Your Vegan Mom

Creamy Basil Salad Dressing, a Brief Treatise on Raffi, and the State of Being Cool

Paul says that kids don't understand that their parents used to be cool.  That it's their fault that they aren't any more.  They made them this way.  

I say Raffi is awesome. That I just sort of missed the window to appreciate him the first time around.  In all the concert videos circa 1981, I've been looking for my mom and little brother.  They were there, Man.  I missed out because I was too cool.

After the boys sat glued to the couch through several youtube clips this morning - well, glued except for the two-year-old's dancing hands - he has this little chugging dance that starts at the elbows.  If the rest of him isn't glued to the couch then he'll bend at the waste a bit and bob up and down, maybe with an occasional sway while he chugs the arms.  That boy loves to dance.  

But as I was saying, after several riveting clips, it occurred to me to make a Raffi Pandora station so that we could do something else while we listened to the Raffi and and so that provided the soundtrack of our morning.  It was good.  Pandora played us lots of Elizabeth Mitchell which is lovely and several tracks from Barenaked Ladies' kids albums and I discovered that I totally dig Barry Louis Palisar.  

So we rocked out to Raffi and friends and cleaned the house and got everybody ready in leisurely fashion because for once we had no plans before noon.  At one point I sat down and drank a glass of water and read the issue of Everyday Food that arrived in the mail this morning during a suspicious bout of quiet that I decided to just take advantage of and pay for later.  Which is precisely what happened when I found the boys and their cleaned up, dressed, and previously ready-to-go selves sitting in a pool of mud in the backyard.  Of course.  

So I stripped them down and hosed them off and scrubbed the splatter from Felix's forehead.  Naked boys chased each other around for a bit with the hose set to mist and then we toweled off and got dressed again.

And now.  Now, the house around me is relatively clean (Thank you, Raffi.) and quiet (Thank you, Julia.) - I just dropped Desmond off at his best pal's house (only a little late after the whole mud pit set-back) and Felix is having a nap and I have had lunch - a leisurely quiet lunch enjoyed all to myself.  (That lunch up there - it's leftover pizza and a really big and delicious salad full of fresh lettuce, cherry tomatoes and corn and olives and chickpeas and some leftover pasta and the creamy basil salad dressing - were you wondering when we'd get to the salad dressing?) 

This leisurely quiet lunch gave me time to think about Raffi and losing one's cool once one becomes a parent.  I was going to see what you thought about all this - if Raffi is certifiably not cool and I have therefore lost all perspective or if in fact you just loosen up and become more open once you become a parent because... well sometimes you have to go with the flow and sometimes the soundtrack to that will be Baby Beluga, but then I took a break and went and listened to some more of my new hero, Barry Louis Palisar, and I'm here to tell you that holy poop that man can be annoying (disturbingly, frightfully annoying).  So I have determined that I still have my critical faculties in tact.  And therefore, Raffi and I are cool.  

Though something else Paul says is that if you have to tell people that you are a thing (as in an old roommate informing us that she was funny) then it's probably not true.  Dang that Paul has some smart things to say.  Now go eat your salad.  

Creamy Basil Salad Dressing
makes: 1 1/2 cups
takes: 5 minutes 

• 1 packed cup of fresh basil leaves
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup of soy milk
• 1/2 cup of vegenaise
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice (or the juice of one nice lemon)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Whiz all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Chill before serving - it will thicken up a bit in the fridge.  

TIP: The easiest way to measure the vegenaise is to get out your liquid measuring cup - measure the 1/2 cup of milk and then scoop the vegenaise into the milk until it measures a cup.  

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. 

Fall Family Dinner

Paul's home.  He finished "long work" on Wednesday, and now there's a bit of time to breathe for a moment.  And maybe even eat a nice meal together.  Here's one -

Mac 'n Cheese Bites

with Spinach Apple Salad - (that's lettuce up there in the picture, but I really like this salad with spinach) baby spinach, diced apple, toasted pecans, and apple cider salad dressing

 

and Pumpkin Cupcakes for dessert.

(If this is not an occasion, they don't need frosting, and then really, they're awfully easy.)

And you, what are you enjoying these days?

Samosa Quesadillas and Creamy Mango Salad Dressing

 

I'm kind of excited about this recipe.  I had been meaning to put this idea into action for a long time, but it wasn't until I had a slew of leftover mashed potatoes and a last minute gaggle of moms and kids to feed that I made it happen.  And it was just what I thought it would be - everything good about a samosa - squishy, mildly spiced potatoes and peas encased in a crisp, pick-up-able package, but with all the ease of slapping together a quesadilla.  Good stuff.  And perfect as a super-simple, kid-friendly, mid-week dinner.

We ate this with a salad of red lettuce, spicy pickled onions, and chickpeas, all drizzled with the creamy mango dressing.  Everything was served separately so that the boy could dip all his component parts in a tiny cup of the sweet vinaigrette.  The pickled onions were a nod to the grown-ups in the party, because everything else is mild and easy on a toddler's sensitive taste buds.     

We dipped the quesadillas in the dressing, but if you're not making the salad, these would also be good with store-bought mango chutney.

 

Samosa Quesadillas

• 3 cups left-over mashed potatoes (I've also made this with half sweet potato.)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (or to taste)
• 1 cup frozen peas (run them under cool water to get rid of any freezer taste and defrost them a little)
• salt to taste
• 6 whole wheat tortillas

Mix together the potatoes, peas, curry powder and salt to taste.  Heat a griddle.  Spread half of each tortilla with potato filling, fold over, and grill on each side. 

Creamy Mango Salad Dressing
makes 1 cup 

• 1 cup mango chunks
• 3 tablespoons lime juice (or the juice of one big juicy lime)
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend until smooth and creamy.

Hand-Held Salad and Your Basic Dipping Sauce

 

 And now that we have discussed what the Jaconi Bierys are eating for dinner this week (In theory.  I have strayed so far from my plan.  Do you stick to it?), let's talk about lunch.  I go through lunch kicks.  Last month (and by that I do mean approximately thirty consecutive days), I ate a quinoa-lentil bowl with avocado and walnuts and a quick dressing of flax oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and sriracha.  And last week was hand-held salads: lettuce leaves, slivers of carrot (the crunch is key, though I imagine bell pepper or jicama would work as well), avocado (gotta have that creamy richness), and sticks of extra-firm tofu.  Take a lettuce leaf, place the other stuff on top and roll up into a little burrito.  Dip in sauce.  

 

Basic Dipping Sauce
This is perfect for dipping vegetable dumplings from the freezer section at Trader Joe's or these hand-held mini salads.  I don't generally measure, just throw in a little salty, a little sweet, a little tangy, a little spicy (if the boy's not looking), and a little sesame until it tastes good.  But for you, I measure.

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar 
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil   
minced chili or hot sauce to taste

Stir to combine.  Adjust to your taste.  And dip.  

 

 Look!  There's my kid eating salad.  I love that.  And there in the back is the present wrapped in blue tissue paper that I haven't sent to my new niece yet even though she was born over a month ago(!).  Plus, one of my two raddest nephews turned eight three days ago and we haven't even told him how much we love him.  I have to work on this being a better aunt thing.  Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.