Your Vegan Mom

Carrot Cake Muffins and Good Housekeeping's Simple Vegan!

I'm going to tell you right now, this cookbook is not for all of you.  What I think makes it noteworthy is its very existence.  Good Housekeeping published a vegan cookbook last year.  The vegans have arrived.  We have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. 

Around the World with Bryanna Clark Grogan

Nine years ago this December, Paul and I got married.  After the stress of fabricating the most perfect day in our entire lives, I didn't care where we went on our honeymoon as long as it was warm and we could lounge.  We settled on Montreal.  In December.  

I can't remember precisely how we settled on Montreal.  In December.  But I had always wanted to go there, and we have an irritating tendency to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing even when they are right.  

So we went to Montreal.  In December.  And everyone there was eating poutine - a snacky, regional specialty of fries slathered in cheese curds and brown sauce.  And we wanted in.  So on one of our last days in the city, in a movie theater no less, Paul asked the French Canadian in charge, "Could we get an order of poutine without meat or cheese?"  With a mixture of French Canadian bewilderment and disdain, the concessionaire told Paul, "It is made of meat.  It is meat sauce."    

Unsatiated, I've had a niggling desire for poutine for the last nine years... until Bryanna Clark Grogan's new cookbook, World Vegan Feast, arrived on my doorstep in August.  Flipping through the roster of international recipes - Spanish Omelet - Saigon Crepes - Serbian Braised Sauerkraut and Seitan - South African Bobotie - Moroccan Bisteeya - Vegan Poutine - I knew where we would begin.  

For the Kids at the Table: a new coloring (!) zine

You know Garlic-Onion-Beet-Spinach-Mango-Carrot-Grapefruit Juice, right?  Well, I am so excited to tell you that just in time for Thanskgiving, the author of that book, Nathalie VanBalen, has busted out a coloring zine, and it's adorable.  It approaches its message more directly than her previous book does.  On the second page she out and tells you: 

There isn't a turkey on our table
and we're happy to tell you why - 
because turkeys are friends (like cats and dogs)
and feathered friends must fly! 

In that way it reminds me of Ruby Roth's book for kids, That's Why We Don't Eat Animals, but as you can see, Nathalie has such a gentle, sweet voice that even when she comes close to the subject of factory farming (never farther than a mention of cages), I still want to sit down with a plate of warm cookies and listen.  

Cherry Almond Energy Bars: snacks for kids and other outdoor enthusiasts

I would like to posit that the snack needs of your average park-going mother of small children are the same as those of the wilderness guide leading a group into the backcountry.  With either a well-stocked multi-day pack or a well-fed baby strapped to her back, she's looking for nutritionally dense snacks that won't weigh down the pack (or purse) and will keep the troops going, if not all day, then at least until they stop for lunch.

When I received Laurie Ann March's new book, Another Fork in the Trail: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for the Backcountry, I pored over the sample meal plans and tips on organizing your food and equipment on long hikes.  I read through enticing recipes like Five-spice Pineapple Slaw and Harvest Hummus with Roasted Pepitas.  I studied instructions for dehydrating meals and reconstituting them in camp.  

But for me, right now, this was mostly fantasy reading.  I am not actually doing any of this at the moment.  I don't think I told you about the hike we took on my birthday last spring?  It was beautiful.  The boys cried and/or demanded to be carried the entire return trip.  We're staying indoors for awhile. 

So I mentally set aside the rest of the book for the future when the boys are a bit bigger and dove into the snack chapter, because our snack needs are huge.

Desmond and I made the cherry almond energy bars in all of about 5 minutes, including the time it takes for a 4-year-old to very thoroughly crush two cups of cereal in a ziploc bag.  (It is a pretty fun job.)

 The bars are chewy and crunchy, sweet and tart and even a touch salty.  They’ll be perfect to throw in my purse tomorrow with a water bottle and a sand shovel.  Packed and ready.  

 Desmond’s verdict?  “After this I’m going to have another one.  Are you?”

 I did.  (We cut them much smaller than the recipe calls for.  We netted 20 small bars which I guess is pointless if we’re eating two.)

Next up are the Garam Masala Roasted Chickpeas and the Almond, Carob, Flax Balls, and then, a ways down the road perhaps I'll be dehydrating some Butter Bean and Kale Ragout - before reading this book, this possibility never even occurred to me - that's where those backpacker meals come from!  I like this book.  It's inspiring.  Maybe one day these recipes will even make it farther afield than the wilds of the preschool play yard!  

Cherry and Almond Energy Bars 
From Another Fork in the Trail: Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes for the Backcountry by Laurie Ann March and published by Wilderness Press 
Makes: 10 bars

Author's Note: There is something I find very comforting about the flavor of cherries and almonds together.  This recipe was a happy accident that happened when I thought I was using cranberries.  These bars pair well with a hot cup of chocolate in the evening.  If you have celiac disease, look for a gluten-free cereal with a heavy flake.

• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 cups cereal made of strong flakes, crushed
• 1/2 cup dried cherries
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

At Home: Heat the agave nectar and brown sugar in a large pot and let simmer for 1 minute.  (Boiling too long will make the bars brittle and sugary.)  Remove the pan from the heat and add the almond butter.  Stir until the almond butter is well incorporated.  Add the crushed cereal, dried cherries, and slivered almonds.  Combine well.

Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with vegetable oil.  Scoop the mixture into the pan and pack down evenly.  Freeze for 30 minutes.  Transfer the pan contents to a cutting board.  Allow to return to room temperature and then cut into 10 bars.  Wrap the bars in waxed paper and store in ziplock bags.  The bars will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.  

Food for Grown-ups

Tuesday morning after the swarm of locusts that is the four year old and the one year old descended on my kitchen devouring everything in sight - bowls of oatmeal, baskets of strawberries, dozens of tangerines, loaves of cinnamon toast - I paused for a moment to heat up the three bites of leftover pasta from the night before - the pasta that itself had been composed of refrigerator detritus leftover from quality food prepared for my children.  There was some cold penne that they had been snacking on, and a quarter cup of tomato sauce, and some sundried tomato pesto from the farmers market, a few slices of smoky eggplant that I cut in slivers, a handful of spinach for good measure and some dried chili to mark it as grown-up dinner.  Paul and I pushed the books and whatnot off half of the dining table and had a tired dinner date at the end of the day.  We ate most of the pasta, but there were three bites left.  That would hold me for an hour or at least until I found my coffee cup.  

As I stood in the middle of the kitchen, fork in hand, poised to eat bite one of three of my pathetic breakfast, the boys in turn shouted from their shared perch on top of the red step ladder stool:

"What's that?"

"That!  I want that!"

I turned around, ate it really fast, and put the dishes in the sink.

I held out my hands in the universal toddler symbol for all gone and we moved on with our day.  

And then later, after a gaggle of pals came over to play, when the peanut butter and jelly plate was empty and the apple bowl too, when there was just one pal left with his mom, and the boys were off playing quietly, the moms sat down and ate lunch.  A really healthy, satisfying lunch.  We even chatted and managed to carry several threads of conversation through to a satisfied completion.  We peeled tangerines into our empty bowls, and then we ate them.  Ourselves.  

It was nice.  

And I'm sure this sounds incredibly obvious, but it reminded me how essential it is to feed yourself too.  And maybe not always the crusts from peanut butter sandwiches and the half a banana that nobody else wants.  

It doesn't take long to whip up some salad dressing and stick it in the fridge for the week... for you.  I'm finding that the recipes in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's newish Appetite for Reduction are perfect for this sort of nourishing grown-up fare.

As the title suggests, these recipes are low in fat and calories, but packed with flavor, and what I like best, nutritionally dense.

The author worked with a registered dietician on this book, Matthew Ruscigno, and I like the results. The nutritional info is really easy to read.  It's reassuring to see where your iron and calcium and vitamins are coming from.

I've made the baked falafel three times now, and there are currently two varieties of salad dressing in the fridge - the Caeasar Chavez and the Green Goddess Garlic dressing.  They're both creamy and rich from ground nuts or tahini rather than tons of oil.  The flavor is action-packed with fresh herbs and garlic or shallots and capers - so they are in no danger of locust infestation - they're all mine.

They have topped not only a variety of salads but also as the author suggests some simple meal bowls like the ones my friend and I shared for lunch.  That lunch was just brown rice, edamame, and blanched spinach topped with the flavorful dressing, but it was so satisfying.  I like this realistic approach to cooking.  Near the end of the book, after all the recipes, there is a short chapter of simple spins that you might take - suggestions for sandwich fillings and potato toppings and bowl components - instant meals that will leave you feeling nourished.  I love it.

There have been recipes that the boys have liked as well.  Last Sunday we made the low fat creamed corn and pineapple collards to go with Susan's barbecued ribs and everyone was happy.  And I have hopes for some of the hearty vegetable-laden stews that I think might appeal to my kids.  Moroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini over whole wheat couscous and Veggie Pot Pie Stew thickened with yellow split peas might work.  We'll see.  If not, I've got lunch next week.  Maybe I'll have my pals over. 

From the book Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group.  Copyright (c) 2010. 

Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon 
Serves 4.  Active Time: 20 minutes.  Total Time: 30 minutes
(Can be made gluten free if using tamari in place of soy sauce.) 

Briny Caesar dressing meets smoky eggplant slices in this spin on the classic Caesar.  I love all the texture going on, with the crunchy fresh romaine, creamy dressing, and the eggplant bacon - crisp in some places, chewy in others.  To make this into more of an entree salad, add some basic baked tofu or a handful of chickpeas.

Eggplant Bacon:

• 1/2 pound eggplant
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Salad:

• 8 cups chopped romain lettuce
• 1 recipe Caesar Chavez Dressing 

Preheat the oven to 425.  Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  

Prep the eggplants while the oven is preheating.  I slice them into half-moons because it's the easiest shape to slice consistently.  Aim for eggplants that are around 4 inches in diameter at their widest.  Cut off the stem and the bottom, then cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.  Lay the eggplant halves cut side down, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices.  Don't worry if your slices are a bit irregular; that just adds to the texture, which should be varied between tender and chewy to smoky and crisp.  What we're going to do is bake them at a high temperature with just a bit of nonstick cooking spray, then let them cool, then give them smoky salty flavor and reheat.  Place the eggplant strips in a single layer on the parchment paper.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, keeping a close eye.

Remove the pan from the oven and flip the eggplant slices.  They should be browning already, and if any are slightly burnt, don't worry.  Just transfer them to a plate to let cool.  Return the remaining slices to the oven for about 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven.  The eggplant should be dark brown to burnt in some places, and yellowish white and tender in others.  Transfer to a plate to let cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350.  When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, mix the soy sauce and liquid smoke together in a bowl.  Dip the eggplant slices into the mixture and return them to the baking sheet.  Bake for about 3 more minutes, until heated through.  Serve within the next few hours.  

Assemble the salad: Pour the dressing into a large mixing bowl.  Add the lettuce in batches,using tongs to coat the lettuce after each addition.  When all the lettuce is coated, transfer to bowls and top with the eggplant.

Caesar Chavez Dressing
Serves 4.  Active Time: 5 minutes.  Total Time: 5 minutes

• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons cashew pieces
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon capers with brine
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Place everything in a food processor (I prefer a blender for wet stuff like this.) and blend for at least 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides often, until completely smooth.  It's really important that you blend for the full time, otherwise your dressing may be grainy.  Taste for salt.  Keep refrigerated in a tightly sealed container until ready to use.