Migas

This is kinda like a mexican style frittata.  I have some beautiful veggies from my brothers garden and leftover corn tortillas, so migas for dinner.  This meal is vegetarian though could easily be made vegan by substituting the cheese and eggs for tofu.

I'm so lucky to have family with awesome gardens.  I'm making a lot of mexican style meals this week and things with potatoes because that's what I have.  I try to do my best to spend as little as possible to keep us on budget and find ways to use up what we have.

So, all the veggies for this dish we from the garden and I added herbs from my herb pot. And the eggs are from my mother in-law.  Those are the only eggs we use.

This is a simple yummy meal for breakfast or dinner.  I served the migas with a side of fried potatoes with herbs, and some salsa, and sour cream.  Also, I dice stuff really small because I have a one year old, but you don't have to do so.

Serves 3  Adjust amounts for your family

Ingredients:
4 corn tortillas cut into strips
1 serano pepper seeded, stemmed and diced
1 tiny red onion diced
1 half of a small white onion diced
2 small tomatoes diced
4 beaten eggs
1/2 cup or less of cheddar cheese
a little olive oil for pan
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half lime (optional)
chopped cilantro (optional)

Cut torillas in half and then in strips. Fry until golden.
Add pepper and onions for about 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes for another 2 minutes.
Add in your beaten eggs and just when they're about set, top with how much cheese you want.
Cover until cheese is melted, sever hot

It's yummy and easy, try it!

Vanilla Ginger Cupcakes With Lime Glaze

So, I had some ginger and I didn't want it to go to waste so I came up with these yummy vegan treats!

All baking I do is vegan and most things I cook are as well. 

Anyway,  these are easy and yummy! Make sure you fill the cupcake tin evenly.  They rise a lot, but that's okay!

I would say I had about an inch or so piece of fresh ginger. You just have to peel and grate.  It's easiest to grate in a food processor.  Just remove any chunks after that didn't get chopped.

Ingredients:

1 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup grated fresh ginger (if there's more that's ok, I wouldn't use less though.  Grate in food processor)
3 tsp vanilla
2 tbl spoons of vegetable oil
zest from 1 lime
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 cup vanilla almond milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 350
add flours, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon to large mixing bowl. Stir together. Grate your ginger and add to bowl along with the rest of the ingredients.  Use a silicone spatula to mix gently, but completely.

Line cupcake tin with baking cups or spray with a non stick spray.
Fill all cupcake holders evenly about two thirds full or less, these rise a lot.
Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely


Lime Glaze

Ingredients:
juice from 1 juicy lime
1 tsp vanilla
9 Tbl spoons of powder sugar

Method:
In a small bowl add lime and vanilla; stir together
Add sugar and few tbl spoons at a time and wisk together.
It will get thicken once you have added all the sugar


Using a butter knife cut a slit in to every cupcake about half way through.  Doing this will allow the glaze to fall into the center of the cupcake, which makes for a tasty surprise!  Spoon the glaze generously over each cupcake.
The longer they sit, the better it absorbs and the better they taste!!
Enjoy!!

Beety Not Meaty Burgers

So, these are the Best veggie burgers I have ever eaten.  It is also the first time I have ever made homemade veggie burgers.  They taste eerily like meat, it's crazy!  My husband does not like beets usually and he said he likes these better than real burgers.  He's not a vegetarian so that was huge!


I get beets from my parents and in-laws garden, so I can't wait to make huge batches and freeze them at the suggestion of my sister in-law.  Which is a great idea because when I find something this yummy I want to share it with everyone!  

So, make these!! They're easy and delicious.  There are a lot of steps, but they are pretty simple. And soooooo worth it!  I've been dreaming about eating these again, ever since we had them for dinner a few nights ago.  Oh, and they are healthy!  They're filled with legumes and whole grains, as well as beets which are great for you! This recipe is closely adapted from here.  http://www.thekitchn.com

Hope you try!


Makes 5-7 Beet Burgers
Ingredients:

3/4 cup short grain brown rice
1 1/2 cup cooked black beans.  I used dried,  but you can use canned; drained and rinsed.
2-3 medium beets diced  The small to medium ones taste best
1/4 of a large red onion diced
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 lemon juiced
2-3 Tbl spoons olive oil
2 Tbl spoons cider vinegar
2 Tbl spoons parsley minced
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl spoons all purpose flour



Method:
Put a large amount of water into a pot and boil with a handful of salt.
Cook rice until it is soft; about 40 mins, drain and set aside
Put black beans into a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork
In a pan saute onion with a little olive oil until clear, add beets and cook until soft
add garlic to pan and cook just until fragrant.
Deglaze pan with vinegar.
Add rice and beet mixture to bowl with black beans.  Stir together.
Add everything else except flour.
Salt and Pepper to taste and once you like the flavor add the flour
Stir until flour is mixed in

Heat a large skillet to medium with a coating of olive oil.

Make sure the pan is really hot because you want a char on your burgers.
While your pan is getting hot, get your toppings and buns ready.
I made a few different ones and we shared.
I made a few with vegan cheddar slices and shredded lettuce.
Some with mashed avocado and tomato.
Just experiment, they will be delicious no matter what you top them with.

 Form burgers in your hand, and when you put them on the skillet they should sizzle.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Add your cheese once you flip if you like.
Eat hot and Enjoy!!

So, I got so excited for this first one that it went on the floor

My husband said I should share that.
I did not freak out though, it was just sad for a second.
I forgot once I tasted the deliciousness!!

 I just made these and had to take more pictures.  They are so insanely good!!

Tomato and Corn Gazpacho

So, this is my first time eating or preparing a cold soup.  I really liked it, and my hubby like it also.  However, next time I make it I will use a little less water so it is slightly thicker and maybe more olive oil .  I got this recipe from Good Morning America when they had Carol Alt on.  She just did a raw book called Easy Sexy Raw.  A great refreshing summer soup, I highly recommend, and very easy.  It would be a great appetizer for a dinner party or main course.

I got some beautiful veggies from my brothers garden and decided to saute up some zucchini he gave me also.  I also used a little tomato and some garlic of his.  This is what the baby and I had for lunch.

I just used a little olive oil and some vegan butter for the zucchini.


Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
2 large tomatoes; seeded and roughly chopped
1 cup of water or less
2 tbl spoons of cold pressed olive oil and more for drizzling
1 garlic clove
dash of salt
dash of fresh pepper
1 tsp of lime zest
2 tbl spoons of lime juice; about 1 lime
1/4 cup of chopped basil plus leaves for garnish


This is so easy, did I mention that.
Just throw everything in the blender.  That's it

Pour into bowls and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and garnish with basil leaves.

Simple and delish!!

Baby Food Ideas and Cloth Diapers

This is me and my angel, Daphne when she was just born.  Anyone who is about to be a mom or will be a mom at some point, I encourage you to make the decision to breastfeed.  Do a lot of research beforehand ( I even watched videos) and prepare yourself, it makes things easier if you have the idea set in your head that there is no other way to feed and nourish your precious child.

It's not weird, or gross, it's a beautiful experience, that I hope you do as long as you can stand it.  At least a year.  Daphne is now 16 months old and we are still going.

 I'm slowing cutting her back to nursing just before naps and bedtime, and sometimes in between.  She's teething really bad so I've been letting her nurse a little more.  I nursed her with in 30 minutes of being born, and never put a schedule on feeding her.  I have until lately, just fed her when she needed it.  Tiny babies want to nurse even when they aren't hungry for the comfort, and I believe giving infants what they want now makes them more confident and secure in the future.

I'm not an expert, but I've done a lot of research, as I usually do with most important things.  So, if anyone has any questions, I would be happy to give you my feelings, and opinions.I just feel that nursing your child is the most important first step in their precious life, as well as being healthy yourself of course.

Baby Food






Making your own baby food can be soo easy!  At first, babies hardly eat anything.  And as fun as it may be, try to hold off on feeding your little one until at least 6 months.  You can wait even until a year if you like.  Every mom may feel different.  As long as your giving your little one some homemade fruits, veggies, and grains it all good!

The first thing Daphne ate was some mashed up avocado with a lot of breast milk.  She loves food, and will eat almost anything.  She is a vegetarian as well, and I hope she makes the choice later on to stay that way.

So, start with simple one ingredient foods.  Start with yellow and green fruits and veggies like; banana, avocado, pears are great.  Once they start eating more ; apples, carrots and so on.  Then you can mix them once they eat them without a reaction 4 or 5 times.  We did a lot of homemade apple sauce with different mix ins.  Apples go with so much; like carrots, beets, and any fruit.  There are also, tons of great sites for baby food.  Did I mention you'll save a ton of Money!  And no preservatives, just all natural goodness.
Once your babe is eating regular, make a big batch and freeze in ice cube trays for up to a month.  Just pop out a couple the night before and your all ready for the whole day.  Okay, okay you get the point.

Here's some good sites for baby food ideas!

 http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/

http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/food/recipes/


Cloth Diapers


Check out these sites for some awesome deals on cloth diapers!
http://thegreennursery.com/cloth-diapers.html

http://www.modernnaturalbaby.com/

www.diapers.com

I highly recommend looking into and researching cloth diapering.  My husband just thanked me yesterday for talking him into the idea because we have saved hundreds of dollars.  My sister in-law told me I should have saved receipts to show how much we saved, and I wish I would have.  We started in January and it cost about 2 months or so worth of diapers to get everything we needed to do laundry about every 2 days.  We are on a really tight budget and sometimes we can't even pay all of our bills, so we I'm so happy we did this when we had a chunk of money to get started.  I looked into a lot of brands and we have two different kinds.

We use CharlieBanana and Flip Diapers

Can be hard, but all good things are a difficult at times!

Give it a try, also my little one looks awful cute her cloth dipes!!

Playing dress up and spin dancing.

She's a rascal!

Again, if any moms have questions or concerns, please ask.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pancakes

So, the title alone may give you an idea of how yummy this might be.  I was so excited to make these this morning, and I must say have made them like 3 times in the last week or so.  I'm kind of addicted to making these pancakes and changing the ingredients slightly to see what's best.  

This recipe is adapted from www.minimalistbaker.com 

Enjoy!!

My husband was all concerned cause he thought the banana in these pancakes would ruin it, but you can barely taste it.  The oatmeal makes them very thick and combined with the chocolate chips....just super yum!

These really don't need syrup, but I couldn't resist!

Makes 4-6 pancakes

Preheat large skillet to medium heat with 1 tbl spoon of veg or canola oil

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana 

1 tsp baking powder

1tsp vinegar ( I used apple cider)

pinch of salt

1 tsp of vanilla (or other extract, ive been using Frangelico)

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

6 tblspoons of vanilla almond milk; unsweetened

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3 tblspoons bittersweet choc chips; dairy free

Method:

In a large bowl, smash up banana well with baking powder

add vinegar, oil, salt, vanilla, and milk and stir

stir in oats and flour until just combined

fold in choc chips

Use a 1/4 cup to scoop onto skillet.  Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side

You can add some maple or agave syrup to the batter if you like, this time I didn't and it was still awesome!

I also added a few choc chips on top before serving.

Hope you like!

The Beginning...and Vegetarian Red Lentil Roast

This is my first post.  I've been wanting to start a blog for awhile, but blah busy blah life.  I'm a wife, mother and vegetarian.  I will probably post things about my adorable daughter, and hubby, and maybe even some crafties I'm doing.  Mostly it will be food.  I've been posting bad pics of yummy things on Twitter, but no recipes.   And now I have the blog, so here we go with the recipes.  Some are mine and some are adapted or completely taken from other sources, which I'll do my best to credit. Also, a lot of the things I post are dishes that I come up with to use what I have at home.  We don't have the financial luxury to buy any food we want, so I try to be creative with what I've got and shop minimally.  This can be hard when you are a vegetarian and eat mostly produce, but we make it work. Hope you enjoy!!
First recipe is the Red Lentil Roast that I adapted from my bag of Arrowhead Mills Red Lentils.

Okay, so just want to say right off that I am not a photographer.  My food pictures aren't great, and I only have one cause I just started.  I'll take more and hopefully get better as I go along.

Red Lentil Roast

1 cup Red Lentils plus 2 cups water
1/2 cup of short grain brown rice plus 1 cup of water(or any kind, or no rice and 1 1/2 cup red lentils)
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic chopped
1- 1 1/2 grated or shredded cheese (whatever you like or have on hand)
1 egg or egg substitute, beaten
2 tsp or more thyme
1 tsp or more parsley  (add what you like)
dash of paprika
1 tsp of dijon mustard

Rinse Lentils and rice and cook as directed, don't drain
Place in large mixing bowl
Saute onions and garlic until slightly browned
add to rice and lentils
add in remaining ingredients and stir.
place all in well oiled baking dish.
Bake at 375 for 35-40 mins.
Serve hot

Red Lentils can be really earthy tasting, but I really like them in this roast.  The cheese helped made it yummy, and the whole family like it!  It's always nice when the baby can eat what we are eating.  She is 16mnths old and eats vegetarian and mostly vegan.  She's eats really great, and loves fruits, veggies, and legumes.  At least for now.