Category: Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 Comment

Pumpkin Cheesecake (2)

We read a bedtime story featuring cheesecake this week… How could I not whip up a version for my son to try at home?

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1 (8-ounce) tub vegan cream cheese
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Chocolate crust (such as Mi-Del)
  1. Combine the pumpkin and cream cheese in a blender and process until smooth – it helps to let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for about 30 minutes, first.
  2. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and cornstarch; blend again until completely combined.
  3. Pour the batter into the prepared crust, and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.
  4. Let stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours, then transfer to the fridge and chill at least 10 hours.
  5. You can add vegan whipped cream at serving time, if desired! Divide the cheesecake into 8 or 9 wedges and serve at storytime of course.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (1)

Mini Cheese Pizzas

1 Comment

Mini Cheese Pizzas

A mix of non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast and miso makes a wonderfully cheesy sauce to go over these individual pita pizzas. Try the cheese sauce anywhere else you’d like too – it’s killer over french fries!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup pizza sauce
  • 2 whole wheat pitas
  • 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon yellow miso
  1. Spoon 2 tablespoons pizza sauce over each pita; set aside.
  2. In a saucepan, combine the milk, nutritional yeast, flour, lemon juice, and miso. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until bubbly, stirring frequently.
  3. Divide the cheesy sauce evenly over the pizzas. Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then let cool slightly before slicing and eating.

Green Power Smoothie

1 Comment

Green Power Smoothie.JPG

This power-packed smoothie is full of surprising ingredients – a great way to sneak new foods into a child’s diet!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vanilla almond milk
  • 1 ripe banana, frozen
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Enjoy!

Note: The smoothie comes out thick, so sometimes Travis likes to eat it with a spoon, more like a slushie. Or, add a little water to thin the consistency and drink with a straw.

 

 

Matzo Crunch Bites

Leave a comment

Matzo (2)

These three-ingredient bites are easy for kids to help make, kosher for Passover if you’re keeping kosher this week, and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup almond butter
  • 1 and 1/2 pieces matzo
  • Powdered sugar for rolling (optional)

Matzo (3)

 

    1. Combine the dates and almond butter in a food processor and process until mixed.
    2. Break the matzo into small pieces and add to the food processor; process until combined.
    3. Using your hands, roll the dough into 12 balls; roll in powdered sugar if desired for a sweet coating.
    4. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

 

Hummus Four Ways

Leave a comment

Hummus (2)

My son loves hummus. A classic recipe is always a hit, but it’s also easy to add a few extra ingredients to introduce your child to new tastes. Start with the basic hummus recipe below, (thanks High Five magazine!), and then test out the variations with your sous-chef. Kids can help with most of the steps, including squeezing the lemon and pouring in other ingredients.

Hummus (1)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1/2 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  1. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a food processor.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth and creamy.

Hummus (5)

Olive Hummus variation: Count out 15 pitted kalamata olives and add them to the food processor before blending.

Hummus (4)

Travis loved helping count along, and ate a few along the way!

Pesto Hummus variation: Stir in 4 tablespoons homemade or jarred vegan pesto.

Hummus Way 3.JPG

Spinach Hummus variation: Add 1/2 cup baby spinach to the food processor before blending.

Hummus 4 (a)

If you have access to a good vegan feta, either store-bought or homemade), stir in 2 tablespoons of that as well.

Hummus 4 (b)

Which was your favorite? Please share in the comments below!

Hummus (3)

Garden Chowder

1 Comment

Garden Chowder

This chowder has the wonderful creaminess of the New England clam chowder I remember eating in my childhood, but without the seafood!

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
  • 2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 cup water or vegetable broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup peeled and diced carrot
  • 1 cup peeled and diced sweet potato
  • 1 cup frozen yellow corn
  • 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  1. Whisk together the herbs, flour, yeast, milk, water, and nutmeg in a saucepan. Add the carrots, sweet potato and corn; partially cover and bring to a boil.
  2. Once boiling, stir in the spinach; partially cover once more and cook over medium heat for 7 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the other veggies are tender.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in the ketchup.

We love eating this with biscuits or a slice of cornbread!

Brownies

2 Comments

Brownie (1)

By far the densest, chewiest, and thickest vegan brownie recipe I’ve stumbled across, Travis loves these (not to mention the batter before it cooks), and has no idea that many of the ingredients are good for him! Add chopped walnuts if you like, both for crunch and omega-3s.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup packed pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup packed pitted prunes
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/3 cup carob powder
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Combine the dates, prunes, and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Continue to cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat and let stand.
  2. Meanwhile, combine the oat flour, rice flour, carob powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Transfer the date mixture to a blender, along with the maple syrup, canola oil, and vanilla; process until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until well combined.
  4. Spoon the batter into a 9×9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Brownie (2)

Banana Ice Cream

Leave a comment

Banana Ice Cream (1)Better known in our house as “Banana Swirl” (thanks to Daniel Tiger!) this healthy and yummy treat is easier-than-pie to whip up, and will delight your kids.

The first step is to peel your bananas, as many as you want, depending how many kids want the ice cream. Figure on 2 bananas to make 1 serving of banana ice cream for a toddler. Ripe bananas work best!

Banana Ice Cream (2)

Travis loved helping to peel them and then use his butter knife to slice them into imperfectly-perfect chunks. Freeze the bananas for at least one hour.

Banana Ice Cream (3)

I wish we’d frozen the bananas a little longer, but Travis was impatient! Soon it was time to give everything a whirly swirl in the blender until perfectly smooth.

Yum, banana ice cream.

Over the Rainbow Snack

1 Comment

Over the Rainbow (1)

There might not be a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, but it still makes the perfect St. Paddy’s Day snack!

Spoon blueberry non-dairy yogurt onto a plate or shallow bowl and spread into a thin layer.

Top the yogurt with a rainbow of fruit – we used red strawberries, orange mandarin oranges, yellow bananas, green kiwi, blue blueberries, and purple grapes. A little sprinkle of shredded coconut at each end gave us puffy clouds.

Perhaps a few gold-wrapped candies could make an appearance as well…

Over the Rainbow (2)

Carrot-Raisin Salad

Leave a comment

Carrot-Raisin (4)This salad is simple enough that kids can help prep it with you – squeezing lemons and oranges is sure to be a hit! The perfect salad for busy bunnies in springtime!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound shredded carrots
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 orange
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Combine the carrots and raisins in a bowl; set aside.
  2. Cut the lemon and orange in half, and squeeze with a juicer. Add the juices to the carrot mixture, along with the brown sugar and salt.

This recipe was the first that I’ve gotten my son to eat with raw carrots instead of cooked – a winner!

Carrot-Raisin (1)