VegMoms

Monday It’s Vegan Night! An all-American, stick to your ribs BBQ Tofu and mashed potatoes meal at http://bit.ly/c9IU2y

Monday’s Speedy Vegan… Irish Steel Cut Oats with Blueberries. A frugal, fast breakfast that’s healthy and hearty, easy and delicious. And that’s no blarney! (This recipe is from my new book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Eating for Kids.”)

Sweetened Steel-Cut Oats

Yield: 2 servings

Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 1 cup

1 cup water

[1/4] cup steel-cut oats

1 cup plain soymilk

2 TB. pure maple syrup

2 TB. walnuts or pecans

2 TB. raisins, chopped dried apricots, dried apples, or dates

      1. In a small saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Pour in oatmeal and stir.

      2. When oatmeal begins to thicken, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, removing lid to stir occasionally.

      3. Remove from heat, and divide oatmeal into 2 bowls. Over each bowl, pour [1/2] cup soymilk, drizzle 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon walnuts or pecans and 1 tablespoon preferred dried fruit. Serve immediately.

Monday’s Speedy Vegan … Are you in a boring breakfast routine? Do you grab a coffee and cereal, toast, oatmeal or, worse yet, a donut every morning without even realizing what you’re choosing or why? I was talking to a friend recently about how breakfast has become the autopilot meal that just doesn’t inspire me anymore. I’m not excited about breakfast, unless I have a weekend day to really go all out on preparing a deluxe brunch, which doesn’t happen very often. She suggested I give Mochi a try, so I did. These little vegan organic sweet brown rice squares knockout the donut any day of the week. In less than 15 minutes, I cut this hard block of brown rice into one-inch squares, put them in the over for 8 minutes and watched them puff up (cool!) into these little pastry-like healthy bite size breakfast wonders. After removing them from the oven, cut a little slice into the sides of each and spoon jam (I used blueberry), vegan cream cheese or coconut yogurt into the airy little pockets in each. A decidedly un-boring breakfast I can feel good about… I can see it now: A Dunkin’ Mochi franchise coming to a corner near you. For more info on Mochi go to: grainaissance.com

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: I grew up in Wisconsin, so that means my affection for dairy foods — especially ice cream — runs deep. Is there anything better on a chilly winter evening than some hot cocoa or, for ice cream fanatics like myself, a hot fudge sundae?

Eating vegan doesn’t mean you have to give up those guilty pleasures, it just means you have to give up some of the guilt! There’s a lot of reasons why eating a lot of dairy products may not be so great for your health, and even more reasons why dairy products that come from factory farms isn’t the most environmentally friendly choice. A recent report from the BBC said, “The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (says) livestock production, dominated in the West by large-scale factory farming, is responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions; a bigger share than all of the world’s transport.”

That’s a shocker to me, and creates a real dairy dilemma. It’s not the cows that create concern, in my view. It’s the intensive factory farming practices that feed them unnatural diets creating even more gas than the animals would naturally.

On that lovely cow flatulence note… let’s get back to dairy-free ice cream sundaes!

This recipe for warm chocolate sauce, a perfect topper to rice or soy ice cream, comes from Silk, makers of my very favorite soy coffee creamer:

1 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips (look for soy lecithin, not milkfat, as the preferred ingredient)
3/4 cup Silk Original Creamer
1 tsp vanilla extract (I always go for real, not imitation)

In a small saucepan over low heat, heat chocolate chips and Silk original creamer, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Don’t forget your favorite nuts, a sliced banana and maybe even some strawberries or a cherry on top!

Monday’s Speedy Vegan: One of my best girlfriends gave me a subscription to Real Simple magazine for my birthday. It was a fun surprise to receive a magazine that I’ve always liked to look at in the supermarket checkout aisle but to which I didn’t expect to ever subscribe. I really like it. Another fun surprise about this magazine is the yummy, simple recipes it includes in the “Five Easy Dinners” section each month that can either be easily veganized or are vegan or vegetarian from the get-go. The March issue included a vegan (they called it “vegetarian” … a lot of mainstream magazines seem too skittish about using that radical VEGAN word, even when it fits) Cuban Black Beans and Rice that is absolutely delicioso and speedy.

The elements I altered from the printed recipe: I used dried black beans (which are easy and speedy to boil up); I changed the amount of red wine vinegar (I added LOTS more than the recipe recommends for extra kick); I used frozen peppers; I added some green olives for more color and coolness; and I took out the onions and radishes to make it kid friendly.

Cuban Black Beans and Rice (serves 4)
1 c. long-grain white rice
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup bell peppers (I use frozen mixed red, green and yellow)
2 cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 lb dried black beans
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1. Soak the dried beans according to the quick soak (boil) method on the package. Then cook them to softness using the same directions. 
2.When beans are soft, cook the rice according to the directions.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil, garlic and peppers over med high heat.
4. Add the spices and beans.
5. Add water if necessary, by 1/2 cup at a time until thick, not soupy. (I didn’t have to add any water from using the water to boil the dried beans.)
6. Add the vinegar and smash some of the beans with the back of a fork or potato masher to thicken. Heat for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Serve over rice and sprinkle with halved green olives.