Should I keep you all in suspense or spill the exciting news first? Hmmm… tough call. Okay, okay– here’s the exciting news:

Some of my recipes are featured in a free “Back-To-School” e-book. Yes, it’s free! Alisa over at One Frugal Foodie and Go Dairy Free had the brilliant idea of producing this e-book to help moms and dads with the back-to-school transition after seeing the back-to-school grocery ads featuring cheap cereals and other convenience items that contain little nutritional value. It was a great idea and, of course, healthy eating is something I fully support.  The book is not vegan, but there is a good selection of recipes to suit everyone’s needs and some can probably be made vegetarian or vegan with a quick swap of ingredients.  Download your free copy by either clicking on the image above or by clicking this here link.   My biggest, sincerest thanks to Alisa for coming up with this awesome idea and for putting so much time and effort into it.  And thank you to everyone who participated and contributed their recipes.  I hope this e-book is a big success and kids everywhere are able to enjoy healthy, homemade breakfasts and lunches.

Here are the direct links to the recipes of mine that are included in this lovely gem:

• Sweet Potato Waffle
• Granola
• Faux Tuna Sandwich Filling
• Black & White Hidden Treasure Burritos
• PB&J dilla

This new recipe is a spin on my Whole Wheat Oat Bread recipe, which is also featured in the e-book.  When this recipe was chosen for the book, I realized how long it’s been since I’ve made it so I thought I should give it another test before the book became available.  While testing it, I actually improved upon it and came up with a few substitutions for some of the ingredients.

Whole Wheat Oat Bread for the Bread Machine

1 1/4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons vegan margarine, canola/veg oil or olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 TB vital wheat gluten*
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons brown sugar, maple syrup or agave
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 TB flax seeds

Put ingredients into bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer.  Use medium setting.

*In lieu of vital wheat gluten, you could use white bread flour and wheat bread flour in place of the all-purpose and wheat flours.  Adding 1 TB of vital wheat gluten for every one cup of regular flour is a DIY way of making bread flour.  I add an extra TB just for kicks.

As if I needed another thing to keep up with (LOL!), I’ve started another blog! I have lots of things that I’m interested in and that I want to share, but I can’t have a blog dedicated to each and every thing. Soooo… I started this blog here that is a dumping ground for everything else I’m interested in– a place to share my craft projects, information on living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, tips for saving money on DIY projects, and anything mommy related! Really, it’s a dumping ground for all of the things that I want to blog about, but that don’t necessarily have anything to do with cooking and/or living a vegan lifestyle. Come on over and check it out (and while you’re at it, maybe you’ll want to “follow” me or add me to your reader). It’s still a work in progress and I will probably change the format and/or color scheme a time or two before finding something I like, but there are some posts up already and it’s officially in business. If you’re interested in doing a guest post, just send me an email or leave a comment on either of my blogs and I’ll be in touch.

Today was my farmers market (FM) day and I thought I’d post a picture of all the stuff I came away with. I could have gotten a lot more, but it was too hot and I wanted to get in and out. I stopped at only a few of the stalls at only one end of the market and that’s all I could handle.

Today we got: a small bag of tiny potatoes; a big bunch of red chard; 3 artichokes; half flat of strawberries; a random assortment of peaches, nectarines, and pluots; 3 melons (all different kinds); and a bag of baby spinach and salad mix. All for $36 and from only 3 different farmers. Everything is certified organic, except the melons. I’m not so strict on the organic title for fruits that are peeled, but I do wash them prior to peeling or cutting so that if there is any pesticide on the outside that it won’t come into contact with the part that does get eaten.

Storage:

I could smell that these melons need to be eaten quickly, so I stuck them in the fridge the minute I got them home. That’s pretty much all I did for those, the artichokes and the peaches. The guy who I get peaches from is pretty expensive at $3.50 per pound, but he will have “sortouts” available for $2 per pound (those that are really ripe or slightly bruised). I only buy from the sortout bin because I will inevitably bruise them on my way home anyway, and it lets my money go a little farther. His fruit is the most delicious too. I won’t buy from anyone else, even if their prices are cheaper. Also, he has at least 10 different varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots– his selection is amazing!



Strawberries: a random lady at the FM gave my this storage tip for strawberries and it really works! When you bring them home, put them in a large tupperware container (or glass food storage container, whichever your preference) and refrigerate. They will keep for at least a week this way. What I like to do is sort through them and only put the firmest ones in my tupperware. Ones that are soft or overripe I’ll refrigerate in one of those green baskets that they come in and eat those first. DO NOT WASH THEM prior to storing them– only wash right before you eat them.

Greens: this is a great way for washing and storing your greens and I have to give credit to Rachael Ray and my mom for these tips. To wash, fill a big bowl or your sink full of cold water. Put your greens in and give them a good shake. All of the dirt and bugs will sink to the bottom of the water. Remove the greens from the water and place onto a clean kitchen towel and arrange in a single layer. If you have more greens than what will fit in your towel in a single layer, put a paper towel on top and add another layer on top of that. When all of your greens are arranged, roll the towel up like a burrito. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. They will keep for about a week this way, but be sure to check them every few days to make sure they aren’t wilting. If they do start to wilt, use a spray bottle to get them damp again or place a damp paper towel on top of the greens to rehydrate them.

How Long Will This Last Us:

I know this looks like a lot, but we are big fruit eaters around here and I suspect this will last us through next week. I think Emma and I eat 5 servings of just fruit in a day and I like to pack my husband a container of fruit to take to work in the mornings. The veggies will for sure be gone by next week, but we may have some fruit still floating around. Besides that, I could go into labor at any time and at least the house will be well stocked with fresh fruits and veggies if I’m not around for a few days.

Tips for a Greener FM Experience:

• Take your own bags: this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway since I see so many people who don’t do this.  I take my own cloth bags for carrying my haul, as well as several smaller produce bags for things that you pay for by weight.  You can see one of them in the lower left of the first photo above; it’s what is holding our potatoes.  Using those provided plastic bags is so wasteful, especially if you are using a separate plastic bag for everything you’re buying (i.e. potatoes in one, carrots in another, etc.)!
• Take back everything that you bring home:  what I mean by this is that I save all of those strawberry baskets, the 1/2 flat cardboard box and any rubber bands and take them back the next week.  Besides being less wasteful, it saves the farmer some money because they don’t have to continually replace these things and that’s when they can pass that savings on to you.  Speaking of savings, you can generally get some awesome deals if you hit the market near closing time.  The farmer would rather give stuff away at a discounted price than take it back, especially if it’s something that won’t last them until their next market day.

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Do you have any green shopping tips to share?

Wednesday’s are my farmer’s market days, which usually means that by Tuesday I have either nothing left in the house or some random fruits and veggies that need to be eaten. In an effort to use up what I had on hand before buying more stuff, I did a “clean out the fridge” night and made this pasta dish that turned out pretty good.

Here’s what I had: a pint of cherry/pear tomatoes from my grandma’s and friend’s garden, some herbs from the same friend’s garden, and a jar of marinara sauce about 2/3 full. The obvious direction was pasta…

In my largest, high-sided skillet, I sauteed one clove of minced garlic in some olive oil. I added my cherry/pear tomatoes and cooked them until they started to burst, about 7 minutes on medium-low heat. Add some herbs– I used about a TB of fresh parsley and a TB of fresh basil– and some salt. Then add the marinara sauce. Ta da, as my Emma likes to say! I served mine over some brown rice pasta. I like the brown rice pasta as much as I like regular wheat pasta, so it’s pretty much all I use now for pasta dishes. It’s gluten-free and I eat enough gluten that I could probably stand to eat a little less. Case in point: I have a loaf of wheat bread baking in my bread machine right now. It should be done in about 20 minutes, in fact.

For some extra protein, I threw in about a cup of cooked chickpeas. I cooked up a huge pot of them recently and had 2 quart jars stashed away in the freezer. It took about an extra millisecond to thaw some and throw them in, so I figured why not?! Maybe tomorrow I’ll take a photo of my farmer’s market goodies to share with you all.

I used my leftover lentils from the other night to make some nachos last night. Yes, nachos hardly qualify as being healthy, but everyone needs a little indulgence every now and again. These are made with organic yellow corn tortilla chips and piled high with Daiya cheddar shreds, lentils, pico de gallo, avocado, olives, hot sauce, and jalapenos. They were pretty good– I just wish I could have washed them down with a nice cold beer. A couple more weeks and I’ll be able to do that.

Here’s my best tip for nacho making: I like to build my nachos in layers so that the chips underneath aren’t naked.  I put a layer of chips down on my plate, then some cheese, then the lentils.  Another layer of chips, more cheese, more lentils.  Pop that in the microwave for a few seconds to melt the cheese, then put under the broiler to assist in the melting.  Now you’re ready to top with all of your extras.

I used up the last of my zucchini last night when I whipped up this coffee cake to have for breakfast this morning.  I definitely put the zucchini to good use, though, since it tasted so delicious that my kid even ate a piece.  Of course, she’s not likely to pass up anything with the word “cake” in it.  The cake part is spiced up with some cinnamon and nutmeg and the crumble topping is kicked up with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans. Perfect for a weekend breakfast.

I made this by combining a half recipe of the zucchini bread with the crumble topping recipe from the coffee cake recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Does that even make any sense? Didn’t think so…

If you wanted to make this exact coffee cake, prepare half a recipe of the zucchini bread using whole wheat pastry flour and half oil/half applesauce. Pour that batter into a greased 8″ cake pan. Next, prepare the crumble topping recipe from the cinnamon coffee cake and sprinkle on top of your zucchini batter. For the crumble topping, I also used whole wheat pastry flour and half oil/half applesauce. Bake the whole thing at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

I LOVE this book! If you were ever going to invest in one baking book– vegan or otherwise– that’s the one I’d recommend over any other. My one complaint is that the binding totally sucks. You may remember my post about how my original copy of this book completely feel apart… well, the replacement copy that the publisher sent me has also completely fallen apart. When will publishers get smart and publish cookbooks with spiral binding? Doesn’t that make the most sense? And really, this has not happened to any of my other cookbooks. This is the only one that has serious binding issues.

On the nights when I’m stumped on what to make for dinner, I usually turn to lentils. I like lentils for several reasons: they cook quickly and they don’t require the forethought that dried beans do (aka the overnight soak) and they’re super nutritious.

One cup of cooked lentils provides:

• 6.6 mg Iron
  • RDA for women is 14.4 – 32.4 mg
  • Men is 14.4 mg
• 2.5 mg Zinc
  • RDA for women is 8 mg
  • RDA for men is 11 mg
• About 18 grams protein:
  • To figure out how much you should be eating in a day, here’s a simple formula:
    1. Weight in lbs divided by 2.2 = weight in kg
    2. Multiply that number by 0.9 = how many grams of protein you should eat daily
  • Example (a 140 lb, somewhat sedentary woman; a weight lifter or pro athlete would require more protein than an average person)
    1. 140 / 2.2 = 63.63
    2. 63.63 x 0.9 = 57.3
  • Personally, I eat an adequate number of calories and a varied diet; therefore, I usually don’t even keep track of my protein consumption for the day.  This last trimester of my pregnancy, though, I’ve been paying closer attention just to make sure I’m getting enough since my needs now are higher than normal.
  • Most people eat way more protein than they need to:  When you consider that a 3.5 oz serving of chicken is about 30 grams of protein, and the person eating this chicken has another serving of meat at another time during the day, you can see that it’s very easy to eat more than you should.  Besides that, 3.5 oz is not a very large serving (about the size of a deck of playing cards) and most people would tend to eat more than this serving size at one sitting.
• 15.6 grams dietary fiber
  • The World Health Organization recommends an intake of 27-40 grams of fiber per day for most adults

You can get all that just from one cup of lentils!  And there’s so many great ways to prepare them… here’s one that I came up with last night.  Literally, I made this up as I went along and was pleasantly surprised by how good they turned out:

Quick and Spicy Lentils

1 small onion, diced

1 small carrot, peeled and diced

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup dry lentils, rinsed

2 cups water

2 TB tomato paste

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large skillet with high sides (and a lid), saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in about 1 TB of olive oil.  When just starting to get tender (after about 5 minutes), add the rest of the ingredients except the salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook covered for 25-30 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the lentils are tender.  You may need to add up to 1/2 cup more water for the lentils to be completely cooked.  Once cooked, season with salt and pepper.  (Cooking them with salt makes them not tenderize properly.)

I served these with a side of oven roasted potatoes and a green salad.  You could serve this wrapped in a tortilla, with a side of rice or other grain or eat them plain!  Such an easy dish to prepare.  While eating these with the potatoes, I thought they would be mighty tasty with a dollop of vegan sour cream or some sliced avocado.

I know, I need to host my own giveaway one of these days. I’ll try to think up a cool prize and host one soon. In the meantime, One Frugal Foodie is giving away a set of 4 awesome vegan cookbooks. Why not lower my odds of winning and head on over there to get yourself entered?!

I saw this recipe posted last night and couldn’t wait to make these cookies! I’ve actually attempted to make gluten-free cookies before and they didn’t turn out so great, so I was excited that this recipe looked foolproof. Indeed it is! I didn’t have any almond butter, so I used peanut butter instead. I also omitted the nuts because I’m just not a fan of nuts in my cookies. To make these completely nut-free, I’m sure you could easily use a sunflower seed or soy nut butter in place of the nut butter. Also, I made the batter in my food processor and that worked well.

These taste super chocolaty with a texture like a fudge brownie– at least, that’s what they taste like straight out of the oven. Next time, I will grind up the coconut. I like coconut, but I’m not really enjoying the texture of it in these cookies. It’s not ruining the cookies by any means, just a change I will make next time.

I saw this video posted on Facebook and thought it worth sharing here.  It turns my stomach.  Ew!  Cow’s milk is perfect nutrition for baby cows, just like human milk is perfect nutrition for baby humans.  Why people think cow’s milk is fit for human consumption is something I still have yet to understand.  Anyway, check out the video for more perspective on this.  It’s informative, not graphic or gross.