Of Peppers and Pretzels

Argh! I had such hopes and I was really excited for Vegan MoFo this year, but back to school laid me flat!. Yes I have more time for writing (the novel takes precedence over the Blog), however there are things I did not count on: The first week of school everybody went a half day, and there was the new sleep schedule to adjust to. I now get up at 6:00am to get the Bumper out the door by 7:45am. Then there are the parental volunteer commitments. I don't mind, I just did not expect to have so may late night meetings to attend. The Bumper also started soccer with practice on Wednesday and games on Saturday.
I am still game to finish out the month and I like the prompts so much that I will be using the ones I miss throughout the coming year.
 Yesterday's prompt was to  make or eat a local dish. I live on Maryland's Easter Shore and the local dishes are not vegan friendly. We are talking scrapple, also called head cheese, which is made from various pig parts, crab cakes, raw oysters, and steamed crabs. So no thank you. There is one Eastern Shore local dish that is vegan: Pepper Relish (I can't eat pepper relish because it makes me break out in hives) and one that can be easily veganized: Pretzel Salad.
The Pepper Relish Recipe is courtsey of my friend Beverly L a life long resident of the Eastern Shore. It is her grandmother's recipe.


Pepper Relish

14 red peppers
10 green peppers
12 onions
Syrup:
3 cups vinegar
2 T salt
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 tablespoons mustard seed
Clean onions and peppers, removing seeds and  white pulp from peppers.
Grind in food processor to fine consistancy
Put in large pot or basin and pour boiling water over. Let sit five minutes.
Drain in colander and pick out large chunks.
Prepare syrup in large pot. Add pepper mix and boil 25 minutes. Can in
hot jars and seal. Makes 6-7 pints

Pretzel Salad

Pretzel Salad is made with crushed pretzels, cream cheese, sugar, frozen strawberries, and strawberry jello.
I subbed the dairy cheese for Tofutti brand and omitted the strawberry jello since I couldn't find vegan gelatin.

2 cups pretzels crushed
1 tub non-dairy cream cheese of choice
2Tbs of lemon juice
3/4 cups vegan margarine
1 package of frozen strawberries
3TBS + 1Cup sugar (divided)
Preheat oven to 400F

Crush pretzels and combine with margarine and the 3Tbs sugar. Line the bottom of a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Bake at 400F for 8-10 min until set. (pretzels should be brown but not burnt)
Take out frozen frozen strawberries and put in bowl. Stir in lemon juice and 1/4cup sugar. Let sit for 10-15 min or until there is a layer of strawberry juice syrup at the bottom of the bowl.
Mix together softened cream cheese, and 1 1/2 cup of sugar, spread over crust, top with strawberries and refrigerate until chilled through.
This version does not have the traditional jello-like top layer but it is still delicious. If you have access to vegan gelatin by all means use it. Just prepare according to package directions and pour over the frozen strawberries before putting it in the refrigerator.

Happy Eating!
Kim
p.s. Most versions use a layer of whipped cream too, but I don't like it that way.

Throw It In a Bowl and Call It a Day

Quick and easy? Sign me up! I do not have time for fussy recipes. In the time it takes me to cook supper the Bumper can undo all of the house work I have done for the day. Now a microwave a veggie burger or dog is fast and can be tasty, but they also full of  additives that I do not want in my regular diet.  Since we are in the middle of a heatwave here on Maryland's Eastern Shore I decided to make a super easy cold salad, from this http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/mango-and-black-bean-salad/ Vegetarian Times recipe.

What I like about this salad is I already had every thing on hand in my refrigerator, the only substitution I made was fresh mango. Unless it is disguised in a smoothie I don't really like the taste of frozen mango. I will use them if I have no other choice, but I prefer fresh.

The Bumper's favorite quick and easy vegan recipe is cherry tomatoes fresh off the vine: just rinse and eat!

P.S.
 On the tofu scramble from yesterday? I think a half teaspoon of cumin will suffice.

Vegan MoFo: Such Fond Memories- Just Like Nana Made (Not Exactly)

Okay so the prompt for today was to recreate a meal from your childhood. I figured a good way to approach this would be to ask my mom what my favorite meal was when I was a kid and then veganize it. I expected her to say something like pizza or spaghetti and meatballs, or tater-tots and fish-sticks, or even beef stroganoff. All of which I definitely liked. Nope none of the above. Apparently from my mom's recollection, my hands down favorite meal was dat da dah dah: Spinach and egg over rice. Does anyone else hear the wamp wamp wamp music?

Apparently I was a budding vegetarian way back when. Just so you know the freak fruit does not fall far from the tree the Bumper's current favorite is spinach pizza with vegan cheese. Well this is vegan mofo, so what did I do to make this dish vegan? I swapped out the egg for that perennial favorite tofu. Yep yet another tofu scramble recipe as if the Internet wasn't awash with them already. I am, however, pretty free wheeling with the tofu scramble and I never expect it to taste like eggs. In fact I think I would be grossed out if it did. Instead I played around with garlic, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper to get something savory and that would complement the spinach. Not quite the dish of my youth, but tasty and cruelty free.

1tsp olive oil
1 bag (roughly 2 -4 cups) of fresh or frozen spinach. Take your pick scrambles are pretty forgiving.
1 package extra firm tofu. ( drain and press lightly)
1tsp cumin
1-2tsp powdered garlic or 1 clove fresh minced.
1-2 tsp turmeric
1 tspt nutritional yeast(optional)
Sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning optional
dash of salt
dash of pepper to taste.

Lightly saute spinach in olive oil ( about 5min or until spinach starts to wilt but is still bright green) in a large frying pan.Crumble the tofu and add it and the spices to the spinach. Cook until tofu is completely coated with the spices and warmed all the way through. Serve over rice.
To save time you can steam spinach in the microwave, scramble the tofu in the pan, and serve when tofu is done. Like I said this recipe is forgiving. Play with it. I always do.

Happy MoFo
Kim

P.S. I know this isn't MoFo related, but I am on the instep of the second sock, here come the toes!

Kim
Crumble tofu into pan

Vegan Mofo : Breakfast

My hands down all time favorite vegan breakfast is Post Punk Kitchen's Puffy Pillow Pancakes http://www.theppk.com/2011/12/puffy-pillow-pancakes/. Yes  this is an old photo, but it still the best one I've taken even though I have made the pancakes many times since then. They turn out puffy and pillow-like every time, except for the first time I made them on our new flat top stove-- then they were little inedible hockey pucks. Still vegan, just not fit for consumption.

 However much I like them I can not have them every day, or I would end up looking as puffy as the pancakes. So most mornings it is more mundane fare. Including oatmeal or cream of wheat with bananas or other seasonal fruit. Now that school has started for the Bumper, both of us have to get up a lot earlier than we have become accustomed to. Cold cereal to the rescue. Fast, easy and as long as we stick to plain oat, rice or corn brands, vegan. Just add non-dairy milk of choice, my favorite is unflavored soy and the Bumper's is vanilla almond, and eat. Easy. Peasy. And for this mom on the go? A staple.

I am open to trying new things, like avocado on toast, but the Bumper  has put in a request for carrot pancakes. Does any one know a good vegan, kid-friendly recipe?

Happy Start to Vegan Mofo!
Kim

It Is Amost Here

It is coming and I am excited!
Almost as excited as when I finished turning the heel on sock#2

Stay tuned
Kim

Meatless Monday - Banana Bread

I thought about saving this meatless Monday post until September, but then I asked myself why I was waiting. I have no good reason.  This is my absolute favorite hands down go to recipe  for banana bread. It is a life saver in the hot summer months when banana ripen faster than we can eat or freeze them.  I use this recipe from Post Punk kitchen http://www.theppk.com/2007/10/banana-bread/.

When I first made it I did not have access for vegan margarine so I used 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup applesauce. I also reduced the sugar to one 1/2 cup of brown sugar. This time I made it with Earth Balance brand, and the Bumper and Nana liked it a lot. They also liked the addition of the chocolate chips on top.

It can be made ahead, made into muffins, and freezes well. What is not to love? It is Bumper tested and Pre-school approved. I can't really say more without sounding like a paid advertiser for Post Punk Kitchen, which I am not. The only bad thing I can say is that while making banana bread I did not get a lot of knitting or crochet done, so the sock, blanket and dishcloth are all still about the same size they were on Friday.

The Bumper has two more weeks of camp and then school starts. We are both ready. She is lonely and wants other kids to play with and I am ready to kick up the daily writing.

Kim

p.s. I am pretty sure I have blogged about this banana bread before, but it is seriously good enough to warrant another post.

Friday Check In

It is already August. Wow! We are making the most of our time before school starts in just three weeks. The Bumper has been in half day camp at our local YMCA. She loves it! She has made friends, played games, learned new songs, and gone swimming twice a week. The three hour break I get gives me time to run errands, clean house and write. I feel so much more like myself when I get to write.
We have been able to eat fresh tomatoes and green beans this week. I can not say enough how glad I am to be eating garden vegetable. The taste is worlds away from winter tomatoes that look pretty on the outside, but are soft, bland and mushy on the inside. Accorinding to Nana we should be feasting on these beauties well into September.
Speaking of September, I plan to participate in Vegan MoFo (Vegan Month of Food) again this year. I had so much fun last year I decided to give it another go. I like the challenge of coming up with recipes and blogging everyday.
On the craft front: second sock is getting longer, blanket has more stripes and dishcloth is almost finished.
Have a great weekend!
Kim

Meatless Monday- Front Yard Gardening

'Mater's

Peppers

Who made up the rule that gardens should be regulated to the backyard? Tucked away out of sight like a guilty secret. I think the front yard is the perfect place for gardening. I can see the nodding heads, just as long as I keep my front yard for flowers lovely spring or summer blooms: merry marigolds, bright peonies, pretty pansies and the like, maybe even cute little herbs, but nothing so crass as vegetables! What  would the Home Owner's Association say? Well fortunately we live in an area with no HOA.  We have tomatoes and peppers growing in the front walkway and I love it! Next year Nana has decided to put the vegetable patch in the front as the front yard gets better sun because all the trees are in the back.  I am all for this. More gardens mean less mowing, but that is next year for now, I am happy to pick tomatoes at the same time I pick up the mail and newspaper.

Kim

Meatless Monday- Dessert

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate. Did I mention the chocolate? I wanted to bring a dessert to our fourth of July celebration, which started on the third and finished on the fifth (we take our parties seriously around here). So I headed over to my go to website for vegan desserts: Chocolate Covered Katie. I decided to try "The Ultimate Chocolate Fudge Pie"http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/09/06/the-ultimate-chocolate-fudge-pie/.

Wow just wow. The recipe name sounds like it will take a long time  and be super complicated, however making it was really easy; albeit messy. The Bumper loved helping stir in the melted chocolate chips and licking the spatula. I wish I had taken a picture, but my hands were too sticky at the time. It turned out rich and not too sweet. If you do not like dark chocolate then this is not for you. I happen to like both dark chocolate and desserts that are not too sweet. There were only two pieces left at the end of the night. The Bumper and Nana both loved it and neither guessed the secret ingredient. I'm not telling them what it was, because they do not have to know it wasn't as fattening as it tasted. I love it when I can make a dessert, besides fruit, that is reasonably healthy.

I used Enjoy Life brand semi-sweet vegan dark chocolate chips and I chose maple syrup as my sweetener, but I think agave or cane sugar would work just as well. I also used an accidentally vegan store bought crust, but now that I have a good food processor; the next time I make this I will make the date oat crust from scratch.

Kim
p.s.  sock two is slowly getting longer.

Meatless Monday- Too Hot to Cook

Summertime tends to lend itself to meatless eating. The weather gets hot and indoor cooking is best done outdoors on the grill. I hope to write and inspiring post about bountiful berries and fresh from the garden vegetables done up on the grill. This is not that post. It is too hot and humid. So for Meatless Monday I bring you: Salad. Yep, salad. Not just any salad though, Fast Food Salad. (Please cue dramatic horror theme of your choice).

When the family decides to bring home fast food, depending on where they go, it can be a disaster. Most of the time as a vegetarian the options are quite limited, and as a vegan they can be worse. I am thinking about the ubiquitous ice-berg lettuce salad with large wedges of tastesless tomatoes a few scraps of carrot, onion and covered in cheese (left off for the vegans). So the salad Nana brought home was quite a surprise. It featured mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes,  and edamame with a spicy vingarette that was alos vegan, all Nana had to do was ask for the chickedn to be left off! I was impressed and grateful. The landscape is not as bleak as it used to be.

Kim

Meatless Monday and Memorial Day

Sometimes it is nice not to feel like a freak when I am a vegetarian. Sometimes I just want to fit in, but in order to do that I usually have to bring my own meat analog- veggie burgers soy-dogs etc. Then I usually have to endure comments along the lines of how my "burgers" don't taste anything like meat and how on earth can I eat such things, and I could never be vegetarian/vegan etc. Well first of all I eat veggie patties not expecting them to taste like meat, in fact I prefer if they don't because I shudder to think about the chemicals used to get "meat" flavor, secondly there is so much more to to being vegetarian/vegan than fake burgers I hardly know where to begin. On the summertime grill the possibilities are endless-- grilled eggplant, squash, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and pineapple just to name a few if a person is willing to think beyond hot-dogs and hamburgers. Most people are not willing to do so.

A few weeks ago I a brought a curried lentil dish to a potluck and the response was that people could not believe how tasty meatless cooking could be. I thought it was pretty much a one off or I was about to become the curried lentil lady, so imagine my surprise when I went to a cook out yesterday and the host kindly cooked a vegetarian dish just for me! I was shocked and pleased. For once I did not have to bring my own nor feel left out. My host made a vegan version of a Filipino Rice noodle dish that is usually made with fish sauce and includes chicken or pork. For me she used vegetable broth and tofu. It was delicious and it made me feel appreciated.

Speaking of appreciation today is Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor military men and women who have died in service of their country. For them I paused and gave a moment of silence and thanks. I am also giving thanks for the non-combatants, missionaries, aid-workers, and volunteers who have died in service of God and their fellow human beings. I especially want to thank the volunteer doctors who gave their lives in the recent Ebola outbreak.

Kim

Meatless Monday and Knitting Victory

I may be repeating myself here on this edition of Meatless Monday, but for out church picnic on Sunday I made an apple crisp. It wasn't just any apple crisp, it was vegan. It was from the Post Punk Kitchen http://www.theppk.com/2007/10/apple-crisp/ and Isa has yet to fail me. Her recipe did not disappoint. I usually cut back the sugar in her desserts because I find that her sweet tooth is a little sweeter than mine. I did not tell anyone that it was vegan, since it did not contain any of the most popular allergens, I just put it on the table and walked away. This may be my pride and vanity speaking, but I was tickled that there was none left over at the end of the picnic. Nana even told me that the man sitting next to her raved about how yummy it was and when she told him it was vegan he asked her to explain so she said no animals were used or abused in the making of this dessert. It is nice when my family supports me!

Now on to other news. I have (dramatic drum roll please): finished the sock! Yep, I can hardly believe myself, but it is done and it looks like a sock and it fits! I am so pleased and I feel such a sense of accomplishment I can hardly contain myself. Just so I can keep up the momentum I have already cast on its mate. This counts as part of Meatless Monday because I used a nylon-polyester blend yarn. I am starting to feel like a real knitter.


Kim
p.s. Now that I have finished a sock both Nana and the Bumper are requesting a pair. What have I gotten myself into?

Some Days Are Just Like That

I am still sick, not as bad as last week but still not myself. I am very congested, unable to smell a thing and only able to taste sweet, salty and sour; hence no meatless Monday post as I can't be trusted with seasonings yet. Nana has picked up the slack and created some wonderfully vegan soups, sauteed greens(Tuscany kale, cabbage, parsley, onion, garlic, ginger, and red and green peppers), and chili.

I, on the other hand, have slept a lot, most of last week in fact. I went to the doctor, but I did not have an infection, just a really stubborn cold virus, so no anti-biotic. The doctor told me to keep doing what I was already doing: rest and drink plenty of liquids. She also said it could take around six-teen days to recover. Not the news I wanted to hear. Nana has been wonderful, because she has watched the Bumper every day since I became ill. The Bumper loves her Nana time. Unfortunately this also means she has taken advantage of the the situation and decided to act out knowing I have been too sick to discipline her properly or consistently. She got quite a shock today when I started clamping down and nipping the unruliness in the bud. It will take a few more weeks for us to get back to normal ( it just takes a bit for her to understand than Mom means business).

Spring has finally decided to grace us with its presence today and the daffodils are blooming. The weather has been mild enough for the Bumper to play outside or help Nana plant more flowers. I have even been able to sit outside a bit and soak up the sunshine. I just took some more cold medicine and am going to head back to bed. Nana and the Bumper have headed out in search of baby chicks.
I hope to be back to more regular posting soon, but in the meantime I am taking it one day at a time.

P.S. May your Holy Week (if you celebrate it) be a prayer filled and fruitful one.

Kim

Meatless Monday - What's in a name

I finally did it. For months and months, ever since last August, Pumpkin "Cheese" Sauce has been smeared all over food blog territory, and last week I finally gave it a go. I had been reluctant to try this for two reasons. My Bumper does not like Macaroni and Cheese unless it is totally made from scratch. She can't stand "Kraft Dinner" (which in spite of being totally bad for you, I love), and prefers her pasta plain or with butter and secondly while I love things like pumpkin pie and the occasional pumpkin soup I was skeptical about it being something I would like.

Sure a rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but pumpkin as a substitute for cheese? I wasn't buying it. See the thing is if I hear cheese, my mouth immediately sets it self for the distinctive tang of dairy cheese; otherwise I am disappointed. In spite of my misgivings I tried it.  I used the recipe from "Oh She Glows" http://ohsheglows.com/2011/10/13/vegan-pumpkin-mac-n-cheeze-sauce/ .

Three things: It was good, so good in fact; I could not stop dipping my spoon in for 'just a taste', so good I am thinking of having more after I finish this post. Two I will definitely be making it again. Three it did not taste like cheese, no way no how-- at least to me.

Yes it was delicious, AS A PUMPKIN SAUCE.  As a spot on replacement of cheese? NOPE.

Here is to telling it like it is: I will make and enjoy this Pumpkin Sauce (though I may cut back on the mustard and nutritional yeast next time) over pasta or as a dip for nachos. As an aside neither the Bumper nor Nana liked this so it is a good thing I did because the recipe makes a lot.

Happy Eating

p.s. when I made Chocolate Covered Katie's "Cheese Cake" http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/06/26/raw-cheesecake-recipe/ I made sure I told the people at the gathering it was a Cashew Creme cake. I know a few people with severe nut allergies and I would not have wanted them to think it was made with dairy.

Meatless Monday - Roasted Vegetables

When I was a kid I thought God created Brussels sprouts for the sole purpose of giving parents a torture tool to use against their children. A bit dramatic perhaps, but it pretty much sums up how I felt about these members of the cabbage family until well into adulthood. I didn't like them and I felt pretty sure I never would. I was wrong, I just hadn't had them cooked the "right" way. I had only ever had them steamed: plain or thinly disguised under some sort of creamy sauce. That my friends is no way to treat a nutritional powerhouse. It turns out that the adult me adores them roasted. In fact when they are roasted I can snack on them all day long and some broccoli, pepper, and onions results in a full blown flavor party.

First pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F
Slice the sprouts in half
Add in broccoli, peppers , and onions or what ever you fancy
Coat with one 1-2Tbs olive oil
2Tsp of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl the spread in a shallow baking dish or on a cookie tray
Put in the oven for 10- 20min ( watch carefully as oven temps vary) until the vegetables are crispy on the out side and chewy inside.
Wait for them to cool ( this is very important as the Bumper found out when she tried to grab the broccoli) and munch away.

This is a short entry, and if I have done roasted  vegetable before: I can only say they are good enough to deserve a second shot. We are busy hunkering down and waiting for the snowstorm to hit the mid-Atlantic. The last "snowstorm" was a let down, but that has not dampened any of the Bumper's enthusiasm. She wants to go out and try to catch snowflakes with her tongue as soon as it starts to fall. I may just join her.

I went to my first knitting club meeting yesterday, and I will be writing up that post very soon because I cannot believe it took me this long to find a group and am I glad I did!

P.S. On the sock front: I turned the heel! Doing the happy dance, oh yeah!
P.P.S. My camera ran out of battery life before I could upload any photos, but I hope to have some later in the week.

Meatless Monday -The Superbowl

My family and friends don't do traditional very well, okay not at all, but a close family friend invited us to a Superbowl party. The spread looked something like this: roasted pork, rice, tripe, chicken adobo, pot-stickers, egg-rolls, lasagne, fried chicken, and peperoni pizza for the kids. It was a festival of meat to be sure. So what is a veggie girl to do? Bring vegan chili of course! It was a perfect night for chili any way. Cold and wet. While I was happy knowing I had something to eat, what amazed me was there was none left ant the end of the night. The combination was quite simple:

 roughly two quarts of frozen tomato sauce from last summer's harvest
 chili powder to taste
1 16oz can of red kidney beans
1 16 oz can of black beans,
16oz can of pinto beans
16oz can of great northern beans
1 16oz can of corn,
1 16oz can of diced tomatoes,
1 medium onion,  1-2 cloves crushed garlic,
1 tsp cumin,
salt and pepper to taste
2 stalks of celery chopped fine, two cups of water, and  1 116oz can of chick peas drained and rinsed added in the last five five minutes so they retain their texture.
The cooking method is quite easy too: Just put it in pot big enough to hold all of the ingredients bring it to a boil then reduced heat and simmer 4-6 hours stirring every 20min.

Well worth the wait!

Happy Eating,

Kim

P.S. I did not watch the game since I don't really like football, but I did finish a baby hat!

P.P.S. Sock Progress

Meatless Monday and Christmas Catch Up

Candles to welcome the Light of the World

The Christmas holiday is still going strong over here. In my family we celebrate the twelve days of Christmas. We will take down our decorations after the feast of the Epiphany, in the meantime we are still singing carols and rejoicing in the birth of the Savior even as the rest of the world has moved on.
The Bumper has thoroughly enjoyed herself. She was much more aware of what was going on than in past years. Nana and I definitely caught her excitement and I was willing to stay up late and fill her stocking. The look on her face Christmas morning was well worth the extra effort. The best part for me was when she snuggled down in her bed that night and said: "Mom I love our family. I am glad God gave me our family." We then had a still quiet moment as the Bumper asked God to take care of her Daddy, who she wished could be with us but understands that he is with God.

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus

On the other hand my sister and her husband were not able to join us for Christmas this year because they were laid up with the flu and were bedridden the entire week. Well they say misery loves company, and I caught a sympathy cold that had me out for the count Christmas night and all the day after. The Bumper now has what I had and is being very quiet today.  I am on the mend but am dragging a little bit.

Now here is the thing, I like m y cuppa in the morning (whether green tea or coffee or lemon water depends on my mood), and I especially like pumpkin spice latte. Yeah I know I am late on the pumpkin bandwagon, but as far as I am concerned pumpkin can be eaten all winter long. What I don't like are coffee house prices and fussy recipes. Don't get me wrong, I have found some wonderful vegan recipes, but frankly I don't have that kind of time.  So I give you Busy Mom's Pumpkin spice latte:

 8-16oz Hot brewed coffee
2-3Tbs non-dairy creamer of choice
1tsp pumpkin pie spice

Add the creamer and sprinkle spice on top and voila:  Pumpkin Spice latte (vegan).  The way I figure I all really wanted is the spice taste, if I am trying to add nutrition to my coffee I need to rethink my breakfast choices!

Happy Drinking,
Kim

Finished the Bumper's hat with not a moment to spare!

Meatless Monday -- It's All About Soup

Winter is upon us here in the Northern Hemisphere. Where I am on the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States that means the weather has decided to go from too cold to play outdoors to just warm enough for chilly rain and no snow. Miserable weather. Huddle indoors, staring glumly at the pellet stove because it is not quite cold enough to justify turning it on during the day, glaring out the back window because it is raining weather. Soup making weather. I know most people don't associate soup with Christmas, and quite frankly neither do I, but sometimes a warm you from the inside out soup is what is needed to chase away the winter blahs and get me motivated.

 A squash soup from Weight Watchers did the trick. It was warm, it was soothing, had just the right amount of sweetness spice to be satisfying after one too many Christmas treats. the only problem with this soup was the fussiness involved in making it.  There were a lot of steps and when there is a little one under foot, I much prefer a soup you just throw together and let simmer. Final verdict -- really good and will make it again but will be reserved for special occasions. I served the soup with slow cooked greens (a mix of Collards, Kale, and Turnip, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, and left to simmer in vegetable broth).

Happy Eating,
Kim

Meatless Monday - Comfort food

Tasted better than it looks

When the weather looks dreary and feels worse I want good old fashioned comfort food. The kind that sticks to my ribs and makes me feel warm from the inside out. I think today's meal did just that.

I made the Glazed Lentil Walnut Apple Loaf Revisited from Oh She Glows http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/05/glazed-lentil-walnut-apple-loaf-revisited/, paired with steamed broccoli and jacket potatoes.  All I can say is I will definately be making this again, even if it did take me all day to make. I am sure it doesn't really take all day, but I was also trying my hand at apple butter and that had to be montiored constantly.

I followed the recipe as written except I used pecan instead of walnuts because Nana is allergic to walnuts and I used a cup of oat flour because I was unable to find the bread crumbs. It was a big hit! The Bumper nibbled at it before it was baked and had a whole slice afterwards. Nana asked me to make it a regular part of the menu!

The apple butter turned out yummy as well. I don't have any pictures because apple butter isn't really very photogenic. Lovely to eat-- not so much to look at. I think the taste was well worth the effort, but next time if I only have six apples I'll stop at homemade chunky apple sauce-- equally tasty and not as much of a hassle to make. On the plus side the house smelled wonderfully of cinnamon all day long and cheered us all up. Sometimes just the act of cooking a good simple meal is comfort enough.

Nana's hat and scarf

Kim