What's for Dinner?--Roasted Eggplant Dip with Corn Chips and 25 Minute Tunisian Couscous

This is from Konnie:

Here's what we had for dinner one night a week or so ago.

Roasted Eggplant Dip--from The Top 100 Recipes for a healthy Lunchbox by Nicola Graimes (Kohls), served with corn chips

25-Minute Tunisian Vegetable Couscous http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/25-Minute-Tunisian-Vegetable-Couscous/Detail.aspx?prop31=5

Okay, I sort-of made the Couscous. I had a mushroom. I had some quinoa. I saw this recipe. I improvised. I didn't have the zucchini or cilantro. I didn't use the tomatoes or parmesan cheese (I read the reviews and adapted to some of the common suggestions.) I did add a little extra seasoning. And I just used regular paprika. It was pretty good.

I thought the eggplant dip was really yummy. So did Melanie. Everyone else thought it was too spicy. Next time, I'll cut back on the cumin a bit. Honestly, Mel and I mixed the two dishes and ate everything on the corn chips. It made a really nice, chunky salsa-type dip. I loved it the second day too.

Konnie

Artichoke, Mushroom, and Leek Crostini with Pesto

If I'm not mistaken, here is one of Sharon's favorite recipes. I believe she once told me if she wanted to convince someone to eat vegan, this is what she would make (Correct me if I'm wrong, Sharon:) ): http://www.oprah.com/food/Artichoke-Mushroom-and-Leek-Crostini-with-Pesto

I think she also likes these chocolate peanut butter cups:
http://www.oprah.com/food/Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Cups

A Couple of Treats

One of my family's new favorite treats is Cookie Dough Balls. Very simple, and completely yummy.

2/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup oats
2 Tbsp agave
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Blend oats and cashews in a blender or food processor. It will make a damp flour. Mix in sweeteners and vanilla to make a dough. Stir in chocolate chips. Roll into little balls of cookie dough. I found this recipe from loveveggiesandyoga.com, but I didn't want to link to it, because a few things on that site made me a bit uncomfortable and I didn't want to offend anyone. But her recipes are really, really good.

I'll share the link for one of our other favorite recipes, but warn you that there's one swear word in this cool online whole foods recipe collection that appears to be written by a couple of young boys. http://jonsiandalex.com/media/recipebook/ If you flip through the online pages (click and drag), we really like the Strawberry Pie--especially the crust made of nuts, dates, coconut, and coconut oil. The Best Chocolate Milk is good, too.

What's for Dinner--Broccoli and Kale Pesto

We got this recipe from wholefamilyfare.blogspot.com. Click here for the link.

This was an easy and tasty recipe. It got a "Wow, this is good!" from our pickiest eater. Ben liked it so much, he asked if we could have it once a week. The author of the recipe makes pesto with all sorts of greens (collards, chard, spinach) and with different nuts, even avocado. It's a yummy way to get a wider range of nutrients.

On the side we had one of our favorite salads: spinach, mango, strawberries, and pecans. Sometimes we add something new, just for a change. Tonight we added arugula and chia seeds. Other times we've added coconut or other berries or mandarin oranges.

Tonight's FHE Treat--Raw Vegan Donut Holes

from loveveggiesandyoga.com

1 cup ground flax seed
2 Tbsp maple syrup (not technically raw--you can substitute agave if you want)
Optional: dash cinnamon, vanilla, and 2 Tbsp coconut oil

Mix and divide into small balls. I loved them with all the optional add ins, but my kids would have preferred a little less coconut oil. Very easy and yummy treat.

Flax is a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids, micronutrients, fiber, and antioxidants. Coconut oil is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral.

Our other favorite treat from this site is Cookie Dough Balls. I'll post that recipe soon.

What's for Dinner?--Salad Wraps with Honey Lemonade Dressing

One of our new favorite foods is salad wraps. We just fill whole wheat tortillas with one of our favorite salads and dressings. Tonight was simpler with brown rice, garbanzo beans, mixed sweet baby lettuces, alfalfa sprouts, and honey lemonade dressing.

Here is the dressing recipe:

Honey Lemonade Dressing

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 heaping Tbsp honey (up to 1/2 cup to taste)
1 lemon (peeled) (or juiced)
1/2 tsp sea salt (or less)

Blend in blender until smooth. (The olive oil and the peeled lemon add a hint of bitter to the dressing. It's still really delicious, but I'm thinking of trying it with grape seed oil, which is milder, and with a juiced lemon instead of a peeled one, but I've read that lemon rind and lemon are great for fighting cancer.)

easy treat--Raw Balls from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

Raw Balls

Here is an easy, delicious treat that my family LOVES. It has no processed sugar, only maple syrup--which unlike refined sugar has some nutritional value. Maple syrup is a good source of manganese and zinc.

I know at least one of my friends doesn't eat chocolate, and this version actually calls for carob--another nutritious substitute--carob contains none of the stimulants and harmful side affects of chocolate, and "contains vitamins A, B, B2, B3 and D. It is also high in calcium, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium and contains iron, manganese, barium, copper and nickel"--http://www.living-foods.com/articles/rawcarob.html). I haven't tried carob yet, but I want to. We make these with cocoa.

Another Resource

My sister sent me a link to another great resource: Whole Family Fare

Every recipe on this site looks delicious. I've made some similar recipes with great results. I can't wait to try these.

What's for Dinner?--pumpkin waffles with lemon pear sauce

We love breakfast for dinner, but these are great for every meal. We like to make PB and J's on these for lunch, too.

Pumpkin Waffles --from Vegan with a Vengeance, by Isa Moskowitz

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (we use fresh ground wheat)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg (ground or freshly grated)
1/4 tsp cloves
2 cups rice or soy milk (we used almond)
1 (15 oz) can pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup brown sugar (we skip this)
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix and make according to waffle iron instructions. (We just mix our ingredients in our Vitamix, pour in the waffle iron, and cook till the light comes on telling us it's done.)

These are delicious with real maple syrup, but tonight we wanted to have dinner without any sugar, so we served them with the option to add apple sauce (no sugar variety) or homemade, raw lemon pear sauce, which Ben made up, and it was really delicious.

Lemon Pear Sauce

2 pears
1 lemon (juiced or peeled)

Blend and serve.

What's For Dinner?

We had coconut rice with stir fry veggies,thai peanut sauce, toasted unsweetened coconut, and toasted cashews, with sliced, raw fruit and vegetables on the side. The coconut rice was brown rice cooked in a can of coconut milk with enough water to make up the rest of the liquid, cooked with a cinnamon stick and the zest of 1 lime. This was really tasty, and easy to make.

I threw something unusual together for lunch today, too, but it was really good. I took a little whole wheat pasta, topped it with raw broccoli, peanuts, raisins, and kidney beans, and drizzled it with homemade mustard-dill vinaigrette (the one I made for potato salad). It had a yummy sweet and sour flavor. I've made something similar with a different dressing (honey mustard vinaigrette, I think) and carrots and sweet baby lettuce added to the rest. Pasta salad, heavy on the salad. It's one of my new favorite foods.

Menu Planning

Konnie asked if we could do occasional posts talking about "What's for Dinner?" to give each other ideas for menu planning. I thought that was a great idea. Yesterday my sister asked me to do some menu planning for a week of family meals, so I came up with 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Right now, my family eats simpler than this, mostly focusing on one big meal a day with toast for breakfast and leftovers or sandwiches for lunch, but maybe this list will give you some ideas.

7 breakfasts (with fresh fruit, nuts for protein, and smoothies)

pumpkin cranberry scones
coconut mango muffins
peanut butter waffles
whole wheat toast with coconut oil and honey (or peanut butter for the sugar sensitive)
oatmeal
granola
biscuits and bean gravy

7 lunches (with sandwiches or bean (no queso) quesadillas)

jicama-watercress salad
broccoli carrot salad
garbanzo bean salad
potato-veggie salad
sweet potatoes and fresh fruit and vegetables
spinach-strawberry-mango-pecan salad
coleslaw

7 dinners (with more salads, legumes, fruit, and vegetables)

black bean soup with rice
thai peanut stir fry
pasta della california (from Veganomican, fettuccine with garlic-olive oil sauce with broccoli, avocado, and lime--very yummy)
Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice
Pineapple Quinoa Stirfry
Spaghetti with Marinara
Vegan chili

I can post any of these recipes if they sound good to you.

Jicama-Watercress-Avocado Salad with Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette

Here's a real recipe with actual measurements for a change. :) This is from Veganomicon by Isa Moskowitz and Terry Romero, with a few notes from me on how I alter the recipe for my family. I love this recipe for the delicious, fresh taste. I love jicama and watercress. Jicama is a prebiotic, similar to a probiotic, so it's good for you, and it tastes great, too. Watercress contains high amounts of iron, calcium, vitamins A and C, folic acid, and is a source of iodine too. I read a list of great health benefits from eating it, including thyroid help and suppression of cancer. With this salad, I could eat these great plants every day.

Dressing:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (juice of 1 navel orange)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
2 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp hot chile oil (I skip this for my kids sake)
2 Tbsp soy sauce (optional)
3 Tbsp sugar (I've skipped this or used agave or honey)
1 tsp sesame oil

Mix all ingredients, and let sit 10 minutes if using sugar, then mix again so that sugar is well dissolved.

Salad:
1 medium-sized jicama, peeled and shredded thinly (about 6 cups)
1/2 bunch watercress, roots removed
1 ripe avocado, peeled, cut in half, pitted, and sliced thinly
1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped coarsely

(We skip the onion and avocado, but I bet they'd be good.)

Optional garnishes:
Shredded carrots (We shred several carrots so they're part of the salad and not a garnish.)
Sprigs of mint or cilantro

Reserve 1/3 cup of dressing, and pour the rest over the shredded jicama (and carrots if you want them to be part of the salad rather than a garnish). Mix to coat. Put a bunch of watercress on a plate, top with a cup of jicama. Garnish with avocado, onion, peanuts, herbs, and carrots (if not mixing in with jicama). Drizzle with reserved dressing.