Holiday Travel

The whole Vegan Family was on the road today to visit family for the Easter Weekend. Unlike our American neighbours, we get Friday and Monday off. It always struck me as weird that Americans did not get at least one day off for Easter, what with Easter being central to the Christian calendar, and what with "God Bless America" and all that. Anyway, we were treated to veggie chili upon out arrival, and it was so nice not to have to cook for one night. I am not sure what we will pull together for dinners over the next few days, but I will be sure to blog it if I can.

Chickpea Tostados

Happy Herbivore left a note the other day saying I should check out her chickpea tacos, that the boys would love them. Well, she was right. Of course, I made a few changes to suit the ingredients I had, and decided that tostados (fried tortillas) would be the perfect fit since you can pile the toppings up as high as you like. Happy Herbivore baked her chickpeas, so be sure to check out her recipe.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 2 tsp chili powder

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp salt

- juice of 1 lime

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over med-hi heat. Saute onions and garlic for 10 mins, until onions are a deep golden brown.

2. Add chickpeas and spices and mix well. Fry for at least 5 mins. I suggest reducing heat and letting the chickpea cook for a while to let the flavours develop. When chickpeas are done cooking, add lime juice and stir well. Serve.

3. Toppings are up to you. Here's what I did: chickpeas, roasted peppers, tomatoes, green onions, baby spinach, salsa, vegan sour cream, and shredded vegan cheese.

Hearty Broccoli Soup

A few days ago I asked Son#1 what he wanted for dinner and he said, "broccoli soup!" That was kind of weird. I mean, what kid asks for broccoli soup? Well, tonight Vegan Mom made his dreams come true with this tasty and hearty soup that is perfect for those days when there is still a chill in the air.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 rib of celery, diced

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets

- water

- 1 cup soy milk

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt margarine in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic for 5 mins, until onion is translucent. Add potatoes and three quarters of the broccoli florets. Add enough water to barely cover the veggies (some veggies should still be sticking out of the water). Bring to bubbling, lower heat, and cover and cook 15-20 mins, until veggies are very soft.

2. Blend veggies with a hand blender until smooth. Add soy milk and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in remaining florets and cook, uncovered, until florets are soft. Serve.

Easy Lemon Pudding Cake

You may remember that I made a lemon pudding cake a while ago that was really tasty but a bit complicated to make. Well, now I return with an equally tasty but far easier recipe. I have been experimenting over the last week or so (working my way through the discount lemons we bought) trying to get the right texture to the cake and right consistency to the pudding. So if you like a sweet but tangy dessert then this is the cake for you.

INGREDIENTS

Cake

- 1 cup flour

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup soy milk

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp lemon zest

- juice of 1 lemon

Sauce

- 1 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup flour

- 1 cup boiling water

- juice of 2 lemons

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get water boiling in a kettle

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, powder, soda, and salt in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together soy milk, oil, zest, and lemon juice. Add to flour and stir with a spoon until just mixed. Pour into a 8 x 8 pan and spread evenly.

2. Whisk together sugar and flour, then sprinkle evenly over batter.

3. Pour boiling water and lemon juice over top. Do not stir.

4. Bake for 40-45 mins, until top is golden and cake is cooked through.

A Foodless Post

One of the problems with having a blog is you rarely get a chance to relive old recipes because you always feel like you need to make something new. Tonight Vegan Mom made Tofurky Tettrazini because the kids love it and it is easy and tasty. So, tonight I thought I would do this survey thing that two people have tagged me to do. The point is to relate 5 things about you, then tag 5 people to do the same.

1. I have dual citizenship. I was born in the U.S. but have lived most of my life in Ontario, Canada. I consider myself Canadian, except when I cross the border. Then I wear red, white and blue, set my cell-phone to play “America the Beautiful” when it rings, wave my birth certificate at them, and get waved right through.

2. I went to school for 25 years straight. Of course, I got my PhD in the end, but when you think about being in school from age 5 to 30 it sounds kind of crazy. I didn’t get my first “real job” until I was 32. Awesome.

3. I am not cool. I have tried to be cool, wished I was cool, sometimes deluded myself into thinking I was cool, but never have obtained coolness. When people describe me, cool is not one of the adjectives they use. Punctual? Yes. Cool? No.

4. I love ABBA. (See #3)

5. I live a remarkably clean life. I have never been drunk; ingested, shot up, or smoked any controlled or illicit substance; or done anything remotely criminal. (See #3)

I am tagging: Two Vegan Sisters, Vegan Family Dinners, The Happy Herbivore, Veganalects, and Something About Penguins. I was going to tag Isa, but then totally chickened out.