Tag: vegan

Mango Cereal Mix

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Mango Cereal Mix

This is a great snack mix to bring along for sports practice, playground trips, and more. And it’s so easily adaptable, depending what’s currently in your pantry! Use the ingredients below as a loose suggestion only.

Ingredients:

  • 6 strips mango fruit leather
  • 2 cups cinnamon cereal
  • 2 cups corn puff cereal
  • 2 cups freeze-dried blueberries
  • 2 ounces dried mango
  1. Cut the fruit leather into bite-sized pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined.

This mix packs up great in zip-top baggies for individual servings on the go!

Broiled Pineapple with Vanilla Yogurt

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The contrast between warm broiled pineapple and frozen vanilla yogurt makes this dessert a treat for the senses!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup non-dairy vanilla yogurt
  • 2 cups pineapple, cubed
  1. Spoon the yogurt into a freezer-safe dish and freeze for one hour. Stir, then freeze for an additional 30 minutes or so.
  2. Meanwhile, arrange the pineapple cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, to desired tenderness. The edges should be lightly browned.
  3. Spoon the frozen yogurt over the warm pineapple. For maximum contrast in temperature, this dish is best served immediately.

Avocado Summer Salad

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Take advantage of summer’s bounty for this salad. If your kids don’t like strawberries and nectarines, just swap in other berries or stone fruit instead!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice, divided
  • 2 ripe nectarine, diced
  • 1 cup diced strawberries
  • 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
  1. Halve each avocado and remove the pits. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and cut into slices, then arrange on a platter. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons lime juice and set aside.
  2. In a bowl, combine the nectarine, strawberries, and onion. Spoon over the avocado slices and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon lime juice.

We love these with grilled Beyond Sausage and baked beans for a summer barbecue!

Pop Art Popsicles

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Today we made popsicles that really popped, just in time for a 90 degree day.

To start, add gummy candy to popsicle molds. Parents magazine demonstrated with Airheads, but we used vegan sour rings from Whole Foods, thinking the sour combination would pair nicely with sweet juice.

That said, don’t use too sugary a liquid, since the sour rings are still loaded with sugar. We filled half of our molds with coconut water and the other half with lime seltzer. Freeze until set. (Ours took about 8 hours).

When it came time for the big reveal, the kids were wowed by the candy circles trapped in frozen liquid!

Half the fun was looking at them but the other half was in eating them of course, unlocking each candy circle in turn before moving on to the next. What candy will you freeze for pop art pops? Please share in the comments!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Icebox Pie

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Cookie Icebox Pie (3)

This chilled dessert feels just right on a hot night, just layers of vegan whipped topping and chocolate chip cookies. For something truly decadent, use double the ingredients listed below, and repeat the layers!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (10-ounce) container frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
  • 6 ounces vegan chocolate chip cookies
  • Mini chocolate chips, for garnish
  1. Spread half of the whipped topping in the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Top with the cookies, breaking into smaller pieces as necessary to evenly cover the surface.
  2. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours, and up to 12 hours.
  3. Just before serving, decorate the rim of the pie with mini chocolate chips.

Cookie Icebox Pie (2)

Watermelon Pizza

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This is a great recipe for kids to tackle solo, since it involves steps for early slicing and knife skills in the kitchen. Travis proudly made the whole “pizza” himself.

To start, I cut a section from a mini watermelon that was about 1 inch thick. First Travis needed to put on the pizza “sauce”. He slathered on raspberry jam, very carefully making sure to smooth out any lumps.

Next he cut a banana into slices and green grapes in half. These fruits are great for early cutting, since both are soft enough to cut through with a butter knife.

We pretended the bananas were mushrooms and the green grapes were broccoli! Place on top of the “pizza”, then cut into 4 wedges to serve.

Sweet Potato Fries

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These easy homemade fries have a great crunch from the panko coating!

Ingredients:

  • 3 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup Italian-seasoned panko
  1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into matchstick pieces. Place in a pot and cover with water, then bring to a boil. Continue to cook for 5 minutes; drain and immediately rinse with cold water.
  2. Meanwhile, whisk together the flaxseed, 6 tablespoons water, and garlic powder in a bowl. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
  3. Working with one sweet potato piece at a time, dredge in the panko and transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil. Repeat with the remaining sweet potato pieces.
  4. Bake at 450 degrees for 14 minutes, turning over halfway through.

Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake

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A small shell pasta (such as orecchiette) topped with creamy vegan ricotta and marinara sauce makes a toddler-friendly alternative to large stuffed shell pasta.

Ingredients:

For the ricotta:

  • 1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the remaining ingredients:

  • 1 pound orecchiette pasta
  • 1 (16-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup vegan Parmesan shreds
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 (25-ounce) jar marinara sauce
  1. To prepare the ricotta, combine the tofu, lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic powder in a blender; process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. To prepare the pasta, cook the orecchiette according to package directions. Drain and transfer to the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Set aside
  3. Meanwhile, steam the spinach for about 2 minutes, until wilted, then drain and chop.
  4. In a bowl, stir together the spinach, prepared ricotta, vegan Parmesan, and nutmeg. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the pasta, then top evenly with the marinara sauce.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Serve with a green salad to complete the meal!

Tropical Fruit Slushie

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Tropical Smoothie alt

This drink is so thick I consider it more of a slushie than a smoothie! If you prefer a more watery beverage, decrease the amount of each fruit to 1/2 cup.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup frozen pineapple
  • 3/4 cup frozen mango
  • 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup soy milk
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Add brightly colored tropical straws to serve!

Orange Coconut Sorbet

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Orange Sorbet (2)

This icy treat is a cinch to make, with just three ingredients and a little time in the freezer.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups orange juice
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons agave nectar
  1. Combine the orange juice, coconut milk, and agave in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.
  2. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze. Every 2 hours or so, fluff with a fork and then return to the freezer until the mixture reaches desired consistency. We loved ours after about 8 hours, when it was almost like an orange slush. Give it closer to 10 or 12 hours for a smoother sorbet.