healthy fat" as the kids do). And you don't even have to cook them.

Dates are seriously amazing. I only started using them this past year. Before that...they FREAKED me out. I thought they looked like little roaches or something. It was Ryan always telling me how good they are - and reading about all of these healthy, raw recipes - that helped me get over it and try them. Now, I don't think they're "freaky" at all. They sweeten your recipe without sugar and help it all stick together.

We shaped them like cookies because I thought it might entice the kids more to call them "cookies." We barely had any dough left, by the time it came to shape them. I definitely need to tripe/quadruple this recipe, too.

Dash said, "Mine don't look as good as yours!"
"That's okay!"

How about mixing the two?

Or how about a little Fudge Baby Sandwich?

Daddy's idea was to make fondue and eat it on our bed (tablecloth thrown on top of the covers!), while we watched a show about dinosaurs he had recorded. My little pajama-wearing Brachiosauruses were thrilled.

We dipped toast chunks, olives, grape tomatoes, bell peppers, baby carrots, fava beans (givin' them another chance...and no, not because they are apparently a "natural viagra," according to Cary...I just needed to finish up the bag.), baked tofu, kielbasas, and broccoli. I used the Swiss Fondue recipe out of Jo Stepaniak's Ultimate Cheese Cookbook.

This is one of the cookbooks I use the very most.

Larabar "Blizzards" & Tortilla Picante

This post is in honor of my brilliant husband.

I can't even tell you how smart and creative I think he is. (supportive, unselfish...etc.) First of all, I think he's a genius, when it comes to his job (and all things technological). I could never do what he does; my brain just does not work that way.

Then, besides that, he is an elementary teacher at heart, and I feel like I'm married to this little computer of ideas. And if I have an idea, I talk it over with him, and he perfects it. He learns how something works, and he can tell you all about it five years later. He always lets the kids go with him to do errands, even though it would be much simpler if he went on his own. He gathers the kids around him at night for a nightly devotion and prayer.

Those are just a few things I love about him. I know he's going to roll his eyes at all of this because he knows he's not perfect, and I'm not saying he's perfect.

He can be impossible at moments, let's be honest. :)

Then, besides all of that...he makes me healthier, too. I could so easily be a "junk-food" vegetarian because that's sort of what my natural palate leans toward...but besides the fact I choose to do better on my own, he encourages all of us to eat more vegetables, etc. He tells ME that I need to start preparing more raw food again because he really felt good when I was doing that. He stopped eating meat (around 7 years ago) as a (huge) gesture to me, but along the way, he has developed his own feelings about the subject.

I love that he is sensitive and compassionate about the same things I care about. We argued when we were engaged about whether or not we would take our future kids to McDonald's. Now, when I'm not even in the room, I sometimes catch him talking to the kids about why we don't eat animals. And I see him with Dash, talking gently about why it's important to be kind to the little snail or rolly-polly or whatever he is holding. All of that warms my heart tremendously. I realize how much I lucked out in the husband-picking department. He's about as perfect for me, as I imagine they come.

He is always concocting these great ideas for meals. The other day, when he was driving home, he told me he was thinking about blending icecream with Larabars. So this weekend, that is what we did with some vanilla Soy Delicious. Here is our version of a Concrete or Blizzard.
We made different flavors. First, Cherry Pie. Then Banana Bread flavor mixed with Chocolate Coconut. And finally, Apple Pie. The ingredients of a Larabar are dates, nuts, and then whatever extra flavor is added, like bananas or cocoa powder and coconut.
I pinched the Larabars into pieces for the food processor, then blended them a little before adding the icecream, then blending it some more.

Here is another dish that Ryan created...about 11 years ago.

I was working 3 jobs at the time, and when I came home late, he had supper ready for me.

He did that a lot.

He named this dish Tortilla Picante, and we still enjoy it often today. First, you cut corn tortillas into strips, and cook them with olive oil in a skillet. They will get crispy. Put them aside. In a large pan, add chopped avocados, mashed silken tofu, olives, garlic, salt and plenty of salsa. (We always used Picante Sauce back then before I stopped eating it, which is how it got its name, of course.) Then, add the corn tortilla chips back in, until they are chewy.

Antics From My Middle Child & Magical Loaf Studio

My 4 year old son is so lovely. I mean, he really is.

He's a cute, little fella.

He can just astound us with his sense of curiosity, the sweet ways he shows us love, and his ability to decipher the marvelousness of God's creations.

He likes to give Ghetti rides in his big Tonka truck. Creative and sweet. So, yeah, he does amazing things...

and sometimes by amazing, I mean ARE YOU CRAZY?!

Today I saw him acting funny with a straw in the kitchen. I went on with my business. A little bit later I realized he was in the downstairs bathroom with the door closed. I entered. (Of course. You always enter a closed-door room that Dash is in.) He had filled the sink up with water, and the straw was in his mouth in the water. I'm sure he had been blowing bubbles, and I'm sure he was also drinking the water. Because his excuse was, "But I was really, really thirsty."

Today for lunch I made my husband proud by making a "meatloaf"ish meal. He always asks for one. And I've been meaning to try out The Magical Loaf Studio. I saw it on Vegan Lunch Box. It worked great.

You just have to pick your protein, carb, liquid, nuts, veggies, binder, and spices.

I used lentils, wheat germ, whole wheat bread crumbs, vegetable broth, walnuts & almonds, carrots & onions & a bit of spinach, ground flaxseed, oregano, Italian seasoning, ketchup, cumin, and salt.

It was so easy, and it was so good! You should definitely try it.

We also had steamed broccoli because, like I've said, it's just an easy vegetable all the kids will eat.

I also experimented with scalloped potatoes. I had already peeled the potatoes when I realized my nutritional yeast was missing. I have no idea where it is; maybe it's at my parents'.

So I couldn't use this recipe I planned to use from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. I looked at it for ideas, and I also looked at this one from Tofu-N-Sproutz. I ended up slicing the potatoes and cooking them (careful not to overcook them since they're also being baked). Between the layers of potatoes I spread a mixture of unsweetened almond milk, Tofutti Sour Supreme (the non-hydrogenated version of their sour cream), flour, cornstarch, garlic, onion powder, salt, lemon juice, and cashew butter.

I can't tell you the amounts; I've mentioned before I get very distracted using recipes. I topped it with some Orgran Rice Crumbs and Daiya cheese.

Speaking of Daiya...my friend Carrie told me she saw Daiya being used/talked about on the ellen degeneres show (because Ellen is vegan) the other day. Here is the recipe for vegan tacos her personal chef made.

Hearts of Palm and Hemp Salad Dressing

Nothing too original for supper last night...just made a salad (and garlic toast again; doesn't garlic toast make any meal great?), but Ryan, Tornado, and I LOVE salads (if made properly). (We're working on Dash and Sissy, and they're getting better.)

Ingredients: baby romaine, romaine hearts, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, avocado, onions, cannelini beans, Tofurky kielbasas cooked and cut into chunks (our favorite analog), and West Soy baked garlic and herb tofu (our favorite kind of tofu).

We also tried adding two new products, and they were both hits...

The first one was hearts of palm.

I'd never really tried them before, until I recently had lunch with my little sister Tracy at Cafe Bossa Nova in Little Rock. It has Brazilian cuisine with vegan options. I always feel better about "vegan options" at a restaurant if the item is actually called "vegan ____" and the waiter seems comfortable with the word. I ordered the black bean soup and the salada de palmito, which is imported Brazilian hearts of palm, red onions, and tomatoes drizzled with a balsamic vinegar, olive oil and oregano dressing. I realized I need to start using this vegetable, which is packed with iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and copper. It's also low-carb, not that I care about that sort of thing, but you may.

Tornado loved them so much he asked that I put them in his lunch the next day.

In regard to Dash and Sissy and salads...well, they had altered versions of our salad. Sissy had broccoli, tomatoes, avocado, tofu, kielbasa, beans, a tiny bit of the lettuce/spinach, and the dressing. Dash had broccoli, tofu, kielbasa, beans, a tiny bit of lettuce/spinach, and the dressing.

We know what they will refuse to eat, and we try pick our battles. Dash is the pickiest, and we're just happy that he WILL eat baby carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. If he won't eat zucchini, squash, or brussel sprouts, then fine. He will eat small amounts of lettuce and spinach on a sandwich. He HAS gotten better about trying a lot of things we ask (very nicely) him to try, so we feel proud of him for that. Which, I think, proves that you just have to keep surrounding them with healthy foods, talking about how good it is for them, and offering it to them.

We also used this new (I guess it's new? They were giving out samples when I was at Whole Foods today.) Hemp Oil Sweet & Sassy dressing. It was just as good as any dressing, to me personally, and the only ingredients are organic cold-pressed unrefined hemp seed oil, organic raw agave nectar, organic raw apple cider vinegar, organic celery seed, and Celtic sea salt. The benefits of hemp oil (over 90% unsaturated) are Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids and GLA (which is gamma linolenic acid). I don't perfectly understand everything there is to know about EFA's, but I do know that oils are supposed to be in a ratio of 3:1 (in regard to omega 6 and 3), and hempseed is. Here is an article talking about the health benefits of hemp products.

Fava Bean Review

I've always wanted to try fava beans. (Maybe I've tried them before, but I don't remember if I have.) I always see them in recipes, and as a lover of all beans, thought they sounded delicious...I was disappointed. They had a strong taste to me. Ryan thought they tasted just fine to him, and Tornado devoured his. Which makes sense because I thought they kind of tasted like brussel sprouts, and Ryan and Tornado love brussel sprouts.

(Yes, honey, I know you think you're a "better" vegetarian than me...this is a little joking debate of ours...he thinks he's the healthier vegetarian, and he does make some very good points.)

Maybe they tasted like canned green beans (really firm canned green beans). Two tastes I'm not in love with. (I will eat brussel sprouts anytime, though, because they're good for me...and green beans cooked from fresh or frozen...NOT canned, yeek.) For the record, Ryan does not agree that they tasted like either of those two things. He said it was hard for him to tell, though, because he didn't taste them before I added the other things to it.

Anyway, I had drizzled a little olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic salt on them to jazz them up. And I put some fresh spinach in the colander while I was draining them, to steam it a little, then sprinkled some Organic Bac'uns on top. They were fine; I ate them. Sissy and Dash weren't big fans. Sissy ate some, though, and I talked Dash into eating about 7 of them (they are pretty big beans). Maybe I would like fava beans better fresh, when they're still green in color. I will, for sure, give them another chance.

And of course, we had steamed broccoli and garlic toast made from Men's Bread. There are 15 grams of protein in 2 slices of this bread. (There's such a thing as Women's Bread, too. We eat both and don't discriminate.) These breads are made by French Meadow Bakery, which seems to be our favorite brand of bread. This is the bread we eat the most often - Flax & Sunflower Seed bread...

Pesto Pizza and Kabobs

Vegan MoFo continues...here are a couple of meals we've had lately...(and, incidentally, here is an article I just noticed on MSN: Meatless Meals: The Benefits of Eating Less Meat)

Saturday, I made a typical pizza like this one...and then I experimented, making pesto pizza. I spread Meditalia basil/pine nut pesto over the crust and topped that with spinach, zucchini, walnuts, asparagus, and little Daiya cheese. Next time, I would only add the asparagus partway through the baking process; it got more done than I would have liked. But it was delicious.

Ryan and I both declared this to be a meal worth repeating often. I discovered that Tornado LOVES raw asparagus. I, honestly, would have never thought of eating asparagus raw. He ate so many stalks it prompted me to google whether it was okay to eat so much raw asparagus. I wish I had Tornado's palate. He seriously eats healthier than I do.

Spaghetti with kabobs...I just grilled a bunch of pineapple, artichoke hearts, tofu, and zucchini and squash from my dad's garden and set it out on the counter with some olives and cherry tomatoes and let the kids make their own kabobs. They went back for multiple skewer refills.

See, I told you my momma was a vegan softie.

She surprised us this weekend with a carrot cake she bought at Whole Foods.

Thanks again, Mom!

Here is a list of all the Vegan MoFo participants.