Category: Family Friendly

Categories
Breakfast Dessert Family Friendly

Chia Pudding

Chia Pudding

Chia seeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids that are known to decrease inflammation and protect against heart and brain disease.

Mix these ingredients in individual bowls, making as many servings as desired. 

Ingredients for each serving:

  • 2 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup oat milk (or other plant milk of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon honey (maple syrup, yacon, or other sweetener), optional
  • Seasonal fruit for topping

Instructions:

  1. Pour ingredients into a one-cup jar or bowl and mix well. Let sit for a few minutes then stir thoroughly until well blended.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until thickened.
  3. To serve, top with fruit and enjoy!
Categories
Dessert Family Friendly

Chocolate Amaranth Bars

Chocolate Amaranth Bars

The puffed grain in these bars gives them a light and crispy texture similar to wafer cookies. 

Makes 12 bars, about 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 4-6 Tbsp uncooked amaranth – use enough to yield ~1 1/2 cup (or 45 g) popped/puffed amaranth
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or pieces 
  • 4 Tbsp creamy unsweetened almond butter 
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil  
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Line a standard loaf pan (or similar-sized dish) with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Popping Amaranth:
    1. Heat a large heavy bottomed pan (or Dutch oven) over medium-high to high heat. Set a bowl to the side to hold the popped amaranth. Heat the pan for at least 3 minutes. Once the pan is very hot, add 1 Tbsp un-popped amaranth and cover with a lid. Shake the pot back and forth over the heat to keep the grain moving. If your pan is at the correct temperature, the grains will start popping almost immediately and be done popping by 10 seconds. Quickly empty into the mixing bowl. Don’t worry if there are some un-popped grains left. (If the pan is not hot enough the grains will be slow to pop and may brown or even burn instead. If this happens, discard the batch and increase the heat, allowing the pan to fully warm before adding more grain.  Do not worry, you will soon have it down.)
    2. Continue in batches until you have about 1 ¼ cup popped grain.
  3. In a medium bowl, add the chocolate chips, almond butter, and olive oil. Heat in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after each session until the chocolate is melted and you have a smooth batter. Alternatively, the mixture can be heated over a double boiler.
  4. Stir in the salt and vanilla.
  5. Add the popped amaranth to the bowl and stir in gently until the amaranth is evenly coated in chocolate.
  6. Transfer to the parchment-lined pan and smooth into an even layer. Refrigerate until set (about 1 hour), then slice into about 12 bars. Store in the refrigerator.

 

Adapted from Minimalist Baker

Categories
Family Friendly Mains

Lentil Sweet Potato Loaf

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Lentil Sweet Potato Loaf

This loaf (adapted from a recipe by Dreena Burton on Veg News) will satisfy your meatloaf cravings and makes a great main dish for a meat-free holiday meal. Leftovers are great in sandwiches or wraps. Also, this recipe can be used to make delicious meatballs.

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked brown lentils, divided 
  • 1 cup cooked sweet potato flesh, cooled 
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 
  • ¼ cup tomato paste 
  • 3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons dried onion flakes 
  • 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds 
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 
  • 1 tablespoon tahini (or other nut or seed butter)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano 
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme 
  • ½ teaspoon celery seed 
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper 
  • 2 cups rolled oats 
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds 
  • 4 tablespoons ketchup or barbecue sauce, for topping (best is a combination of both!)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper, letting paper overhang sides of dish (so that you can lift the loaf out later).
  2. In a food processor, combine 1 cup of lentils, potatoes, garlic, tomato paste, tamari, onion flakes, flax, balsamic, tahini, oregano, thyme, celery seed, and black pepper. Pulse until well combined and coarsely blended.
  3. Add remaining 1 cup lentils, oats, and pumpkin seeds and pulse a few times, scraping down bowl as needed, until mixture is combined but still has lots of texture. With the blade removed, mix a few more turns by hand.
  4. Transfer mixture to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Spread ketchup or barbecue sauce on top. 
  5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 8 minutes, until topping is set. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Lift loaf out of pan (using parchment) and transfer to a serving dish. Slice and enjoy.
Categories
Family Friendly Mains

Easy Pizza & White Sauce

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Easy Pizza & White Sauce

Easy Pizza Crust with White Sauce

Makes one 10-inch pizza crust that will serve two.

For time savings, double or quadruple the recipe, freezing extra crusts after the first baking for a quick meal option in future.

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cassava flour (100g)
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour (31g)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon dried garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbs flax meal plus 3 tablespoons) or one regular egg
  • 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • If using a flax egg, mix the tablespoon of ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside for a few minutes so that it has time to thicken.
  • Add all the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add oil, water, and flax egg (or one regular egg) and stir to form a thick pliable dough that holds together. If the dough is crumbly and breaking apart, add more water, one tablespoon at a time.
  • Gather the dough into a ball and roll it out between two pieces of parchment paper, forming a 10-inche round crust. Remove the top paper and transfer crust on bottom parchment to a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 10 -15 minutes, or until golden. (At this point, you can cool and freeze or refrigerate for later use.)
  • Increase oven temperature to 425F.
  • Add toppings of your choice. (Such as a red sauce or the white sauce recipe below, then sprinkle with spinach, red onions, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, red or green bell peppers, etc.) Place finished pizza back in the oven for about 20 minutes to allow the toppings to cook and crust edges to crisp slightly. Cool for 5 minutes, cut and enjoy.

 

Pizza White Sauce

This garlicky white sauce firms-up to a luscious, creamy, cheese-like consistency.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cashews
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cassava or tapioca flour (not optional)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)
  • 1 cup water (more if needed)

Instructions:

  • Add all ingredients to a blender (starting with 1/4 tsp salt and adding more if needed) and blend until smooth and creamy. (If you do not have a powerful blender, you will need to soak the cashews in warm water for at least 30 minutes prior to blending.) Add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time to create a smooth creamy sauce.
  • This will make more than you need for one pizza.  You can freeze extra. If you make smaller amounts, it will be too little for the blender to mix adequately. 
  • This can be used alone as your pizza sauce, or can be thickly drizzled over red pizza sauce.
  • Bake your topped pizza as above.
Categories
Family Friendly Salads

Summer Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar

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Summer Fruit Salad with Mint Sugar

This is a super refreshing summer fruit salad. 

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (use cane sugar or coconut sugar)
  • 1 lb blackberries, left whole
  • 3 firm-ripe medium peaches or nectarines, halved lengthwise, pitted, and cut into 1/3-inch-thick wedges
  • 1/2 lb seedless green grapes (1 1/2 cups), halved (optional)

Instructions:

Pulse mint and sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Sprinkle mint sugar over fruit in a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Categories
Family Friendly Pasta

Pastitsio

Pastitsio

A lightened-up version of this classic Greek dish.  Your whole family will love this. 

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. (2 ½ cups) uncooked penne pasta
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ¾ cup grated or finely shredded Parmesan cheese (or vegan parmesan), divided
  • ½ pound plant-based beef (optional)
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 

Béchamel sauce:

  • 1/4 cup vegan butter
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 cups plant milk

Serving:

  • ¼ cup chopped parsley, optional
  • ¼ cup wilted spinach per serving, optional

Instructions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss with olive oil and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a lightly greased 13×9-in. baking dish.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef (if using) and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until cooked through, breaking into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in tomato sauce, salt, oregano and cinnamon; heat through. Spoon over pasta.
  3. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a low boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
  4. Pour and spread over the tomato mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
  5. Bake, covered, 20 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 30-40 minutes more or until golden brown on top.
  6. Serve over wilted spinach and sprinkled with chopped parsley if desired.
Categories
Family Friendly Pasta Salads

Grain Salad with Sweet Potato, Herbs & Pistachios

Grain Salad with Sweet Potato, Herbs & Pistachios

The variety of flavors and textures in this salad make it memorable and crave-able.  The vegetables, grain, and dressing can be prepared ahead for an easy weeknight meal. To add even more fiber and staying power, consider mixing in 1 cup of cooked lentils (brown, green or black).

Makes about 6-8 servings (5 cups).

Roasted Veggies:

  • 2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into ½” pieces
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
  • ½ teaspoon ginger, ground
  • ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

Grain Salad:

  • 1 cup whole oat groats, uncooked
  • 2 cups mixed lettuce greens, chopped

 Sherry Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

 Toppings:

  • ½ cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
  • 2 Tbsp chives (or green part of scallions), thinly sliced 
  • ⅓ cup chopped dried apricots (or dried cranberries)
  • ½ cup feta cheese (or plant-based feta), crumbled

 Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Add carrots and sweet potatoes to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, add nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, ginger and cayenne. Toss to combine.
  3. Spread vegetables onto a baking sheet and cook for about 20 – 30 minutes, until softened but still firm.
  4. While vegetables bake, cook the oat groats in 6 cups water at low-boil over medium-high heat, uncovered until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain off cooking water.
  5. For sherry vinaigrette, add all ingredients to the bowl and whisk.
  6. Chop pistachios. Prepare other toppings (herbs, dried cranberries, feta, etc).
  7. Add grain, veggies, greens, pistachios, herbs, dried fruit, and feta to large bowl, reserving some herbs and nuts for garnish. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper if desired.
  8. Serve, garnishing with additional herbs and nuts.
Categories
Family Friendly Snacks

Vegan Mozzarella

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Vegan Mozzarella

We love this cheese! We needed a way to satisfy our craving for mozzarella cheese but without the processed flavor and unhealthy fats found in store-bought vegan cheese.   

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons tapioca starch

Instructions:

  1. Boil 2 cups of water, pour over the cashews and let soak for at least 5 minutes.
  2. Drain the cashews, and add to a blender along with ¾ cup fresh water, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and tapioca starch. Blend until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. The mixture will be watery.
  3. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring consistently and scraping up the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon.
  4. Within a few minutes, the mixture will start to get clumpy. Stir constantly until it suddenly becomes thick and smooth and sticks together in a clump. Remove from the heat.

Variations:

  • If you would like a stretchy smooth cheese for topping pizza or lasagna, use right away, placing dollops on top of the lasagna at the end of cooking. For pizza, spread on top of the sauce layer before baking.
  • If you would like a consistency like a fresh mozzarella ball, place a portion into a small cup or container and freeze overnight. Defrost and use sliced for caprese salad (as shown here) or to satisfy that craving for cheese and crackers.  
Categories
Family Friendly Mains Pasta

Chili Mac

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Chili Mac

This is sure to become a family favorite.

Makes 10 (1 cup) servings

 

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces dry elbow macaroni noodles
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 medium red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 8-ounces vegetarian ground beef substitute or 4 veggie burgers, chopped or crumbled
  • 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 15-ounce can kidney beans, undrained
  • 15-ounce can corn, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions:

  1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
  2. Heat water in a large pan over med-high heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Push onions to the side of the pan.
  3. Add bell pepper and vegetarian beef. Cook until beef is lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Mix in tomatoes, garlic, beans and corn with their liquid, chili powder, and cumin. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
  5. Add cooked pasta and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more chili powder for additional spice if desired.
Categories
Breakfast Family Friendly Mains

Vegetable Frittata

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Vegetable Frittata

Vegetable Frittata

Family friendly and a great way to use up any extra vegetables! Top with chopped fresh tomatoes, salsa or red sauce.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Vegetables

  • 2 cups finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, or zucchini (or a combination)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 cup tightly packed finely chopped greens (spinach, kale, collards, etc)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
  • 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced (optional for top decoration)

Batter

  • 1 1/2 cups chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt or thick cashew cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 heaping teaspoon kala namak (Indian black salt provides egg flavor)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme finely chopped)

Serving

  • 1 large tomato, finely chopped (or salsa or red sauce)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch pie pan.
  2. Batter: In a blender (or bowl with whisk), combine the flour, water, yogurt, salt, kala namak, turmeric, cayenne, pepper, and oil. Blend until smooth. 
  3. Add the finely chopped vegetables to the batter. Add the cilantro or parsley and thyme and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie pan and top with sliced tomatoes if desired.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean. The top will crack and get golden. Spray or brush some oil on the top of the frittata while it is still hot. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before serving (this is important to allow the frittata to set up).
  4. Serve topped with chopped tomatoes or sauce.

Recipe adapted from Vegan Richa.