Eggplant sandwiches
Broccoli
Raspberries and strawberries
Crackers with peanut butter and banana
Before we fall head long into fall, here is one more summer dinner. Ashton and Juliet snubbed their squash, but the baby and usual-squash hater Clayton loved it. Me, too.
Polenta cake bruschetta
Roasted zucchini and yellow squash
Plums
I used purchased refrigerated polenta, sliced and pan fried in oil. I chopped onions and a handful of garlic cloves in the chopper and then sauteed 'em. Added two cans of petite diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil. Simmered until flavorful, adding a package of basil, sliced toward the end. Easy and delish. I might try vegan Italian sausage and arugula with this next time. Yum! Side note...I wish my homemade polenta would firm up so well.
You?
8 comments:
Your food sounds and looks so delish! Where do you get your recipes?
I have finally made it in the farming world and grew some tomatoes! I haven't seen many red ones though as I pick them green, slice, dip them in flour (of your choosing) salt and pepper, pan fry in a little oil. I eat the whole plate of the fried green tomatoes myself. The browner they get the better they are, so for me I can't even mess them up.
I love your receipes Angela. Do you take the egg plant fresh and slice them or can you buy them already to fry? They sound so good. Add your kind of cheese and one of your special tomatoe sauces you make on top.....mmmmmmmm I am so hungry.
I need to ask you a few novice questions. What kind of chopper do you use? I have a little oscar but am thinking of getting something bigger, any suggestions? Also, what is polenta and do you steam the squash?
love you
As I mentioned on your other blog, all your talk of being vegan makes me curious as to what you guys eat so I came over to check it out.
I also thought I would "pick your brain" on something. My daughter has never had cow's milk and of course I get lots of eye brows raised at her Pediatrician's office about it. Of course she's never had ear infections or other baby/toddler sicknesses so thankfully I don't see the people in the Ped's office much anyway! :)
As for my question, since your children do not have dairy what do you do with your kids as far as calcium goes? I was giving my daughter soy milk for awhile but my MIL raised a lot of questions about the natural estrogen's in it and the fear of those causing early development/cancer, etc?
I know broccoli is a good source of calcium and we eat lots of it but I thought being vegan you might have some insight.
Any thoughts you can offer me would be great! If you want to email the address is christina-victoria@bellsouth.net.
Thanks,
Victoria
I love bruschetta... I bet it's great on the polenta! Do you ever make Hoppin John? There is a recipe of Emeril's that I make that is so yummy! It does call for ham hock though. Maybe there is a vegan substitute??
Some thank yous pour toi:
Thank you for taking the time to tell us how to make some of your "thrown together" recipes. It helps those of us who are a little behind you on the vegan cooking path.
Thank you for telling us when you puke or feel sick. Really. I'd rather learn from your mistakes than my own!
And I'd be mighty thankful if you could post a bit about how to eat vegan or as vegan (or healthy) as possible at a regular restaurant. I've got a trip to take and I just realized that there might be food issues.
God bless.
Susan
Luisa,
My fave book is Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. The recipes are easy and tasty—nice variety of stuff, too. I also look on the Internet and revise old recipes of mine to make them vegan. Occasionally I make stuff up—but those recipes aren’t that fancy or anything.
Cheryl,
I buy the frozen vegan eggplant cutlets from Whole Foods—an easy freezer staple to have on hand. I can’t remember if I have made breaded and fried eggplant since cooking vegan at home.
We grew tomatoes, too, this summer. I wish I could have a bigger garden!
Victoria,
I haven’t worried too much about getting our calcium since we eat a pretty varied diet. The kids get calcium-fortified rice milk and juices. Kale, I’ve read, is one of the best sources—but try to get your kid to eat a plateful of kale! Nuts and other leafy green plants, too, are a good source. I think the recommended daily calcium for kids is somewhere in the 300-500 mg range. I’m with you on the soy. I’m really conscious about how much we eat. I would research it online about the calcium. I will, too, since I obviously don’t know much!
Trisha,
I do make Hoppin’ John and LOVE it! It was a regular dish for us before I was cooking vegan but we were eating vegetarian at home. And, it was already vegan! I use one of my soup starters to cook the blackeyed peas in and puree a can of Rotel tomatoes or organic equivalent and let cook until nice and tender. MMMM!
Susan,
Unfortunately, if you aren’t eating at a vegan or vegetarian restaurant, your choices are usually vegetable soup, black bean soup, or pasta with marinara. Sigh. But I do try to get creative when I am looking at the menu—piecing together the al a carte items for a meal. Mexican is really easy to eat well—if the beans don’t have lard in them. And if I am in a really nice restaurant (happens rarely but still) I don’t worry so much about eating vegan—I will if I can, say leave off the cheese on a salad or such, but I don’t trouble the chef to make a vegan meal for me. I do let the server know to use less dairy on the vegetable plate or choose sides with less dairy. If you are eating at chain restaurants, their nutritional info is usually online. We eat at Olive Garden a lot (I know, I know) because our restaurant selection is limited. The salad is usually white lettuce and the dressing isn’t vegan and has high fructose corn syrup. The bread is vegan if you ask for it without butter but it does have trans fat. We usually order vegetable soup and a side of broccoli and the capellini pomodoro, which is good. They also have whole grain pasta as an option. Good luck on the trip and thanks for all the gratitude!!!
Cheryl,
I forgot...polenta is like a cornmeal mush that can be eaten either soft and mushy or chilled until set and then sliced for frying or baking. It is really good!
Susan,
One more thing about eating out. Sometimes I don't worry about the dairy content of some items since we don't eat out frequently and the amount in say a piece of bread is scant. So I won't pass on the naan at an Indian restaurant; and at the same time, I won't order the cream-filled entrees. I don't want to make my life miserable and feel like if I eat most of the time at home healthfully, that a little bit of milk in something isn't something to fuss over. Now, lately, I can't stomach the full-on dairy--like whipped cream on a dessert or butter on veggies. It has been very interesting watching that change in me--as I was a dairy loving fool. Anyway, I know many people are staunch vegans, but I find that it just makes life too hard for me. I just try to make the best choices possible now--with a little splurges every now and then (read: mmm, french fries and ice cream). But fettucini alfredo, sigh, those days are long gone for me.
Thanks for the tips. Most of my trip will be spent either in the hospital looking after my dear mum, or at her house. I usually eat my lunches and dinners in the cafeteria when I play nursemaid. They have a great salad bar. I think I'll stick to that and bring some things from home.
I've only eaten out twice since going vegan. Both meals were potato heavy. With salads and vegies. I was perfectly contented, but the others looked over their cheeseburgers at me with pity.
Thanks for taking the time. The jambalaya is done. I tasted it. Good. Looks a tad dry though. I'll add more broth when I warm it up for dinner. God bless!
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