Cold Days, Part 2.

Today is pretty much a repeat of yesterday. Cold weather, indoor activities, and a comforting bowl of soup.

Fireside Lego building. 

Blanket fort relaxation.

Chunky corn chowder from La Dolce Vegan. Instead of a potato, which I did not have, I blended in 1/4 cup cashews, which gave it an excellent creaminess.

Cold Days

It's been unusually cold in Austin lately. Now when I say unusually cold for Austin, I mean temperatures in the 20s and 30s, so please don't pity us too much. But it does mean we're spending our afternoons indoors. There's been lots of coloring.

I bought a mandala coloring book for myself, but Jackson really likes it too. It's fun to just zone out and color alongside the kids.

Also, Olivia is starting to read! We have a set of beginning readers that we used with Jackson, and she is very proud of herself when she gets through one with little or no help.

Dinner was Vanessa's Lentil and Quinoa Stew from La Dolce Vegan, a favorite of Tony's, with some nice crusty bread.

Happy 2015!

Happy New Year!

I'm going to attempt to sum up 2014 in one or two pictures for each month.

January. Snow! 

February. Goats and love!

March. Birthday girl Olivia turns 4 and is ready to skate!

April. Wildflowers and Easter eggs!

May. Pre-K graduation and karate!

June. Swimming and hiking!

July. Moving and meeting cousin Isabella for the first time!

August. Tony's birthday, Jackson's 6th birthday in Oklahoma, and first day of kindergarten!

September. Ballet and soccer!

October. Spooky action!

November. Fall festivals galore, and Thanksgiving at Grandma's!

December. Christmas! (And also my birthday, but they are so close, they are pretty much the same thing.) 

On New Year's Eve, we had a simple meal at my parents' house. Then Tony went to a friend's party for a little while, while I stayed home with the kids as I was still getting over my sickly stuff. On New Year's Day, I made us a little feast. I made my favorite stuffed mushrooms from La Dolce Vegan, along with the cheezy Ro-Tel dip from Cookin' Crunk. 

I also made stacked enchiladas stuffed with seasoned tofu and lentils.

Filled with layers of goodness. And that's what I hope your 2015 is, too.

A Day's Eats

Watermelon for breakfast.

Eat Your Greens Detox Soup from The Oh She Glows Cookbook for lunch. I was curious about the unusual combination of flavors in this soup...broccoli, kale, mushrooms, and seaweed? Of course it all came together perfectly. Can't stop, won't stop with this awesome cookbook.

Afternoon snack: No Mallow Rice Krispie Treats from Fran Costigan's Vegan Chocolate. Agar powder and guar gum act as the "glue" for these marshmallow-free bars. Jackson and Olivia loved helping make these.

Dinner was Spicy Tomato, Peanut & Kale Pasta from La Dolce Vegan. Always delightful.

Jackson and his Power Ranger army.

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.

Ernie

We have an elf staying with us this month. His name is Ernie. Each morning we find him in the strangest of places.

Well, I shouldn't say every morning. Ernie can be a lazy elf. Last week he stayed in the same spot for three days. Jackson and Olivia wondered if he was sick. But then he showed up with lollipops, so it was okay.

It's too bad we're not allowed to touch Ernie (it will ruin his elf magic), because I'm sure he would love to be spoon-fed some delicious Mocked Clam Chowder from La Dolce Vegan.

The chowder is one of those recipes I'd been meaning to make for ages. Now I know, I was missing out all those years. It's so creamy and comforting, with chunks of kelp-seasoned tofu standing in for the clams. I topped it with homemade croutons left over from making Thanksgiving stuffing, but it would also be great with a hunk of fresh, crusty bread.