The 1st of Veganuary!

In November I celebrated my 5th year as a vegetarian! But did I celebrate... no. Honestly, I probably didn't even cook. I've had a BAD case of kitchen burn out. Where the thought of even walking near your stove makes you want to groan and fall to the ground in full "boneless" toddler meltdown style. 

You know what kitchen burn out leads to... junk food, fast food, just total crap typically. And this really has to stop. I'm staring down the barrel of 40 this year and I need some changes. So I decided to kick off 2015 by joining Veganuary! Veganuary is pretty much what it sounds like... being vegan, in January. 

You should absolutely go to the website and read about the origin, the reasons why you might want to join in, and TONS of helpful links, tips, and recipes. Find them on Twitter @WeAreVeganuary and visit and like their Facebook page Veganuary

So I'm going to resurrect this sadly long dead blog and chronicle my adventures. My highs and lows. 

My first recipe is from Yup, It's Vegan. Her recipe is super easy to follow, it comes together fast so it's perfect even for busy nights. 

One Pot Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca with Chickpeas & Artichoke

Just throw everything in the pot, just like she tells you. The 1/2 tsp. of pepper flakes give it a kick, be sure to adjust it to your preference. 

 

Right after it finished, just give it a quick toss to fully stir everything around.

And, you are ready to eat! Seriously, no meat or dairy needed. It's crazy good. 

If you decide to try Veganuary, it's not too late. Don't let one day stop you.  If you like spaghetti squash come back tomorrow for Day 2!!

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Zucchini and Feta Fritters

Recipe:

1 pound zucchini, grated (grater or food processor)
1-2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp flour
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 oz feta cheese


Directions:
Grate the zucchini and then place in a cheesecloth or light kitchen towel and squeeze as much of the excess water you can out of the zucchini. Then place in a medium size mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. I used two eggs because it was not sticking together at first, but if you let it sit, you may not need 2 eggs. Mix well.

Pour 2 tbsp of oil into a cast iron skillet and bring up the temperature. Drop the zucchini ‘batter’ onto the skillet in lumps and allow to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Turn over and brown the other side. Remove to a napkin-lined plate to allow the oil to absorb. Serve warm.

Review: Thumbs up from me. Kids were ok with it, but didn’t like the onion taste.

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Crockpot Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

--1 can of black beans
--1 can of red kidney beans
--2 cup of rice (I used Jasmine)
--1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes
--1 T olive oil
--1/2 t kosher salt
--1 t Italian seasoning
--1 tsp garlic powder
--tomato juice (I used V8)

Directions:

--put the 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot, and add the rice. Swirl the rice around in the olive oil, until it is coated nicely.

--drain and rinse the beans, and add them

--drain the tomatoes, but reserve the liquid in a measuring cup. Add V8 juice to make 2 cups. Add the tomatoes.

--add 2 cups water.

--add seasonings stir well, and cover.

Cook on low for about 6 hours, or on high for 3-4.


Review:
I adapted the recipe from http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/06/crockpot-beans-and-rice-recipe.html. We don't like pinto beans put love kidney beans so I made a substitution. I also doubled the rice, which means I had to double the liquid too. I used some V8 tomato juice instead of all water. I also had no onion powder on hand so I used garlic.

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Pear & Apple Cobbler

With our recent relocation to the Northeast I've been enjoying the abundance of fall apples and pears. Our local farmer's market sells organic ones too! So I made a dessert for the family.

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/2 cups sliced fresh pears, apples or a combination of both. I core the fruit but do not peel the skins off.
2 cups sugar, divided
4 ounces butter (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk (used rice milk)
1 egg

Preparation:
Mix pears/apples with 1 cup sugar and let stand. Put butter in 2-quart casserole (8" x 8" pan) and place in 325° oven until melted. Combine all dry ingredients, including the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Mix well. Whisk together the milk and egg; slowly combine with dry ingredients to make a batter. Pour over melted butter. Do not stir. Spoon pears over the batter. Do not stir. Bake at 325° for 50 to 60 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serves well with ice-cream.

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"Meat"-balls, finally a really good recipe!

Ok, as usual I tweaked the original recipe so I'll give you the link. Look over the recipe and read the commets, they often have some great tips.
original recipe here - Veggie Balls


I did not use the soup mix. I added a bunch of spices - dried onions, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic. Use what you love and have fun experimenting with different flavor combinations. 


I kept the egg, breadcrumbs, walnut*, and cheese the same.


*If you take these to a potluck or serve them to anyone other than your family PLEASE make sure you mention that these balls contain nuts. Nut allergies are very real and very serious. Many people would not expect nuts in meatballs. 


ok so now that we covered that... here are your photos.


This is the mix after chilling in the fridge and then being rolled into balls.

 After baking. I turned then over after 10 minutes. They flattened out a bit. If you want a lighter colored and more round ball I would turn them every 5 minutes. I didn't care that much. lol

We were making subs so I used sauce instead of the broth suggested in the recipe. Baked for an hour.

Done and partially eaten. They were good, even good just out of the pan!

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Real Moms Make Quiche

Don't know if you've seen that list that supposed 'real moms' do, but one of them was that they don't make Quiche. PFFFT!

Quiche is a good meal to use leftover veggies, cheeses and meats (faux of course)! And it's pretty easy to make:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. You will also need a 9" refrigerated pie crust, or you can make your favorite recipe. If you have a frozen pie crust, make sure to take it out and leave it at room temperature for about 15 minutes.



Next, in a small bowl, mix together:

2 cups chopped baby spinach, packed
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss Cheese (I used a combo of goat cheese, mozzarella, and cheddar)
1 pound bacon (I used a handful of soy Bacon Bits)




Next, in your food processor or blender, combine:

6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Then place the contents of the spinach bowl into the piecrust. Then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake 35-45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.


And the final product:



REVIEW: 3 thumbs up. My youngest has suddenly decided she hates all things with eggs.

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Almond Chocolate Cookies

We are almost half-way through our healthy snack month. My overdramatic children claimed I was killing them with all the raisins, carrots, hard boiled eggs, peanut butter, trail mix, etc. So to prove my point that healthy food can taste good I did some research for some low carb cookies. These have the benefit of being made with almond flour - lots of tasty goodness with protein, fiber, low carb content, Vitamin E and omega 3s.



RECIPE:
3/4 c butter, room temperature
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

1 c almond flour
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the first set of wet ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl combine the second set of dry ingredients. Blend the two mixes together till dough forms. Using your hands roll dough into balls and place 3" apart on cookie trays. Bake 15 minutes and allow to cool before eating.

REVIEWS: 3 thumbs up. I think the butter I used (which has oil in it to help it spread) was too much for this recipe and made the cookies crisp and flat. The taste is delicious and the kids loved them. We will be making them again.

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