Frozen in Real Life

Sorry for the disappearance. I was on "single parent" duty all last week, as Tony's job required him to practically live at the convention center downtown 24-7. We did get to visit him.

Now the kids think that watching robots play basketball is what Daddy does at work all day.

We ate some not-at-all-healthy meals, such as the fried veggie plate at Boat House Grill, for a lunch playdate with friends.

But I did cook some evenings. Tempeh Stroganoff from 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe was enjoyed by all. I served it over quinoa instead of pasta because I seem to serve everything over quinoa these days. Thank you, giant 5-lb. sack of Costco quinoa.

The highlight of the week for Jackson and Olivia was the Frozen sing-along at the book store.

I now know the sound of 100+ small voices singing/shouting the words to "Let It Go" in unison (well, mostly in unison.)

Afterwards, Princess Olivia and Sir Jackson got to meet Elsa and Anna. Jackson even gave Elsa a hug. Say what now? A special night for us all.

Recent Eats

Just a rundown of some recent tasty dinners, before I forget where I got 'em from.

Stir-fry with hoisin-marinated tofu, broccoli, carrots and green beans, served over brown rice. All my favorite veg in one stir-fry...if only I'd thought to add Brussels sprouts!

Creamy Florentine Soup from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe -- chock full of vibrant green spinach, and so delicious.

Scrambled Tortillas from Vegan Brunch. We loved the sauce, but the tofu and tortillas were mushy. Tony described a similar (non-vegan) baked dish he'd had, where the tortillas were layered on top so they had a chance to crisp up. I might try it like that some time.

Tofu Baked in an Olive, Grape and Herbed Marinade served over Creamy Polenta, from Let Them Eat Vegan. Isn't is gorgeous? The roasted grapes make it seem fancy. 

BLAT's with Light Life Smart Bacon, Veganaise, avocado, tomato and lettuce, on Kaiser rolls. My love affair with this sandwich never ends.

Veggie Pot Pie from La Dolce Vegan. An old favorite, not much to look at, but I love the buttery crust.

My little pioneers enjoying a sunny afternoon.

Bangers and Mash and Wigs

Today while Jackson was at school, Olivia and I entertained ourselves in the Halloween section at Target.

Space age Olivia.

Mad Men Olivia.

Punk rock gladiator Olivia?

Jackson may only be in pre-K, but he occasionally has homework. Today's assignment was to design a family shield.

While he worked on that, I made dinner: Bangers and Mash, from 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe. I used Field Roast smoked apple sage sausages, sauteed with onions, served over mashed potatoes with an onion gravy. If that sounds like a lot of onions, it was. I realized this toward the end of my cooking and decided to strain the onions out of my gravy. Had I left them in, I think it would've been onion overload! But it turned out very nicely. I'm not into many faux meats but I love those Field Roast sausages.

On the side, mushy peas (from the same cookbook). Not much to look at, but quite tasty with a fresh, minty flavor.

I feel like I need to put an English flag here or something.

Tempeh Stroganoff

For dinner last night I made a recipe from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe, Tempeh Stroganoff. 

Tender bites of tempeh and mushrooms, coated in a smoked paprika cream sauce, served over pasta...I think I could eat this for a week straight. I have memories of my mom making beef stroganoff when I was growing up but, as a vegetarian, I could never partake, so I have nothing to compare this to. But it's awesome. And I'm so in love with smoked paprika these days.

For lunch today, I gave in to a craving for queso. The PPK's cashew queso is the only queso recipe I'll ever use. I topped it with olives, tomato, jalapenos and scallions, and scooped it onto tortilla chips.

Jackson's been practicing his grilling so he can cook out with Tony when the weather warms up a little. Flip that (veggie) burger! 

Elephant Brunch

The circus was recently in down, and while we did not shell out the big bucks to attend (I have mixed feelings about circuses), I took Jackson and Olivia to a midday elephant feeding on the circus grounds. When we arrived, four elephants were lined up in a row, with tables full of fruit before them. There was a big crowd, so the kids took turns on my shoulders, craning to get a good view.

 

 

 They were pretty amazed at the elephants' method of selecting a piece of fruit with their long trunks, which they used to transport the fruit to their mouths.

 

 

 

After they had eaten their fill, the elephants formed a single-file line, linking tails and trunks, and made their way back indoors.

 

 

Jackson and Olivia noted that there was some fruit left on the tables and asked if we could eat it. But I chose to take them home and make them a lunch that was free of elephant slobber. We had Babe's Bocadillos from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe. These simple sandwiches feature marinated, baked tofu that has a sweet, smoky flavor. Very nice.

 

 

Lucky Day

Over the weekend we were out for a family stroll, and I stopped to take pictures of Jackson and Olivia in front of this mural. 

 

 

 

This is a very popular mural. Every time I pass by it, there are tourists posing in front of it, film students shooting a scene, or a couple having their engagement photos taken. When I finally came across it when it was deserted, I felt like it was my lucky day.

 

And it really was. As we continued our walk, we spotted a $50 bill on the ground! I immediately felt bad for the poor soul who lost it. But, after looking around to see if anyone had dropped it, we realized there was nobody in our vicinity. We were cutting through an empty parking lot. So, there was nothing left to do except celebrate our good fortune!

 

My good luck continued at home, as I tried out three new recipes from The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe, and they were all phenomenal. So far I've been very impressed with this cookbook.

 

Spanish Rice, with olives and capers. This would be perfect in a wrap with some veggies and salsa, or as a side with any Mexican dish.

 

 

Chickpeas and Roasted Garlic...did you know it's possible to roast two heads of garlic in ten minutes? Neither did I, until I came across this recipe. Now, you do have to peel all of the cloves first. That actually might have taken longer than my traditional method of roasting the bulbs whole for 45 minutes, then squeezing the roasted cloves out of their peels. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but I don't really care for peeling garlic. I typically reach for the giant Costco jar of minced garlic rather than buying fresh. Oh well. It was worth it in this case. There's nothing better than the smell of garlic roasting in the oven, and it made this chickpea salad special.

 

 

Paprika Tofu...yes, there are slabs of marinated tofu hiding under that beautiful rainbow assortment of roasted veggies. You season both the tofu and the veggies with smoked paprika and pop it in the oven, couldn't be easier or more delicious.

 

This dinner was a hit with all four of us, and that is rare! Jackson and Olivia seem to be polar opposites these days, with their taste preferences. It's almost guaranteed that if Jackson likes a certain dish, Olivia will turn up her nose at it, and vice versa. Hearing them both request seconds, I felt like it was a lucky day, indeed.

 

 

Happy 2013!

Happy New Year!

We had a very tame New Year's Eve, hanging out with the kids. I tried out some recipes from The 30-Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe, which I received for Christmas. So far, I am really enjoying this cookbook.

For an appetizer, I made "EscarNo," a vegan take on the classic French escargot, which features snails. I'm not sure why anyone would want to eat snails, vegan or no. Mushrooms are substituted in this recipe, filled with diced shallots and sauteed in a rich, buttery wine sauce. They tasted like super-decadent stuffed mushrooms.

I also made Creamy Chickpea Soup, or revithia as it's known in Greece. I like how half the chickpeas are pureed, and half are left whole. It gives the soup a nice texture. I like my soups to have big flavor and this one certainly delivered, kicked up with plenty of lemon juice and balsamic.

Well, I don't do resolutions, so I'll leave you with some pictures of my New Year's makeover, courtesy of Jackson and Olivia. Jackson said I looked "like an angel." I personally would substitute "juggalo" for "angel" in that description, but you know what they say -- beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The make-up artists.

This color will really highlight mommy's cheekbones undereye circles.

"Hold still and let me get this lipstick juuuuust right."

"Mommy so pretty!"

Last Day of 2012

Are you ready to ring in 2013 tonight? We don't have any big plans. We will be making our usual New Year's Eve snacky feast and, as usual, Tony will be laughing at me as I try not to fall asleep before midnight.

Last night I tried out a new cookbook I received for Christmas, The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe. I made the Gazpacho, which I guess is kind of an odd soup to make in December, considering how it's served chilled. But we had a roaring fire going, so we were okay. The recipe worked out great. I used canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh. I also doubled the amount of diced avocado, which never hurts. I love a soup that can be made entirely in the blender. The fewer dirty dishes, the happier I am!

This morning I used up the very last of our Christmas leftovers, from my giant sweet potato casserole. I was excited to try out my new waffle iron. Sweet potato pecan waffles, anyone? I just mashed up a cup of the leftover casserole and added it to a standard vegan waffle batter. Delicious! I froze the leftovers, so I can pop them in the toaster for the kids' breakfast all week.

Olivia is ready to party like it's 2013! Happy New Year!