Happy New Year!

Well it's 2009 and after a fun Hawaiian vacation without much chance to cook,
I'm happy to be back in my kitchen.
So to bring luck and prosperity for the New Year, I decided to make some vegetarian black-eyed peas (sans hamhock), greens, and some cornbread.
Central Market had some nice fresh black-eyed peas that only take 15 minutes to cook.
Our garden is full of kale, tatsoi, spinach, bokchoy so instead of the traditional collard greens I made a green combo.
For the cornbread, I modified The Vegan Lunchbox recipe sent in by our own VNA members,
Amy and Candace. I just love sweet cornbread and agave nectar is just more affordable than maple syrup nowadays.
I have come to the realization that despite lots of smoked paprika and spices, black-eyed peas are not my favorite legume and next year I will probably not go Southern but with another tradition, from China: Noodles for Long Life.

This year I hope to post at least weekly. I have about 300 photos from last year and only a handful of blog entries, but soon that will change. I look forward to sharing with all of you Nature's bounty and wish you a healthy and happy 2009.

Cristina

Free The Chicken Noodle Soup

freethechickensoup, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

What's a vegetarian to do when they get sick since chicken noodle soup is not an option? Drink a green smoothie you say?
Yes, yes, that's all fine and dandy....but I don't like feeling cold.
So I make Free The Chicken Noodle Soup.
It's even free of soy and fake meaties.
What's the secret...love. :)
You will find the love when I finally publish a cookbook!

Happy & Healthy School Lunches

laptoplunch1108, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

It’s November now and you must have packed at least 2 months worth of kid’s lunches. Have you been caught in the routine of feeding the same ham & cheese sandwich on white bread, Doritos, and juice box to your child for lunch? Are you wondering how you can add more veggies to you child’s diet?

We all know that having the proper food will help your child’s body to grow and give him the necessary nutrients so he can learn. I’m here to help you think creatively about giving your child a healthy lunch, whether at school or at home. Please no Lunchables!
You’ll save $$$ too!

Let’s talk about how your kid brings his lunch to school. Prepackaged meals, Ziploc bags, juice boxes, and even paper bags create a lot of waste. Go green and get a lunchbox. Even before there was this buzztalk about the environment, that’s just what people did...used a reusable container, like a handkerchief, or metal box.
We recommend the Laptop Lunchbox because it is slim and has 4 different compartments and a sauce container, that fit neatly into the “laptop”. It easily holds a
variety of lunch goodies and all the food just looks so adorable that way.
Cute Japanese bento boxes or stainless steel tiffins from India, bring your lunch practically and in style. For hot soup, spaghetti and dinner leftovers, you’ll do yourself a favor by getting a hot food thermos. The Laptop Lunch brand offers a stainless steel version. Lastly, it’s important to get enough water. If you can break the habit of giving your child sugary juice drinks, I would highly recommend it. Even 100% organic juice just adds extra calories and sugar. A stainless steel water bottle or a BPA-free plastic one will keep your child hydrated. Having a point-of-use water filter at home will make it easier to give your child water with less contaminants than in the tap. Toss in a cloth napkin and you’ve got virtually nothing to throw away!

Now for what you can put in that nifty lunch box. 
 
*There’s no need to have peanut butter and jelly everyday. Your child likes it you say? Why not try almond butter, cashew butter, or even nut-free sunflower butter?
Try all-fruit preserves made without corn syrup. Go beyond grape or strawberry....they
might just like boysenberry!

*Dinner leftovers - These are the easiest to pack because they require no planning and are usually healthier than pre-packaged snacks from the store. Mom’s love is included!

*Give them some cooked rice, a couple veggie sticks, and some nori seaweed sheets
 and they can make their own sushi. How cool is that! Seaweed sprinkles with veggies and sesame seeds that make these taste extra good as would a tiny container of soy sauce.

*Try ethnic pocket foods! Tacos, quesadillas, samosas, eggrolls, pierogis,
 calzones, gyoza are all hand-friendly.

*Dips - Children like to dip. It’s a well known fact. Any veggies become more likely to be eaten if they can be dipped in a sauce. Hummus is high protein and saturated fat free. You can also make a ranch style dip by blending soft tofu with fresh basil & dill, lemon juice, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

*Soup - Nothing warms a child like soup. Make a huge pot at home and you can freeze individual portions. Most canned soups will be high in sodium. With a side of whole wheat organic crackers made with flax seeds you have the perfect lunch for on a cold day.

Desserts? You say your child won’t be happy without a Ding Dong?
Too much sugar lowers a child’s immune system and can cause blood-sugar related slumps and behavior problems.
If you must give something sweet, try fresh fruit or a homemade muffin made with
fruit and reduced sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners aren’t the answer easier.
Try brown rice syrup, agave or stevia. Nobody *needs* desserts and even Cookie Monster is now saying that cookies are a “sometimes” food.

The best way to promote healthy eating anytime is to eat healthy as parents and take time to eat together. Let them help you make their lunch. Wake up an extra 10 minutes early to make sure you have time or even better make lunches the night before.
Have healthy choices always available and don’t be tempted to buy foods that don’t support you or your child to eat better. Talk to your children about healthy choices, how
eating healthier makes you feel great, and how it makes everyone in the family happier.

For more vegetarian lunch inspiration, check out this awesome blog that has won many web and blog awards, The Vegan Lunchbox

Save the Bee Birthday

My daughter decided she wanted to help "Save the Bees" after hearing about how bees were dying from pesticide use and other environmental changes. We have a nice veggie and flower garden and often see bees pollinating flowers. A neighbor down the street has a few hives so we find ourselves fortunate.
So I asked her if she would like to have a "Save the Bees" birthday party when she turned 4.
It was great fun! A bunch of kids from her Waldorf-inspired preschool showed up and played games like "Pin the Bee on the Flower", and "Bring the Pollen Grain to the Hive (carry a yellow pompom on a spoon to a basket)". I made a beehive cake with honey icing and decorated with flowers from our garden. All the kids got a goody bag with bee stickers, and beeswax for modeling. We asked for no gifts but if anyone wanted to make a donation to my daughter's "Save the Bee Fund" it would go to a good cause.
We sent a $25 donation to Penn State's Honeybee and Pollinator Research program
Hooray for veggie kids birthdays that aren't full of cheap media characters!

Featured on Relish Austin

I was just featured on Relish Austin, a great foodie blog offered by Addie Broyles for the Austin American Statesman. It was supposed to complement a heavy meat grilling article put out for the July 4th holiday, when most Americans will be grilling burgers and hot dogs. If you would like to see some fennel-grilling and polenta-cutting action, check it out the article and video:
Relish Austin

Veganomicon's Seitan Piccata

seitanpiccatameal, originally uploaded by veggiebytes.

This was a great meal and something I've never seen attempted in any other veggie cookbook.
The Piccata sauce was very tasty with olives and capers! Even though this is supposed to be an Italian dish served over pasta or polenta, I think the PPK girls did it justice with the mashed potatoes....I am a potato lover after all....eating rice at almost every meal growing up made potatoes a novelty for me. :)
Anyway, the photo above is the dish not plated.
Here it is in its fancy "I-should-be-at-the-Millenium" version with the haricots verts standing up.

So many pics..so little time

Alas! I have so many pictures of beautiful vegetarian food, but so little time to put them up!
Probably close to 75 meals have not been added due to the fast ticking of the clock.
Is it bad blog technique to backtrack for more than a month or should I just start fresh, like Springtime?

Anyway, above is a picture of a wonderful cake I made for my hubby's 34 B-day.
The chocolate cake part comes from Vegan Fusion Cuisine's Big Momma Freedom Cake.
Very moist and not overly sweet. I added some fresh organic strawberries and TruWhip, Cool Whip's Hip Cousin. It's not vegan (has some casein) but its a far healthier alternative to whip cream or the trans-fatty fake stuff.