Category: Recipes

Yummy Soft Pretzels

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Soft Pretzel (10)

Soft pretzels are a summer staple – at baseball games, ocean boardwalks, city parks, you name it. But nothing beats pretzels baked fresh at home! Kids can get hands-on and messy with this delicious version.

To start, dissolve 1 packet dry yeast in 1 cup warm water; let stand for 5 minutes – you’ll get to see the yeast bloom, like tiny little fireworks in a bowl. Super exciting!

Meanwhile, combine 2 and 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and stir until you have a soft dough.

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Using floured hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes. This step was fun but too messy to photograph!

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

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Next up came some fun math – we needed to divide our dough into 8 portions, which meant slicing in half, then each of those in half again, then each of those in half again! Travis loved pretended we were Peg + Cat for this step, and cut to use the pizza cutter under close supervision.

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Flour your hands again and roll each portion into a long rope. From here, you can have as much fun as you want.

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Shape the dough into traditional twists, letters of the alphabet, or whatever else your kids want. Travis requested a square!

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Dip the pretzels quickly in a bowl of water, then transfer to a buttered baking sheet (we used Earth Balance). Let rise for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes. Peek-a-boo, little pretzels!

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Brush the tops with a little more Earth Balance and serve – they are best served warm, we think! If you prefer, you can also sprinkle some of the pretzels with salt, and others with a mix or cinnamon and sugar, but Travis requested his plain.

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Creole-Style Artichoke Jambalaya

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Creole Jambalaya

For kids who like a spicy kick, add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper along with the other spices. My preschooler prefers this on the mild side though!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 and 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can fired-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Italian herbs
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  • 1 and 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained can artichoke hearts, chopped
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can black-eyed peas
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper; cook for 6 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
  2. Add the broth, tomatoes, Italian herbs, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice.
  3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the artichokes and black-eyed peas. Cook for a final 5 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed.

 

Rainbow Chard with Ham

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Rainbow Chard

We’ve been exploring chard lately – as the star of the show in a cheesy penne recipe, or in a supporting role over baked potatoes. Chard really takes center stage in this side dish; do seek out a bunch of rainbow chard, rather than green or red, since kids will love the rainbow colors.

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices vegan ham, chopped
  • 1 bunch rainbow chard (stems and leaves)
  • Cooking spray
  1. Saute the ham in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until crisp, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the chopped chard (stems and leaves) and cook for an additional 2 minutes, just until wilted.

We served this with my son’s go-to weeknight meal – sauteed sesame tofu!

Easy Vegan French Toast

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Vegan French Toast

It was a lazy summer Friday, and what better way to start than French toast in bed? (!) The secret ingredient in this version? Bananas! If you want the batter a little thicker, just go bananas – use 3 instead of 2! For the milk, any non-dairy milk will do. We like vanilla almond milk.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Bread slices (any kind)
  • Earth Balance butter
  • Maple syrup
  1. In a blender, combine the bananas, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Process until smooth.
  2. Transfer the banana mixture to shallow plate. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat – I use about 1 tablespoon for every 2 slices of French toast. Repeat as needed until you’ve prepped all your slices.
  3. Dip the bread slices into the batter and transfer to the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
  4. Drizzle with maple syrup before serving.

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Black Bean Quinoa Bowl

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If your kiddos don’t like quinoa, any grain would work in this good-for-you dinner bowl – simply try rice, millet, pearled barley etc. instead. With very little heat involved, it makes a perfect summer entree!

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can black beans
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • 3 diced tomatoes
  • 5 ounces shredded Daiya cheddar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Combine the red onion and lime juice in a small bowl; set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, corn, tomatoes, cheddar, cilantro, and olive oil. Toss in the quinoa, along with the red onion mixture and the salt.

Loaded Baked Potato

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Loaded Baked Potato

I lived in London the summer I was 12, and there was a restaurant near our flat that specialized in nothing but baked potatoes. You could pretty much stuff your potato with any other food under the sun. To this day, I still think of that restaurant when I load up a baked potato as the entree. Here’s hoping my kids develop as fond a memory for loaded baked potatoes as I have!

Ingredients:

  • 4 baking potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can chickpeas
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Chopped chard leaves (to taste)
  • Non-dairy sour cream
  1. Bake the potatoes at 450 degrees F for about 1 hour, or until soft all the way through. Let cool slightly.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chickpeas; cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the paprika, salt, and chard leaves – cook for about 1 minute, until the chard wilts. Use as little or as much chard as your like: leaves from a whole bunch if your family enjoys their greens, just a few leaves if you are slowly introducing the taste!
  4. Dollop with the non-dairy sour cream before serving.

 

Penne with Cheesy Chard

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Penne Cheesy Chard (2)

The cheesy flavor in this quick main dish meal comes from a mix of nutritional yeast and vegan Parmesan sprinkles.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (12-ounce) box whole wheat penne pasta
  • 3 Tofurky Italian sausages
  • 1 bunch chard
  • 1/2 cup vegan Parmesan sprinkles
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, chop the sausage and cook in a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until browned. Add the finely chopped stems from the chard; cook for 4 minutes. If you use rainbow chard, this step will look beautiful!Penne Cheesy Chard (1)
  3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the reserved water to the sausage mixture, along with the pasta and the finely chopped leaves of the chard. Cook about 1 minute, until the leaves wilt.
  4. Stir in the Parmesan, nutritional yeast, and breadcrumbs, tossing to combine.

Crab Cakes

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Crab Cake (2)

This recipe gives a whole new meaning to the term “crab cakes” – there’s no actual crab here, just a wonderful crab-shaped figure of cake and fruit on your child’s plate!

The original recipe called for a store-bought loaf cake, cut into slices. However, it can be hard to find vegan loaf cakes, so I baked a yellow cake from a mix in a 9-inch round pan. Let cool completely, then carefully cut in half horizontally with a serrated knife.

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Using a large circle-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 8 crab bodies from your cakes. Use a smaller cookie cutter to form 16 eyes. Discard any additional cake scraps (or save for nibbling!)

We added strawberry claws and antennae, cake crumbs below the crabs for sand, and blueberries for water.

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For the smiles, microwave non-dairy chocolate chips at 20 second intervals until melted (about 1 minute total). Use a toothpick to draw on a happy chocolate crab smile.

Dig in!

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Needless to say, our crab didn’t last very long.

Spaghetti with Lentil Bolognese

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Spaghetti Lentil (1)

This recipe is great for mixed households with meat-eaters and vegans alike – the hearty lentils are a fantastic meatless twist on a classic bolognese sauce.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup French green lentils
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 (1-pound) package spaghetti
  • Vegan Parmesan sprinkles
  • Fresh basil leaves
  1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the tomato paste.
  2. Add 3 cups water and the lentils. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 35 minutes. Uncover and stir in the tomatoes, along with 1 cup water, the salt, and the black pepper. Simmer for a final 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions in a pot of boiling, salted water. Drain and return to the pot. Add the lentil sauce and toss to combine.
  4. If desired, top with the parmesan and fresh basil just before serving.

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Red, White, and Blueberry Sundae Cups

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Get in the 4th of July spirit with this star-spangled dessert! If you want to go for something a little more gourmet, try pureeing the blueberries with a bit of water, cornstarch and extra sugar for a syrup on top instead, but we just liked our sundaes with fresh red and blue fruit!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 (10-inch) flour tortillas
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • Non-Dairy vanilla ice cream
  • Fresh blueberries
  • Fresh strawberries, sliced

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  1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.
  2. Use a 4-inch round cookie cutter or glass to cut 3 circles from each tortilla. Brush the tortilla rounds evenly with the oil and sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  3. Press the tortilla circles into six cups of a muffin tin, and bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
  4. To assemble each sundae, scoop non-dairy vanilla ice cream of your choice into each tortilla cup. Top liberally with strawberries and blueberries!

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