My Blog Name is No Joke

My goodness, we have been so busy lately. Today, Olivia and I accompanied Jackson's school on a field trip to a Christmas tree farm. It was so much fun, but this mama is wiped out! Truly, if the energy of a pack of three-year-olds could somehow be harnessed, we would never be dependent upon foreign oil again. I thought for sure J and O would take nice long naps this afternoon, but actually, twenty minutes in the car on the way home was enough to recharge their tiny batteries.

Some recent eats:

Vegan Brunch Pumpkin Pancakes.  Seen here with Jackson's pinecone turkey.

Appetite for Reduction Lotsa Veggie Lentil Soup.

Peas and Thank You Chewy Energy Bars.

Appetite for Reduction Catalan Couscous Salad with Pears and Romesco Dressing. Like a dummy, I forgot that I don't really like the mealy texture of couscous.  It had been so long since I'd eaten it. Next time I'll make this with a chewier grain like quinoa or bulgur. The dressing is amazing.

Appetite for Reduction Chipotle Lentil Burgers.

So good on a whole grain bagel with spinach, Veganaise, and dill pickles.

Gratuitious cute toddler shot. She will tire soon. I know she will.

Cookbook Challenge - Chickpea-Chili Burgers

This week, the PPK Cookbook Challenge tackles The Urban Vegan. I'm testing recipes for Dynise Balcavage's next book, so it was fun to go back and try a recipe from her first offering.

Jackson was eager to help by adding the ingredients to the food processor (which is not plugged in...I can just see my mom freaking out over this pic so I thought I should point that out!)

And, by now y'all know how Olivia usually loves to supervise in the kitchen...but today she was caught up in a book.

The Chickpea-Chili Burgers are an economical alternative to store-bought vegan burgers. Roasted red peppers and chili powder give the burgers a slightly spicy, sweet flavor.  I made mine too wet and they were kind of sticky to handle, but they turned out OK.

The next day I formed the leftover mixture into small patties and ate them on pita bread, like falafels. I liked them even better this way.



In Praise of Chickpeas

Even though the temps are back up in the 90s this week, the recent cool weather flipped a switch in my brain, and all I can think about is fall! In the kitchen, that means I’m craving soups and stews. For lunch I made the Almost-Instant Chickpea Tomato Soup from Vegan on the Cheap. I could tell just from reading the recipe that it would taste great, and it did. And it took only ten minutes to make! No sautéing, just throw everything in the blender and then quickly heat it on the stovetop. Sometimes I find that vegan soups can be watery and lack the creamy texture I want, but that was not the case here. It was so velvety and rich.

Jackson liked it too, so I’m sure this will become a lunchtime favorite for us.

Yes, I take all my pictures by placing the food on Olivia's high chair tray. Whatever works!

For dinner, we had Curried Chickpea Patties from 1000 Vegan Recipes. Tony said, “So they’re like falafel?” But no, they were more like a burger. The wheat gluten gave them that chewy, “meaty” burger texture. I served them with curried Veganaise, as suggested, on ciabatta rolls. I was really pleased with this recipe, too. I would be happy to pay for either of today’s meals in a restaurant, seriously.

I laughed when I realized I’d gone through two cans of chickpeas in a day, but really, I wasn’t surprised. Is there anything this little bean can’t do? Sometimes I’ll roast them as a snack, sprinkled with a little nutritional yeast. If I don’t have time for that, Jackson loves to eat them straight out of the can. I could eat my weight in hummus, so I guess that’s where he gets it from. Go, chickpeas!