My sweet friend, Melanie, sent me this book a while back along with another Vegan must have: The Veganomicon.  I have loved having these books!

Here is the best pasta sauce!  (I may even like it as much as my homemade marinara!)

Italian Style Pasta (Adapted from The Gluten Free Vegan)

1 tsp olive oil

1 large onion

¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers

¼ cup sundried tomatoes

5-6 cloves garlic

½ cup drained and chopped artichoke hearts

1 diced fresh tomatoes

1 cup washed spinach and chopped spinach (sub kale if you are eating high cruciferous)

¼ cup white wine

3 T chopped fresh basil

½ cup pine nuts

20 kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

Brown rice pasta, cooked (if gluten free)

Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and saute’ until soft.  (when cooking with less oil, like this recipe, if the veggies start to stick, keep a cup of water nearby and splash a bit in every so often).  Add the red peppers, sundried tomatoes and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes.  Then add the spinach or kale and cook a bit longer.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until heated through.  Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. 

The beauty of this recipe is that I keep most of these ingredients in my fridge/freezer/pantry.  I buy kalamatas, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, and pine nuts in bulk from Costco.  And there is no real cooking involved.  Except for the onions, the rest is just heating.  So cook your pasta while you throw this together and you have a healthy, vegan meal!

I served this to a friend who kept some sauce to top her vegan pizza and said it was fabulous.  So heck, use it as a pizza sauce or whatever you want!

My sweet friend, Gretchen, and I cook for each others’ families every other week.  We live only a street away, cook similarly in regards to nutrition, and both love to experiment!  It is FABULOUS!  I think everyone should find a neighbor or a good friend to share dinner duty.  It is awesome.

A few months ago, she made spring rolls.  They were wrapped in rice paper, and are gluten free!

After my splurge on produce this weekend, we thought this may be a fun thing to do as a family. We had no recipe…just some fresh ingredients. I am NO expert in rolling, as my ugly rolls will show.  But they were SO yummy!  The kids ate vegan and had no idea.  They rate every meal I make.  This one got a 100 (scale of 1 - 10) from one kid and a 6 from my picky eater.  This is quite exciting!

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

A Carrot

An Avocado

A Cucumber

Cilantro Sprigs

Cooked brown rice

Gluten Free Teriyaki sauce

Rice Spring Roll wrappers

Variety of dipping sauces

Thinly chop all veggies (except cilantro).  Once your brown rice is cooked, add some Teriyaki sauce to give it some flavor.

Take a pie pan and fill with warm water from the tap. 

Soak a rice sheet in the water then lay it on a damp dish towel.

Take a scoop of rice and lay it in the middle on the bottom, about ¼ of the way down.

Lay down some of each of the veggies.

Lay sides of rice paper in the middle.  Roll the bottom up and then roll the entire thing. (we were actually having a lot of fun, despite the serious looks on our faces! We look hysterical!)

Dip in a variety of sauces!!!  Here are our gluten free choices.  

Enjoy your veggies!!

Remember my addiction?  You know, the whole marinara thing? Well, I have a new one. I have made 4 batches of it in two weeks.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  And it, too, is TOMATO!!!! Evidently, I have a thing for lycopene.

And here it is!  

Vegan Roasted Tomato Basil Soup (adapted from Chow.com)

INGREDIENTS

• 6–6 1/2 pound tomatoes, cut into chunks (any that look juicy and good)
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped (sometimes blended in my blender instead)
• 2 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cups fresh whole basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Arrange the cut tomatoes on a large (10×16-inch) baking sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with 1/4 cup olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss with your hands until the tomatoes are evenly coated with oil, then arrange them cut side up; they should fill the pan completely. Place in oven and roast the tomatoes for 50 minutes. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.
3. Warm the rest of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft and slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes and sauté for one more minute. Carefully pour in all the tomatoes and their juices. Add the basil and thyme. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Blend the soup in batches in the blender, pouring finished soup into a clean saucepan or bowl.  Once blended, it looks all creamy and orange. 
5. After all batches are in the serving bowl, salt to taste.  Keep adding kosher salt until it tastes just right.  I add a lot.  :)

I was so overwhelmed with the veggies I had and really just went with my instinct on what to make and how to make it.

Please read this recipe through before starting. It is a little bit of a juggling act.  Risotto is always best made with a helper. 

I made it today after getting all of these fresh veggies from the Farmer’s Market.  I am trying to just let the food guide me as to how to prepare each thing.  Thanks to some awesome cookbooks from: Nutritious Eats, I was able to read about some different veggies and prep ideas and put together this recipe.

So here is my creation (which I think you should try….vegan or not!): Vegan butternut squash, red chard, and roasted red pepper risotto!

Olive Oil

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 yellow onion, chopped

2-3 large leaves of red chard (and stalk) chopped

1 handful purslane, chopped

2 medium sized butternut squash

1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

64 oz veggie broth

White wine (1/2 cup or more…you choose!)

Toasted pine nuts (toast on 350 for 5 minutes)

Preheat oven to 400.  Stem and slice butternut squash in half, scoop out seeds, and lay cut side down on a greased pan.  Add cut red bell pepper to the pan.  Roast these together for 35 - 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, do 3 things. 

1) Heat veg broth to a boil and lower to a simmer.

2) Heat olive oil and add rice until starting to brown (and maybe pop).

3) Heat olive oil in another pan and start sauteing the onions.

Once your rice is brown, add the veg broth, one hot scoop at a time.  Stir until the liquid is absorbed.  This will take a while. As you get toward the end of the broth, test for doneness. You may or may not need all of that broth. Somewhere during that process, pour in some white wine in place of the broth.  This really enhances the flavor.

As you are doing this, add the cut chard and the purslane to the onions and cook down, adding some Kosher salt as you cook.  This will help coax the water out of the veggies. The red stems will maintain a little crunch, but really cook those suckers down!

Once the veggies from the oven are roasted, skin and chop the butternut squash and chop the red pepper.  Add these veggies to the onion mixture and saute a bit.  Taste for seasoning.

Once the rice is done, remove from the heat and add this veggie mixture.  Top with toasted pine nuts and some parm, if you are not vegan!

Wondering WHAT THE HECK Purslane is???  Me, too!  But evidently it is the highest plant form of Omega 3’s!  Yay!  For more, read here: Purslane.  I bought some at the market today.  It is trickier getting Omega 3’s now because fish oil is not exactly vegan. :)

Eat well! 

“Okay, you are off Methotrexate.  Consider that over.  You can’t live like this”  Yay!  But wait, now what?

Now I am on a new medication.  It is a very potent drug that stays in your liver for 2 years.  I don’t believe it is prescribed lightly b/c of the side effects.  But the hope is that the side effects are better than the negatives of Lupus.  I almost laughed out loud as I was perusing Whole Foods looking for the most natural and best ways to eat and live.  It just feels odd to do that then come home to take a drug that is potent and can mix quite dangerously with the drug I just stopped taking last week.  Oh, and I don’t even want to admit how many pills of different things I take each day.  Totally embarrassing.  I am like an 80 year old!

He also told me that I can’t get off steroids yet. Boooooo!  5 months of those boogers and I am ready to leave them behind.  But we will reevaluate in a few months and see if I can stop them.  In the meantime I go in for blood tests to make sure my liver can handle it.  Main side effects are stomach related.  Nothing new here!

Life has not been easy lately.  I have not had a day free of stomach aches and mental confusion and all of the other junk in SO long.  Honestly, I can’t even remember what it feels like to not be sick.  I look like I am my normal self.  I keep up an outwardly normal life.  But I don’t do this to deceive.  It’s my life and I want to do as much as I can to love my family well, love my friends well, keep my body healthy, and hang on for it to be free from this disease.

I am keeping up with all of my classes.  Doc is happy for me to keep exercising.  He is just so wonderful.  Every time I talk to him, he just makes me feel NORMAL!  My latest oddity is that I find myself regularly pushing in on my body deep, deep into my muscles until it hurts.  I clench my jaw, as well, until it hurts.  He reassured me that it was just a way for my body to relieve pain.  By inflicting it.  Odd, right?  So he wants me to get MASSAGES!!!  And they are covered by insurance!!!  So sad for me, huh?!?! :)

One more thing: I got a new job!  I am still at Gold’s, of course, but am now teaching a Pilates class at a fancy, schmancy spa on Thursday mornings after the kids are in school.  So good for my body, and maybe I will even get a discount?  A girl can dream!

Last random note, we have taken our entire house gluten free. If you know anything about gluten, you may know that going gf means literally every bit of gluten needs to be gone.  So we are going there.   We made homemade gf cinnamon rolls today. SO delish.  (did YOU know having cinnamon rolls does not mean a stomach ache??  Because honestly, I thought everyone had one after eating those!). None of us miss gluten one bit.  Some day I will share recipes for vegetarian and gf foods…and even ideas for teaching kids to cook and yummy other things.  Today, I rest and take care of the things right in front of me.  Like these sweet 3 people :)

Want to try crispy kale?  My picky eater even liked it!

Preheat oven to 375.  Rinse, dry, and chop kale.  I removed the thick stem.  Place kale on a sheet pan and toss in olive oil and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.  Be generous.  I also used a garlic press and held it right over the kale.  I tossed it in with my hand.  Then bake for 15 minutes.  If it is crunchy, it is ready!  Feel free to eliminate the garlic.  They will be more kid friendly that way.

What about roasted sweet potatoes?

Preheat oven to 425.  Peel sweet potatoes and then chop into french fry type slices.  Toss in olive oil and s and p.  Roast until the edges are turning brown and it is getting crispy.  Call them fries, and your kids will love you :)

Or try this for a tasty avocado dip:

Take frozen mangoes and pineapples.  Throw a few in your food processor.  Add some freshly squeezed lime juice and sea salt and pepper. Process.  Then add an avocado or two and blend on pulse. Keeping as many chunks as you like.  Taste for seasonings.  Serve with a spoon or with Beanitos or even tortilla chips.  This keeps really well in the fridge if you cover with saran wrap, pressing the wrap against the dip. All four of us ate this last week for a meal.  Dani was hesitant until she saw the other 3 of us talking about how great it was.  Then she dug in and liked it, too!  Don’t under season, though!

Have you ever tried Beanitos?  They are chips.  But they are made of black beans and some rice.  They are sooooooo good!!!  The kids love them.

Today, we served all four of us the carrot, split pea, leek soup I talked about in the last post.  I knew going in to it that it would be a long shot to get the kids to even try the soup.  So before we sat down, I told them both that I would give them a square of my beloved chocolate if they finished their bowls.  This chocolate that I was offering is nothing to take lightly and they KNEW it!  For this is “Mama’s Chocolate.”  They know better than even asking for some.  My current favorite is this: http://www.lindtusa.com/product-exec/product_id/353/category_id/5/nm/A_Touch_of_Sea_Salt_Bar

Amazingly, Reid dug in, rubbing his tummy saying, “yummy!”  Naturally, Daniella was a bit more apprehensive.  But the dark chocolate compelled her.  AND THEY BOTH ATE!  A victory in the Smith house.  Now no, they did not finish their bowls.  But they ate it.  With good attitudes.  So they got to share a square.

Don’t give up on your kids (or you!) eating healthy.  Just encourage, reward, and CONSTANTLY place healthful foods in front of them.  Often times it is reward enough for us to be so proud of the way they are eating.  And research shows over and over that simply placing it in front of them will lead to them eventually trying it and eating it.  Today called for the big guns.  And no, they won’t be coming out again any time soon. I am a bit possessive of that stuff!

I woke up feeling sad that I have not cooked for my family in a long time the way I used to.  And lately, I don’t ever have my kids with me in the kitchen.  So while Luck mowed the lawn, we made brunch.  I am on a hunt for new, good, gluten free recipes.

I like to use oat flour.  I have found that it does not taste gritty at all, like lots of gf flours do…it tastes like you are eating white flour!  And is much healthier.

I am no photographer!  My post is not an attempt to be like PW…that, my friends, is simply a dream.  But I actually love evaluating recipes based on seeing all the ingredients together.  I can decide quickly if I will like it.

Sorry…Reid is still in his boxers here.  It is what it is.  :)

This was Dani’s first time to actually cook on the stove.  After helping with the muffins, she took on the apple sausage.  I would post it, too…but it was not all that good. (SHE did a great job of flipping and heating, the actual brand of organic apple chicken sausage was less than wonderful)

Dry ingredients -
-2 cups gluten free oat flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp nutmeg
-1 cup raspberries

Wet ingredients-
-3 tbls oil (optional)
-4 tbls maple syrup (optional)
-2 mashed ripe bananas
-1 cup milk
-1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350

Add the lemon juice to the milk and let it sit while you do the next step.
Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix the berries with the dry ingredients.
Mix the rest of the wet ingredients together and then mix them together with the flour and berries. Be careful so that you don’t overmix which will result in not so good muffins.

Bake for 40 minutes or more….ours took quite a while.

They are MUCH flatter looking.  Certainly not the picture of muffin perfection.  But who cares when they taste good?!?!

The verdict:  We really liked them!  I love that the only sweetener in them is maple syrup.  They have the goodness of oat flour, bananas, raspberries, & coconut oil.  I did not tell my kids they were healthy so that they would evaluate them fairly and both they and Luck gave them great reviews! 

If your family is used to boxed muffins, this will let them down.  They do not have the high pitched sweet factor (not a real term, but you get my drift!) of pre-made or boxed muffins.  But they are hearty and delish!  The whole raspberries are sooooo good in there.  Gives them just the right tartness.  Next time, I will sprinkle a little natural sugar on top before baking to add that extra little touch.  Also, the original author of this used soy milk, cardamom, and quinoa flour.  Feel free to experiment for yourself!