Your Vegan Mom

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

I currently have very little time to eat.  It seems like every time I get up to make a sandwich that monstrous big (I was having a tough day yesterday resulting in slightly hyperbolic word choice) baby is hungry again.  And it's not an "oh that's okay, I can wait till you get a snack" sort of hunger, it's an absolutely dire "I have never been fed" sort of emergency that requires immediate tending to before the neighbors call child protective services.  He already has fat folds.  My little pudge loves to eat.   

So to fill in the gaps when there isn't time to make myself a meal, Desmond and I found a spare fifteen minutes yesterday to make granola bars.  My sister-in-law sent me this recipe months ago after I complained that I had never found a granola bar recipe that didn't fall apart.  She was right.  This one doesn't - it produces tender, chewy bars that will hold up in a lunchbox.  Plus they are delicious.  I've tinkered with the recipe to my liking, aided by the all of the helpful feedback on the original recipe.  These are now less sweet, more vegan, and chewier.  Plus there's chocolate chips.  I consulted the young man as to what we should put in our granola bars and chocolate was his choice.  I countered, in my most enticing voice, "Yeah!  How about chocolate - almond - cherry."  And with the end of conversation definitiveness that only a toddler can get away with, he responded, "No almond.  No cherry."  

He's had a tough time lately, what with a new baby in the house and starting preschool (last Thursday - I don't want to talk about it.), so I simply and completely acquiesced to his demands.  No almonds.  No cherries.  Though I did manage to sneak in some toasted pecans.  If there's no toddler in your house, you can put in whatever you want.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose if you don't have it)
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 teaspoons black strap molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup water

Heat the oven to 350 and grease an 8 x 8 inch baking pan.  In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (the oats through salt).  Make a well in the center and pour in the wet ingredients (all the rest).  Stir to combine and spread this mixture out in your prepared baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or  until the edges are just turning brown.  Remove from the oven.  Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into bars.  Store in an airtight container for several days or freeze for longer storage.  
 
(Hey, the new Typepad will not let me indent recipes like I used to, and I can't seem to make the help desk understand.  Any tips?)  

Felix Monroe Jaconi Biery

was born on September 11 at 3:15.  45 minutes after we showed up at the hospital he clocked in at 10 pounds 12 ounces.  Thank goodness this gargantuan nugget of perfection decided to pop out 2 1/2 weeks before he was officially due.  I'm tired and hungry.  Desmond is a maniac, though always full of gentle kisses for his brother.  Paul is keeping us fed and somewhat functioning.  It's crazy this time.  We'll talk about the food next week.    

Salami

On a deli roll with pepperoncini, yellow tomatoes, avocado, vegenaise, and dijon 

No baby yet.  Close your eyes if you can't handle lady news, but as of my doctor's appointment yesterday, I'm five centimeters dilated.  So really, we should have a baby any second.  

I missed the sandwich deadline.  After the nice people at Mezzetta sent me some jarred peppers, I planned to enter a recipe in their recent Make That Sandwich contest, but I neglected to read the noon PST deadline.  I've been a bit absent-minded and self-absorbed of late.  

Fortunately, the performance pressure of coming up with a vegan sandwich to rival all those shoe-in melty cheese numbers resulted in a really good deli slice recipe that I think might come in handy for any lunch packing you have going on this September.  And in other lunch-packing news, I am totally digging Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.  And you?  What's for lunch?    

Roasted Red Pepper Deli Slices or Vegan Salami

wet:
1/3 cup roasted red pepper slices and surrounding juice (or if you have roasted your own pepper, just add a touch more water)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
water to make one cup

dry:
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a blender, puree the wet ingredients.  In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  Add the wet and stir to combine.  If necessary, knead just to incorporate all ingredients.  Shape into a fat log, about 6 - 7 inches long, and roll pretty tightly in aluminum foil, twisting the ends closed.  Steam for one hour.  Allow to cool before slicing.  

On grilled sourdough with (vegan) cream cheese and pepperoncini

 

Bacon and Chive Potato Salad

So the best gal's baby shower is over and I think was enjoyed by all.  We barbecued sausages and peppers and onions and ate heaps of my dad's guacamole.  There was a big ol' green salad made by a soon-to-be-grandma and hungarian cookies and ice cream from Scoops.  We decorated the tables with pinwheels and candles in jars and bowls of popcorn and candy and platters of watermelon.  We played bocce ball and flew kites and talked about babies.  We lounged in the sun and then visited in the flicker of candle light. It was a nice, nice day.  

Oh, and also, there was potato salad - a potato salad that I've been making all summer and thought you might enjoy on this one last big summer weekend.  I hope yours is lovely - maybe enjoyed near the beach?  Somewhere where the air quality is not hazardous?      

Bacon and Chive Potato Salad
makes about 4 generous side servings

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes (about 10 smallish)
2 tablespoons snipped chives
2 tablespoons bac'un bits

dressing:
1/3 cup vegenaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon of each suits me fine)

Dice the potatoes into 1/2 inch chunks.  In a medium sauce pan, cover them with cold water and a few pinches of salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender but not mushy and falling apart.  Drain and set aside to cool.  Whisk together ingredients for dressing.  Place chives and bac'un bits in a large bowl, cover with warm potatoes.  Add dressing and toss.  Chill for an hour or even overnight before serving either cold or at room temperature.  

Happy Three Day Weekend!