Spicy Kung Pao Cashew Tofu

My version of Kung Pao "Chicken" was adapted from a recipe I found on fatfreevegan.com . I doubled the sauce and made sure to keep the heat on by going heavy on the crushed red pepper. I didn't have the red pepper it called for on hand so I added snow peas instead. I used raw cashews that I lightly toasted in the oven before throwing in the dish. Our little guys don't like things spicy but I figured as much. The older crew however seemed to love this and said we could put it in the recipe box as a repeater. I was very careful to brown up the tofu first before adding the other ingredients. None of us are big fans of squishy tofu. I attempted to freeze the block first, I've been told gives it a meatier texture, but ran out of time and successfully only chilled it. I thought it turned out rather well and I'm looking forward to leftovers.

Bean Burgers

We love sandwiches and these burgers though time consuming to make turned out very well. They were given a thumbs up for repeating. www.drfuhrman.com Another recipe that says it freezes well. A time saver and more convenient to make a bunch at once and then have them on hand for easy meals. A kiddo put this sandwich together with a lot of messy fixings. The bun however was not gluten free and she loved it. www.followyourheart.com The grape seed veganaise is not something we use very often but makes for such a great mayo replacement. All the vegan mayo substitutes were once thought to be horrific poison in our house. We finally found one we love and even the born and raised mayo loving hubby seems to prefer it. I don't know why it feels like I'm a commercial. It's just a joy to find a tasty and relatively healthful product that makes the fam happy.

Almost Cricket's Gazpacho

This cold soup is sooooo yummy. It's also pretty easy to make.

Some of the veggies could be peeled first before chopping but I prefer to save time and effort and include nutrient rich peels. Once blended, who knows they are in there?

All veggies roughly chopped, they will be processed by blender or food processor.

1 cucumber chopped (english cucumber makes for softer peel)

1 red onion chopped

1 red pepper chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

1 jalapeno chopped (remove seeds for less heat) I like it kicking

6 fresh basil leaves chopped

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped (optional-I left it out once and soup was still yummy)

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

4 cups organic low sodium tomato juice

salt and pepper to taste

Throw it all in your processor and voila.

I serve with chunks of avocado.

Little People Lap Top Lunch

I do...I have a fetish for making little people plates and this lunch is no exception. With more time in a day I would happily be found putting together colorful little lunches. This one was polished off effortlessly. I swear the little guy that ate this must have tapeworm. What a voracious appetite he has. And in my spare time I love to visit http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com
to get fun ideas. She has mastered presentation much better than I.

I delight in sharing this photo, though probably self-explanatory.

We have a broken rice cake with sunflower butter (absolute favorite). The obvious celery, green pepper, grape tomatoes, banana and then raw almonds, yummy rice and bean chips and two vegan mint chocolate disks.

Tricky Lentil Pasta Sauce

While we are talking about my love of quinoa pasta... I'll introduce the best lunch trick I've yet passed over on the kids. In this picture is our favorite jarred spaghetti sauce http://www.muirglen.com/ combined with maybe a third part cooked red lentils. I used a handheld pulsing mixer to smooth the sauce before serving. I double the lentil/sauce needed for quick and easy reheated lunches. The saucy noodles are a huge hit and not one of them is the wiser.

Quinoa Pasta with Beany Balls

Eliminating the gluten from our diets has been somewhat of a challenge. But it is now with gratitude that I look back at my scoffing of the process because I might not otherwise have stumbled upon the heavenly quinoa pasta. This pasta, still rich in protein and fiber (protein not the issue for us veggie people that some may think it is...) is much better tasting says our whole family than the whole wheat variety of pasta. The quinoa pasta is pretty starchy so I rinse before serving.

I thought the Beany Balls http://www.fatfreevegan.com/

were very yummy and made for a nice spin on a familiar favorite. Not all the kids were pleased with the beany balls but I often get mixed reviews on anything new I serve from the purist middle children.

The recipe says they freeze well and since they are more time consuming to make than spaghetti with sauce I will be giving that a try.

Bean Enchiladas

These are wonderful bean enchiladas and easy to make. Like my other favorites this is one I make in large quantities and eat from throughout the week. This is "big people" food so a couple of the kids won't eat it. But it is a hit with the rest of us.



I like to serve it with fresh tomato and avocado slices. It's also great topped with http://www.tofutti.com/ Tofutti cream cheese.


Adapted from http://www.drfuhrman.com/

Bean Enchiladas

1/2 cup salsa
1 gr. pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
1 zucchini chopped
1 1/2 jar fat free enchilada sauce
2 cans drained/rinsed pinto beans
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp dried cilantro
15 or so organic corn tortillas

Saute' onion, green pepper and zucchini is a Tbsp or 2 of enchilada sauce until tender.
In a large bowl, combine beans, corn, salsa, seasoning and sauteed veggies.
I used a 10 x 15 glass pan.
Coat bottom with enchilada sauce.
Spread a Tbsp of sauce on each tortilla and spoon heaping amounts of bean mixture on tortilla.
Roll enchilada and single layer them to fit in the pan.
Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas.
Cover with foil.
Bake @ 375 for at least 15 min.