Tag: vegan

Happy Apple Discs

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Happy Apple Discs (1)

What is it about a cored apple cut into circles that just makes you feel happy as you eat it? I remember a far-from-gourmet dinner from my childhood called Happle Apple Bagels, (a round sliced apple on a bagel with melted cheese, enough said!) and certainly that was all it took to make us happy for dinner. These Happy Apple Discs are fantastic for an after school snack or a protein boost first thing in the morning.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Granny Smith apples
  • 4 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Non-dairy chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life)
  • Shredded coconut
  1. Core the apples and cut each into 8 thin slices; set aside.
  2. In a bowl, stir together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and cinnamon until blended.
  3. Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly over the apple slices. Serve as is, or add mini chocolate chips and shredded coconut as toppings, if desired!

Happy Apple Discs (2)

Mexican Mac ‘n’ Cheese

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Mexican Mac

This south-of-the-border spin on kids’ perennial favorite will help spice up mac ‘n’ cheese night! For the tortilla chips, I like to serve the white bean chips from Beanitos for a little nutritional punch.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package vegan mac ‘n’ cheese mix (such as Annie’s)
  • 1/2 cup jarred salsa
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 1 cup canned corn
  • Crushed tortilla chips
  1. Prepare the mac ‘n’ cheese according to package directions.
  2. To the saucepan, add the salsa, black beans, and corn, stirring to combine.
  3. Crumble the tortilla chips and serve on top to taste.

 

 

Great Green Guacamole

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Great Guac (5)

At a recent hotel stay, Travis’s favorite channel on the room’s TV was… Food Network! A boy after his mama’s heart. So when we got home, we staged our own “Food Network kitchen” and whipped up this recipe, care of High Five magazine.

Adults, first cut an avocado in half and remove the pit. Let your child scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Travis loved this tool!

Great Guac (1)

Next he added 1/4 cup jarred salsa:

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1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (adults can do the mincing ahead of time; Travis loved the way the cloves of garlic smelled!)

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We served our “test kitchen” masterpiece with cut up cucumbers, orange and red bell pepper strips, and bean tortilla chips.

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Confetti Toast

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Confetti Toast.JPG

This is the perfect breakfast to keep the party going after all the confetti-filled balloons and fun on New Year’s Eve. Delight your little ones the next morning with confetti on their toast! For the sprinkles, my favorite are the rainbow starfetti from Supernatural.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup Kite Hill ricotta
  • 2 slices whole wheat bread, toasted
  • All-natural sprinkles
  1. Spread the ricotta evenly over the two toast slices.
  2. Top with sprinkles to taste, as many as desired!

Happy 2018!

Apple-Cereal Bites

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Apple-Cinnamon Bite alt

These sticky-sweet cereal bites make a fun little snack. The recipe feeds a crowd, making it a great choice for parties or big family events!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups o-shaped cereal
  • 1 cup chopped dried apples
  • 1/3 cup pepitas
  • 1/2 cup brown rice syrup
  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  1. Combine the cereal, apples, and pepitas in a large bowl; set aside.
  2. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the brown rice syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla. Cook until the mixture becomes runny (about 2 minutes), stirring with a whisk. Pour over the cereal mixture, stirring to coat evenly.
  3. Shape the mixture into 24 balls; it helps to have wet hands or the brown rice syrup may become too sticky. Let the balls set on parchment paper at room temperature for at least 1 and /12 hours before serving.

Apple-Cinnamon Bite

Flower-Power Fruit Pizza

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flower pizza

Dress up your everyday English muffin breakfast rut with this adorable “floral” idea.

Ingredients:

  • 1 English muffin
  • 2 tablespoons non-dairy cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • Clementine slices
  • 2 raspberries
  1. Cut the English muffin in half and toast.
  2. Meanwhile, stir together the cream cheese and agave until blended. Spread evenly over both halves of the English muffin.
  3. Arrange the clementine slices in a circle like petals of a flower, and add a raspberry in the center of each. Blueberry centers look pretty, too!

Sweet-Potato-Fry Nachos

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Sweet Potato Nachos alt

Frozen sweet potato fries are the base in this novel twist on nachos. My preschooler dubbed this the “cheesy dinner,” the perfect alternate name! Note: For older kids, you can add a bit more zip by adding 1 cup store-bought green or red salsa in step 2 below.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (20-ounce) bag crinkle-cut sweet potato fries
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained and rinsed can black beans
  • 1 (15-ounce) drained can corn
  • 2 cups shredded Daiya cheddar
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  1. Spread the fries on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F for 24 minutes.
  2. Top the fries evenly with the black beans, corn, and cheddar (and salsa, if using). Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Divide the nachos evenly among 4 to 6 plates, and top each serving with sliced avocado.

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Cran-Raspberry Fruit Leather

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Cran Fruit Leather (2)

I never would have thought to make my own fruit leather at home – those sticky strips always sold near the cash register at the market – until I spotted this recipe in Family Fun magazine. Turns out it’s surprisingly easy, not to mention the recipe will make your home smell deliciously festive as the leather slow-cooks in the oven for 4 full hours.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (14-ounce) can cranberry sauce
  • 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and pour the fruit mixture onto the pan. Spread into an even layer, about 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Bake at 200 degrees F for 4 hours. The center should be set by the end; if not, continue to cook up to 5 hours if needed.
  4. Let cool on the pan, then remove from the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter, and store in a plastic bag in the fridge up to 2 weeks.

Turmeric “Tea”

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Turmeric Tea.JPG

If you’ve been looking for a warming kid’s beverage other than hot cocoa, look no further than the current trend for “golden lattes”. This caffeine-free, kid-friendly version will warm up the chilliest winter day.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon agave nectar
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  1. Warm the almond milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Remove the pan from the burner and whisk in the cinnamon, agave, and turmeric. Let cool slightly, and divide evenly among mugs for serving.

Sweet Apple Latkes

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Latke (2)

Just in time for the end of Hanukkah, we whipped up this dessert spin on traditional potato latkes!

Ingredients:

  • 3 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Ener-G eggs
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  •  2 tablespoons canola oil
  1. Peel and shred the apples; press with paper towels to remove the excess moisture.
  2. Combine the shredded apple in a bowl with the vanilla, flour, sugar, Ener-G eggs, and cinnamon.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls. Cook for about 5 minutes, until golden on one side, then flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  4. Transfer the latkes to paper towels, and repeat with the remaining oil and remaining batter.

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