They Might Be Vegans

My kids are in this vegan journey with us, and on top of that they are gluten-free (in an effort to lessen their autistic symptoms). I know this might sound like some new form of torture, but they’ve been doing really well and feeling great. The hard part? My oldest hates vegetables and almost every fruit. How do you go vegan and hate vegetables and fruit and not eat wheat or oats? It’s a science, really. I want to list some of the foods he’s been surviving on, and also find out what all you other parents of pickies do to survive. Here goes:

• gluten-free pretzels–We’d all shrivel up and die without these. The problem? They cost $7.50 a bag. Yes, that’s dollars. It hurts me just to type it.

• vegan cream cheese–Let me start by saying that I am not a fan, but hey–I won’t shorten my already short list of things my son will eat. He puts Toffuti “Better Than Cream Cheese” on gluten free bread and english muffins, and also dips the aforementioned pretzels and tortilla chips in it.

• peanut butter–We get all natural organic kind and make it with jelly on a gluten free tortilla and do roll ups. He also dips “sour apples” (apples dipped in lemon juice) in the pb.

• kids gluten-free cereals–We have these with almond milk, the best is EnviroKidz, they like several, Gorilla Munch is their fav.

• corn pasta–We found some gluten-free pasta but the corn elbows seem to be the biggest hit.

• vegan cheese–Again, really not a fan and won’t ever be. I’ve always been a lover of cheese, so this sad substitute is at best rude and at worst a crime against humanity. That said, my kids love the white cheese by Vegan Gourmet. We shred it on top of tortilla chips and over their pasta.

• fruit leather–We buy these in bulk from Costco, and they are addicting. **This just in…he no longer eats these…

• fruit/veggie juice–If not for our beloved V8 Fusion juice (no added sugar, 100%) we’d never get any nutrients into my son. He actually likes this juice, and we add to it the Arbonne kids multi-vitamin powder and he’s happy. Shhh–don’t tell him there are veggies in this juice.

Aaaand, that’s it. I’m not just making a list, I’m listing everything. And notice one item should already be taken down, but since I have a huge amount of it in the garage it’s staying up there. My son’s list of foods were just as limited when not eating vegan and gluten-free, so it’s not all that much harder when I really think about it. Just more expensive. Living vegan is way affordable in my opinion, it’s just the gluten-free stuff that I can’t/don’t/can’t be bothered to make that cost the moola.

What do you feed your picky vegans?

All my pre-vegan life I thought veggie burgers were incredibly un-appetizing. Mushy, gray and rubbery, these “wanna-be’s” were nothing like the real deal. I want a crispy, smoky substitute for my burger of yesteryear, dangit.

Shortly after taking the vegan plunge, we quickly realized that we’d need to find some quick meal options for those nights when our basket weaving took a little too long or when I just couldn’t be bothered, in general. Veggie burgers and oven fries are my new best friend.

Our favorite brand by far is Amy’s, and they carry various flavors (some are non-vegan, fyi). I put a tbsp of oil on medium to low heat and let them sit. Once I hear a little sizzle, they’re usually brown on that side and I flip. Then let them sit. When sizzling–get them out of the pan.

We eat our veggie burgers on spelt hamburger buns, and I usually toast them in the pan after I get the burgers out. A little Earth Balance (or some other vegan margarine) and toast both side of each half. The result is crispy on the outside, juicy inside, with a flavor to die for. We like ours best with pickles and mustard, but adding mushroom sauce on top can really send you over the moon with flavor. Here’s how you do it:

Mushroom Sauce, adapted from Veganomicon:

2 cups vegetable broth (I used mushroom broth)

1/4 cup flour

2tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 cups cremini mushrooms (10 0z)

3 cloves garlic

1tsp thyme (I only had fresh, I used 3 sprigs)

1/2tsp sage (didn’t use)

1/4tsp salt

fresh black pepper

1/4c white cooking wine

Mix the flour into the veg broth until dissolved and set aside.

Preheat a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Saute the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes, until shrooms are tender.

Add the garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Saute for another minute. Add the wine and turn the heat up to bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about a minute, then lower the heat and add the flour veg broth mixture. Stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. If not serving immediately then gently reheat when you are ready to serve.

Add to the top of the burgers and drool and die of taste awesomeness. Then get back up and eat some oven fries. Enjoy!

If you read my other blog, you know that last week was a nightmare of dueling web servers, infidels and more. After everything was finally working late Friday, I needed a break from blogging. Now, we’re back in action and trying to figure out what vegans eat for their Easter feast!

We have already eschewed the boiled and dyed real eggs and instead put stickers on plastic ones. I had vegan cookies and vegan chocolate in the boys’ baskets, but now I’m wondering what to cook for our feast. I’ve got a stocked pantry and fridge, but no motivation.

This site has some yummy looking recipes, but I don’t have nutritional yeast flakes, nor do I have the energy for these ambitious treats. I’m definitely going to make this mushroom lasagna (adapting to be vegan), but it will have to be later this week since the prep time is long (no-boil noodles need to sit).

This pasta will probably be on the agenda for the week, and this stuffed french toast recipe looks divine (though we’d use something instead of the sugar–what does beet sugar do to recipes in terms of taste? is there a weird flavor?). I’m drooling over these potato pancakes, and I can’t wait to try this peanut butter coffee cake. Note to self: get a food processor and a mixer.

For now, I think we’ll whip out the green salad and veggie burgers, but I can’t wait to try all these new things. Happy vegan Easter to you!

**Photo from WaPo

I’ve never been good at meal planning, unless you count “order out” as a plan.  Now that we’re eating vegan, I pretty much have no choice but to cook.  This may have been daunting in the past, but since we’re committed to getting healthy (and thanks so some nice new pots and pans) I’ve discovered I actually *like* to cook.  Who knew?

The only way for me to cook regularly is to shop for a week or two in advance, because I just don’t have the time to go to the store every other day.  Add to that the fact that I like buying “bulk” (nice to meet you, Costco), and I’ve finally started sitting down with my cookbooks and magazines and now plan our meals.

So, without further adieu…

Here’s what’s on tap for this week:

• Monday:  Baja Style Grilled Tempeh Tacos
• Tuesday: (Small Group night) Veggie burgers, Roasted Waffle Cut Potatoes, Green Salad with Shallot Dijon dressing
• Wednesday:  Hummus Platter with whole wheat pita, cucumber, tomato (Hubby will be out)
• Thursday: Mama’s Night Out!  I’m sure hubby and kids will have some Amy’s frozen dinners.
• Friday:  Penne Vodka, Roasted Asparagus
• Saturday:   Roasted Portobello Salad
• Sunday:  Veggie Stir fry with Tofu

Breakfasts are green smoothies, lunches are usually salad, fruit, hummus, etc.

What are you cookin up?

*Inspired by CityMama

Last night was one of our most yummy vegan recipes to date, and it was a little crazy how much green was involved. People, I love the green, and coming from a life-long picky eater that is huge. Who would have ever thought that that I’d be vegan and happy about it? Not me, that’s who.

We had roasted asparagus, sauteed leeks over baked potato and the “main” dish was bok choy.

Here’s what we drooled over most, adapted from Veganomicon:

Baby Bok Choy with Crispy Shallots and Sesame Seeds

Serves 4

1 pound baby bok choy (remember, these are the little guys)

2 small shallots, peeled and sliced into thin rings

1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp peanut oil

1 tbsp apple juice

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Slice off base of bok choy, rinse well or put in bowl of water (these are sandy little guys) and slosh around. Drain ans shake off excess. Set aside.

Heat peanut oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced shallots, separating into rings (with hands works well, or just use your spatula). Fry gently for 5 min until they’re deep brown (this will come up suddenly, so keep an eye on these babies). Remove shallots from pan and set aside. Drizzle a little more oil into the pan.

Saute the ginger in the oil for a few seconds. Add the bok choy and stir to coat with oil and ginger. Stir fry for 2 minutes until the green leaves wilt. Add the juice and soy sauce, stir briefly, and cover the pan. Steam for 2 minutes, then remove the lid. Stir for about 30 seconds more and remove from heat. Transfer bok choy to serving plate, top with fried shallots, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds, and serve right away.

Enjoy!

P.S. I’m new at this food blogging thing, so I promise to have pics next time!

So here we are.  Unlikely vegans.  We decided to get our 30 something bodies into a much healthier state, and since The OCD kicked in and we were unable to just “make healthy choices” like normal people–we decided to go all in.  Vegan.  It’s been a roller-coaster since we made the change about 3 weeks ago, but way easier than we could have ever imagined.  Just so you know, it helps if you like vegetables.

I decided to catalog and journal our adventures into the vegan world, because we do feel like aliens in an unknown land.  I hope to share recipes that we’ve loved (or hated), trials, tips and tribulations.  To make everything all the more fun and exciting, our kids are also gluten-free.  Woo to the hoo.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope that you’ll come back even if you aren’t vegan and cheer us on!