Tag: vegan

Chilled Peanut Noodles with Tofu

Leave a comment

Peanut Noodles with Tofu (1)

Here’s the third in a series of recipes I featured with a simple tofu-and-bell-pepper preparation. We gave it an Asian spin for a final night of leftovers!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu, cubed
  • 1/2 lime
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • Rice noodles
  • Chopped peanuts
  • Cilantro (optional)
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cumin, and chili powder; saute for 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and saute for an additional 6 minutes, until the peppers are soft; transfer the mixture to a bowl.
  2. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in the pan. Add the tofu and cook for a final 6 minutes. Return the bell pepper mixture to the pan, along with the juice from 1/2 a lime, and the soy sauce.
  3. Meanwhile, cook rice noodles according to package directions. Rinse under cold water and set aside.

For each preschooler-sized portion, I served 1/2 cup rice noodles with 1/2 cup tofu mixture. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and cilantro to taste for serving.

Peanut Noodles with Tofu (2)

Tofu and Bell Pepper Fajitas

5 Comments

Tofu Bell Pepper Fajita.JPG

We adapted this recipe from a Family Fun version with shrimp as the protein – an easy vegan swap!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 1 (14-ounce) package firm tofu, cubed
  • 1/2 lime
  • 6 small flour tortillas
  • 1 avocado
  • Non-dairy sour cream
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, cumin, and chili powder; saute for 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and saute for an additional 6 minutes, until the peppers are soft; transfer the mixture to a bowl.
  2. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in the pan. Add the tofu and juice from half a lime. Cook for a final 6 minutes.
  3. Warm the tortillas according to package directions, and top each with about 1/2 cup tofu mixture. Slice the avocado and divide the slices evenly among the servings. Top with non-dairy sour cream if desired!

Chunky Monkey Cookies

Leave a comment

Chunky Monkey cookies

We pretty much never tire of banana + chocolate + nuts around here. If you prefer your chunky monkey in liquid form, head on over to my smoothie recipe. These cookies will satisfy anyone looking for something a bit more toothsome.

Ingredients:

  • 6 pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
  • 1 Ener-G egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  1. In a blender or food processor, combine the dates and water and process until very smooth, to make a date paste. You should have about 1/2 cup. Set aside.
  2. Combine the oats, salt, and baking soda in a bowl; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, mashed banana, and date mixture until smooth. Stir in the Ener-G egg and vanilla.
  4. Add the oat mixture to the peanut butter mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans. Let the mixture chill for about 10 minutes while you preheat the oven.
  5. Using an ice cream scoop, drop the dough by generous portions onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 14 to 16 minutes, until set.

If, like me, you’re a little tired when you make these cookies and end up doubling the amount of chocolate chips by accident, so much the better!

Sweet Strawberry Pizza

Leave a comment

Strawberry Pizza (5)

Pizza for dessert? Yes please! We absolutely had to try this recipe from High 5 magazine. It can take some searching to find frozen pizza dough that is vegan, but Wholly Wholesome and Gillian’s both fit the bill. Be sure to thaw the dough ahead of time, or you’ll be caught with frozen dough when you promised your little chef that it’s pizza time!

Adults: First line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Next, I enlisted Travis’s help to roll our dough into a large oval. The dough was a little finicky, but between rolling, patting, and stretching we got it into a rather free-form oval/rectangle on our baking sheet.

Strawberry Pizza (1)

Travis loved the next step – brushing 2 tablespoons melted Earth Balance butter over the top of the dough – this was like painting with butter!

Strawberry Pizza (3)

I had sliced 12 strawberries for him ahead of time, so all Travis had to do was arrange them over the top of the dough. I stepped in just to make sure they didn’t overlap too much, but otherwise left this step up to him.

Strawberry Pizza (2)

Finally, we combined 2 tablespoons coconut sugar and 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkled evenly over the strawberries.

Strawberry Pizza (4)

Adults: Bake the pizza at 375 degrees F for 23 minutes. Dessert is served!

Easy Vegan French Toast

1 Comment

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.

Vegan French Toast alt

Loaded Baked Potato

1 Comment

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

1 Comment

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.

Toddler’s Stew

1 Comment

Toddler Stew

This stew recipe cooks quickly, requires little fuss, and is easily adaptable to suit your toddler’s tastes and finicky preferences – hence the recipe title!

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 package Gardein beefless tips
  • 1 peeled and chopped onion
  • 1 peeled and chopped sweet potato
  • 6 ounces chopped baby carrots
  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 rosemary sprigs
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan and add the beefless tips; cook for about 8 minutes, until warmed and browned; remove from the pan and set aside.
  2. Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in the pan and add the onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, diced tomatoes, water, and rosemary. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, return the beef to the pan. Remove the rosemary sprigs before serving.
  3. Ladle into bowls and serve alongside your favorite crusty bread.

Note: For toddlers who don’t like foods mixed together, I drain the excess liquid off and plate this with the beefless tips on one side of a plate and the vegetables on the other.

Overnight French Toast

Leave a comment

Overnight French Toast (4)

I adapted this recipe slightly from High Five magazine to veganize it. It’s a great recipe that will have kids whisking, mixing, arranging, and pouring batter – so many great steps, and Travis wanted to do them all!

First, adults should cut a 16-ounce loaf of day-old French bread into 1-inch thick slices; set aside.

In a bowl, have your child whisk together: 2 Ener-G eggs, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1 and 1/2 cups hemp milk, 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer, and 1/3 cup maple syrup.

Overnight French Toast (2)

Now it’s time to arrange the bread slices in a baking dish. Travis placed his slices in very importantly; I did a little tidying up once he had finished just so the slices were in an even layer.

Overnight French Toast (3)

Help your child hold the bowl to pour the batter evenly over the bread slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the dish from the fridge at least one hour before baking. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes.

To serve, combine 2 tablespoons melted Earth Balance butter with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and drizzle evenly over the slices.

Overnight French Toast (5)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Fossil Dig!

Leave a comment

Chocolate Chip Dig (1)

Digging for dinosaurs might be fun… but digging for chocolate? Even better!

We had some purely indulgent fun with this game, having talked a lot this week about digging for fossils and archaeology. I presented Travis with two chocolate chip cookies (one thin, one thick, for nice variation) and invited him to excavate the chocolate chips.

Chocolate Chip Dig (6)

Possible tools include toothpicks, forks, or toddler-safe knives.

The fork turned out to be the fast favorite.

Chocolate Chip Dig (4)

Although hands were a close second place!

Chocolate Chip Dig (3)

Did we eat our discoveries? But of course.

Chocolate Chip Dig (5)