Your Vegan Mom

Let's Start with Breakfast

I have a new vow to care for myself as well as I do my children.  Are you with me?  Let's start with breakfast.

At first I intended to replace my morning cafe au lait with a big ol' green smoothie, the sort that I usually just make for the boys. That plan lasted less than a morning.  A very short hungry and cranky morning.  

My new breakfast plan is:

1. water
2. (guilt-free) cafe au lait* (Heat half a mug of soy milk.  Top with strong coffee.)
3. winter toast** (avocado + sea salt + thinly sliced radishes)
4. green smoothie

* That doesn't mean sugar-free or low-fat or anything like that.  I do like a little sugar in it.  And it is naturally and inadvertently low in fat.  It just means that I am choosing not to allow myself to feel bad about having a little coffee.  

**As opposed to summer toast which is walnut parm smashed into vegenaise and topped with sweet and juicy tomato slices.  Mmm, it's getting close.    

Tropical Green Smoothie

Hey, this recipe is for a super blender.  (I use a vitamix, generously given to me by my in-laws Bud and Cecile.  Cecile has been in and out of the hospital, mostly in, all month, which is what has got me thinking about mom health and also the not writing.  She's really cool. If you have a minute, she could use your thoughts or prayers.)  If you don't have a super blender (or super in-laws) you should sub 1/2 cup juice for the tangerines, a spoonful of nut or seed butter for the chia seeds and a handful of baby spinach for the kale.  All of that will blend up more easily in a less-than-super blender.
 

makes: 4 cups (or enough for 1 grown-up and 2 kid servings)
takes: 5 minutes 

• 2 cups rice milk
• 3 seedless tangerines, peeled
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 3 big leaves of kale, rinsed
• 1 heaping cup of frozen mango
• 1 heaping cup of frozen pineapple or peaches

Blend the milk, tangerines, seeds, and kale until smooth.  Add enough frozen fruit to bring the liquid up to almost 4 cups in the blender and blend again until thick and frosty.

 

Mango Lemonade Slushie

 
(Isn't that straw beautiful?  I am totally in love with it.*) 

Prepare to be nutritionally unimpressed.  Okay, are you ready?

Well then, say you have a whole bunch of lemonade left over after... say... your baby's little third (third!) birthday party with his preschool pals.  

The existence of jugs of lemonade in the fridge will be difficult for two small children that are rarely exposed to juice and related forms of liquid sugar (liquid sugar - that's a quote from my first PTA meeting) to ignore.

You could repeatedly say no while you parse it out in vodka-based grown-up cocktails for weeks after bedtime, or you could more than placate those two kids with some fruity slushies.

This recipe slightly mitigates the concentrated sugar of juice or any sort of ade by diluting it with a bunch of ice and reinforcing it (both nutritionally and deliciously) with fresh (or frozen) fruit.   

Coffee Date Walnut Frappe

Sometime I use my super blender for good.  To make the green juice that I've been keeping in the fridge for the boys and me would be one example.  Lately it's been comprised of a few seedless tangerines (peeled), frozen pineapple and mango, whatever greens we have around like chard or spinach or collards or kale or some combination, and water.  It's a great way to start the day and even picky Felix sucks it down.  

Monster Milkshake

So, this is actually nothing but our current house smoothie - easy, action-packed nutrition all blended up into a creamy cold sweet treat, but that color makes it perfect for a Halloween breakfast or after school snack to fuel up for an evening of Trick or Treating.  Happy Halloween!  

Monster Milkshake
Makes: about 3 cups
Takes: about 5 minutes 

• 1 1/2 cups rice milk
• 1 seedless orange, peeled or 1/2 cup orange juice (depending on your blender)
• 1 tablespoon raw hemp seeds, or 1 teaspoon flax oil
• 2 leaves of kale, stems removed, or 1 big handful baby spinach
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks*
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks*

If you are using a high-power blender, blend the milk, orange, seeds and greens until you have a nice smooth brilliant green milk.  Add the frozen fruit and puree again until smooth.

If you are using a regular blender (and if you're not sure, then you're using a regular blender), blend the milk, orange juice, flax oil, greens, and frozen fruit until smooth.  

*Tip: For ease of measurement, 1 cup of fruit chunks will displace 1/2 cup of liquid, so add the pineapple until the smoothie level has increased by 1/2 cup, and then do the same with the mango. 

Pumpkin Pie Milk Shakes

You could also call this a fairly healthy seasonal smoothie if you prefer.  The rich creaminess comes from the combination of toasted pecans soaked overnight in soy milk (or almond) and the frozen pumpkin.  It had never occurred to me to use pumpkin in this fashion, until I read about it on this blog (Thank you Dawnie-Q!) and became totally smitten with the idea.  Such a clever use for leftover frozen pumpkin!  Though I'll be honest, I went ahead and dedicated two whole cans to the milk shake cause.  You freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop it into the blender.  So you could even call this breakfast as you start to peel potatoes (or not) and make pie crust.  And I guarantee it will make a perfect accompaniment to your tofurkey and cranberry sauce sandwich on Friday.   Cheers.

Pumpkin Pie Milk Shakes

Makes 3 cups of shake.  This will make 2 large servings or 3 or 4 smaller ones.  

• 1/2 cup toasted pecan pieces
• non-dairy milk to cover pecans and make 1 1/2 cups, soak overnight
• 1 cup pumpkin puree, frozen in ice cube trays
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons black strap molasses
• pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Serve.