The Yummiest Sandwich!!!

I could eat this sandwich everyday! You can find the recipe for Veggie Club Sandwiches at Vegetarian Times.





The husband was in heaven with his sandwich. :) All of the boys liked them, too. I will make them again.

Semolina and Gruyère Quenelles with Tomato Sauce

I made this meal after being inspired from Vegetarian Times March issue. Raymond Blanc shares this gem of a recipe. You can find his recipe here.


This dish is so simple and amazing in flavor. It has something delicate about it and it just makes you feel good to eat it. Major comfort food. My husband's eyes rolled back in his head. If you make this DO NOT SUBSTITUTE the cheese called for in this recipe with anything else...at least the first time you create the dish.


You will start with a semolina and cheese dough that you allow to set in the fridge for atleast 2 hours.





Once you make up your very delicate tasting tomato sauce, it is so good, you can poach the quenelles. Once that is done you combine, top with fresh cheese, and bake!







I haven't been able to cook much and boy do we miss my yummy vegetable based meals here. I shed a little tear when I took my first bite of this one. Enjoy!

Sticky Rice with Mangos and Coconut Milk

A while back I was watching PBS and this man went to Thailand. While he was there he had this dish. The difference in how he was served this yummy treat and the recipe I am posting is that the sticky rice was arranged on the plate, mango slices on top, and then FRESHLY squeezed coconut milk was ladled warm over it all. I had to have it myself.


the only thing is that I didn't seem to get the milk from the freshly grated coconut as easily as they did in the show. I did it just as they did, but my coconut was dry compared. And there is the secret, I believe. I turned to canned...even though I know I am missing something spectacular!


In this recipe they want you to cook it all together...I didn't like that idea. I wanted it as close as the man on t.v. had it, darnit!


Feel free to follow the recipe or take my variation.





Cook your sushi rice as according to the package in a steamer.


Warm a can of coconut milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla in a saucepan.


Plate the sticky rice, layer on the sliced mango, and ladle on the milk.


YUMMY!

Day Seven of the Lunch Challenge

I have come to the conclusion that we will just do 21 days of the challenge at my speed. Darn homeschoolers thinking they can just bend everything their way! HA HA! I am just not "ON" some days. It will have to do.


This was our meal on day Seven.





We were low on fresh groceries so I had to make this up with what we had in the fridge. I used whole wheat bread for the "dough" and put tomato sauce down for sauce. Next came cheese and veggie "sausage" which made it sausage pizza. ;) The cup is an ice chiller thingy. I think that is what it is called. The kids liked them.


They ate this meal up! I came back and they were all gone! HA HA

Day Six of the Lunch Challenge

This was day six of the challenge. We took of for the weekend. :)


Today we had Red Beans and Rice. I actually made this last night for supper and we used it as a quick and easy lunch for our challenge today. I love leftovers because they are EASY!





I do add in some liquid smoke, soy sauce, and nutrtional yeast (if I want to that day). Pink Salt is so yummy!!!! We add that on top, too. ;)


Everyone eats this one up, of course. I love this red beans recipe and it has stayed my staple recipe since it came out in the Vegetarian Times Magazine back in 2005! Try it!


The liquid smoke gives it a "bacon" flavor.

Day Five of the Lunch Challenge

On day five of the challenge we made Pumpkin Ravioli with Broth for our lunch. Elijah made this almost entirely himself. I was even able to leave the kitchen and attend to something else that needed my attention while he went through the preparations of our meal.





I liked it. I didn't like how it looked like poached eggs in broth. Remy agreed.


Elijah thought it was heavenly and ate it up quickly! :)


Remy ate half of his portion and then ate something else, a sandwich I think.


It was nice to try and it gave Elijah a few more kitchen skills. ;)

Day THREE of the Lunch Challenge

Day three!





I needed something fast and simple so I took the left over pinto beans we had for supper one night, loaded them in the food processor (my best friend), and blended them up with garlic and onion powder. I also added some PINK salt. Nicole and I are a little crazy about our pink salt. ;)


I did serve some cheese in these. I only had some leftover white tortillas. I would have preferred mine on wheat. The strawberries and raisins were good so I am told. ;) The other things are peanut butter filled whole wheat organic pretzels. YUMMY is what they are! I can eat the whole bag. The kids felt special that I would share them. HA HA


Everything was eaten. Remy declared me a bean genius! I think that is an okay title.

Day TWO of the Lunch Challenge

Yesterday we had to pack up our lunch and take it on the road.


Matthew and I made a Curried Potato Salad with Toasted Cumin the night before. It was YUCKY!!! I do not like potato salad that has a greek yogurt base, YUCK! Learned something new! HA HA


I had also packed sandwich fixings like bread, condiments, tofurkey deli sliced "turkey", etc. We did have those and they were YUMMY of course. I bought a bag of Sun Chips to give us a little something extra and they helped to round out the meal. ;) We had water as our beverage. All in all it wasn't anything special but it was a yummy lunch out of doors that was very affordable and we knew what was in it. :) No hidden carbs for the Eliman! I always love that.

Day One of the LUNCH Challenge!

Today was the first day of the 21 day challenge. The kids and I worked together to prepare Korean Sesame-Crusted Tofu for our first healthy lunch.


We have started this challenge not because we eat out for lunch or because our meals are really bad in the first place. We are doing this because we wanted something fun to challenge us in our lunches. And like my friend Nicole said, "It is much harder than slapping together a PB&J!" Yes, it is! And it is more fun. I wanted to try some lighter recipes and recipes that I would not have considered for supper because they wouldn't have kept the boys full all through the night. They are after all bottomless pits. HEE HEE...


Since we are homeschoolers and we eat at home for lunch MOST of the week I didn't pack the lunch, that will come tomorrow when we will not be home for lunch. I will pack it up and take it with us. That is going to be hard. It is so much easier to make it if your home or to just eat out if your not. We will see how that goes...tomorrow...


Anyway, here is the kids tray.




They had water, strawberries (you might see these alot since they are CHEAP and so sweet right now), starfruit, raisins (Eli's idea), and Jasmine Rice with our main entree.


Remy decided that the fruit was the best part of the meal along with the tofu. No surprise there. This is how he is all of the time. He didn't eat much of the bok choy but he did eat LOTS of baby corns (his favorite) and some rice. He isn't so thrilled with rice. I didn't use brown rice as they do favor the Jasmine over the brown for ethnic dishes. I know it could have been healthier but hey it does taste good that white rice. Mmmmm.... Remy says the starfruit was the best part of the meal.


Elijah ate most of the rice and entree. He ate all the strawberries and nibbled the startfruit. I agree, starfruit is strange. He ate the raisins of course. He says the best part was the tofu. ;) I knew he would say that.


I had a big plate of food and didn't bother with those pesky chopsticks. I am pregnant and I don't want to wait for food...Bumble and I need it THEN and shoveled in. HA HA




I did NOT like the starfruit, YUCK! I ate everything else. :) The baby corns were way too plenty for me and I fed most of them to my doggie Juliet (aka Dewy Doggie), she didn't mind at all. ;)


Bumble bumbled around inside with this meal. Bumble must have approved. ;)


All in all...good first day! 20 more to go!

I will say the biggest thing was getting this done by lunch and not snack like we did today. I should have started earlier. Eekkk!

I will also say that I did not work out on the Bike, nor did I swim, I am just too tired. I really overdid myself yesterday until I was whinny and almost cried at one time. I think since I am PG...I will shoot for the 3 days or 4 days of working out.

Vegetarian Time's 21-Day Lunch Challenge!

Why not join Nicole and I as we dive head first into this 21 day healthy lunch challenge with Vegetarian Times? It starts on May 10th and will end on the 30th. She and I are in it, win or fail! HA HA





Just click that nifty photo above and you can read all about it!


The full article explains even more...so give that a quick read as well.

The challenge is simple. For 21 days, you’ll make your own lunch, go for a brisk 30-minute walk, and take a mini meditation break. That’s it.

I will be breaking this up a little for myself and adding in my children and husband in on the challenge as much as possible. Making all of our lunches with fresh whole foods is the biggest part of this for me. We will be trying things we may not have tried and I will TRY to blog each day for you all. Instead of walking, my pregnant hips are KILLING me people, I may just swim or ride my inside exercise bike for 30 minutes. Instead of mediation, that sounds wonky to me, I will be praying for 10 minutes, mainly for God to help me to stay on task with this. HA HA!


Don't even think about it. Just say you will do it and then do your best. If you blog it let us know! Nicole and I want to read along! Before you get out those pens to make those grocery lists do these things first:


You will want to sign up for VT's Food Editor Mary Margaret Chappell's newsletter. She is taking the challenge and writing about it. Her newsletter is the first option on the list of VT's newsletters.


Second, bookmark the Editor's Blog as this will also help with ideas along the way.


Search www.vegetariantimes.com for recipes, read that whole article as it has recipe ideas, and make a list.


Another great blog to read for ideas is Jennifer McCann's wonderful writings at the "Vegan Lunch Box". She has a fresh way of making it fun for the kids...so be sure to start at the start of her blog and read through.


Okay, that is it! Bumble Baby and I are so ready for the yummy foods starting on MONDAY!

Green Cooking

I have successfully prepared 3 recipes using very green ingredients and my children devoured them. Thought I would pass them on. It was all part of a weekly ingredient challenge on a board I frequent.


My oldest, Eli, hates avocado. But he ate these up! I loved that they were free from white sugar. His blood sugar did so well with this recipe that it is now a favorite. We found the "icing" was even better after refridgerated overnight. I am glad they are gone as all we heard was can I have a cubbycake????? Hee hee...



Recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10723?section=




Spinach was the ingredient this week. We all loved this Spinach lasagna that was prepared in the crockpot. It tates so good to be so simple and not fussy in the least. I did substitute the tempeh for the tofu and I left out the red peppers. The kids wanted nothing to do with that.



Recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10454?section=




Tonight I wanted SOUP! I had all the ingredients on hand for this Curried Spinach-Potato Soup and boy was it yummy. We had it with loaded baked potatoes. I did not have leeks but white onion worked well. And anytime I can put my immersion blender to use I am HAPPY! If you have never tried curry powder, please do! It was something I was always afraid of and I took the leap last year and lost my mind over it. :) It is so savory.



Recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9275?section=


I would love to see what recipes you guys come up with using avocados and spinach. :) Share them with me!

Lemon-Rosemary Butter Cookies

I love these cookies! They remind me of a better version of the butter cookies with the crystal sugar topping that came in the tin of butter cookies at Christmas time. The corn flour gives them a nice crumble texture in your mouth as well as a sweet flavor. This is another winner from www.vegetariantimes.com

Lemon-Rosemary Butter Cookies

4 oz. butter, soften on counter for a few hours before use

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary (Thanks to Nicole for the herb!)

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup flour (all-purpose)

1/3 cup corn flour (not meal)

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup turbinado sugar of decorating

1. Beat butter, sugar, rosemary, and lemon zest with mixer for 3 minutes, until creamy. Beat in egg yolks, and vanilla.

2. Whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Add to butter mixture, and beat until JUST combined. Shape into 2 1-inch-wide logs. Wrap in wax or plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours.

3. Preheat to 325. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray. Unwrap the logs of cookie dough and slice each log into 20 1/3-inch-thick rounds, making 40 cookies out of it all. Put turbinado sugar on plate and press one side of cookie round into the sugar. Place the cookies on your prepared pan, sugar side up. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden.

per cookie

cal 48

prot 1

total fat 2.5
sat fat 1.5

carb 6

chol 16

sod 63

fiber 1

sugar 3

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

Oh how I love anything with CURRY! It makes my tastebuds dance!

This soup was also in my new October edition of VT. It was so YUMMY!

Curried Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

2 cups red lentils

1 qt. veggie broth

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 large carrots, finely chopped (food processors are our FRIENDS)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro (I just chop and add it to mine, MATT hates it.)

1 tbs. curry powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

2TBS. lemon juice

1. Bring the lentils, broth, and 4 cups of water to a simmer in a large pot. Skim away the foam on the top as it forms. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic; simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes. Add the cilantro, curry, and cumin, and cook another 20 minutes, or until the lentil are soft. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and stir in lemon juice.

I am a soup girl and this one ROCKED! The kids ATE IT UP!

Tasty Tofu Patties

This is now Elijahs FAVORITE meal! He ate it even though it had mushrooms. :)

I found this recipe in my new October edition of Vegetarian Times.

Tasty Tofu Patties

1/4 cup vegan mayo

1/4 cup finely chopped onion (I food process them to death so Remy can't find them)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 tsp. dried tarragon

1 tsp. dijon mustard

14 ounces of firm tofu, drained

4 ounce can of sliced mushrooms chopped (Again I process them until they are TINY)

1/3 cup grated carrots

4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, finely chopped

1 cup breadcrumbs

tomato sauce for dipping

1. Whisk together the mayo, onion, parsley, tarragon, and mustard in a bowl. Mash the tofu into the mixture with a fork, I used a pastry blender. Stir in the mushrooms, carrots, and sun-dried tomatoes. Fold in the breadcrumbs.

2. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray, I used olive oil because I didn't have spray, over medium heat. Scoop the mixture with a 1/4 cup measure cup and form into patties with your hands. Place the patties in the hot skillet and cook for around 5-7 minutes on the first side. Flip the patties and cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat until all the patties are made up and cooked.

To serve place two patties on a plate with 1/4 - 1/2 cup tomato sauce to dip.

cal 391

prot 15

total fat 19

sat fat 3

carb 39

chol 0

sod 852

fiber 6

sugar 12

Elijah ate 4 patties and I had to hold him off of his fathers that I had waiting in the toaster!

"Chicken" Lo Mein

I have to share this yum-o recipe for a vegetarian version of chicken lo mein.

"Chicken" Lo Mein from www.vegetariantimes.com

On medium-high heat stirfry 8 ounces mushrooms with your 6 ounces of "chicken" strips in 2 tablespoons of oil. I use Quorn's cutlets and cut them into strips. It takes about 2 of them.

When the mushrooms soften and the strips are "browned" remove the "chicken" and set aside.

Add one bell pepper thinly sliced to the mushrooms. Cook them until the peppers are as soft as you like them.

Mix together 1 cup of broth, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 2 tsp. of sugar in a bowl.

Add the "chicken" back to the pan and pour the sauce mixture over the mixture in the pan. Cook until it thickens up.

I like to use these egg noodles that you can purchase from the chinese food store.

They come wrapped up in little noodle "nuggets". I cook one nugget at a time in water like you would with ramen. I then drain, rinse with water, and put it on the persons plate. Top with the "chicken" lo mein mixture and drizzle sesame oil. The sesame is a MUST do it adds so much flavor!

My oldest, Elijah, loves this! It is so yum!