Girds all valuable arteries.....

I am full expecting a shoot the chef scenario tonight, but I am going to try.....

Vegan Burgers!!  ( Ok so all I really care about here is, if I get enough KETCHUP on it, MIGHT they eat it?!!!)  So there are LOADS of different versions.  I am going to try this one....

1 1/2 cup cooked Quinoa

1/2 cup black beans or hummus

1 TBSP. Tomato Paste ( I was out so used ketchup!!)

2 TBSP. Flax seed

2 TBSP. Bragg's  ( basically a soy type sauce with no wheat or sodium)

1 tsp. basil and thyme

1/2 cup Old Fashion Oats

Garlic, onion powder, coriander ( a sprinkle of each)

1tbsp Marmite.  http://www.marmite.com

Nutritional Yeast for coating  http://bragg.com/products/yeast.html
Olive Oil for frying

No clue why that text is all different sizes and colours!!!!


WISH ME LUCK ( I am going to need it!!!)


Ok so here is what they looked like.  This is actually really good, because other bean burgers I have made have been the consistency  of mashed potato!!   These LOOK like real burgers in shape and firmness.





and here is how it was served.....notice the copious ketchuping!!!!!





WOW, FYI if you are making veggie burgers you NEED to put nutritional yeast on them before you cook them that stuff is THE BOMB!!!!  It added a slightly cheese burger taste and lots of flavor!!!!


Meanwhile back to the dinner from the perspectives of the critics...... ( tries to hide the limp i came in with)


  SIGH....Initially Small Human gave it a thumbs in the middle.  Then about 1/4 of the way through, she changed her mind.  Medium human shot me the moment it cleared her teeth.

Pity, cos I REALLY liked them.  I will make them again for me and experiment with different flavorings and spices!

Here is the nutrition....WOO HOOO 19G PROTEIN!!!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 111 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 417 Calories from Fat 89

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.9g 15%

Saturated Fat 1.3g 6%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 311mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 63.3g 21%

Dietary Fiber 10.6g 43%

Sugars 1.1g

Protein 19.9g

Vitamin A 1% • Vitamin C 2% Calcium 7% • Iron 29%

Nutrition Grade A

Meatless Monday (sort of like every other day of the week!!)

Hello, hello and welcome to another week of experiments on my Small and Medium Humans.  Medium Human was de-veganized last week at camp, so I am expecting her critic skills to be at a very high level this week!

On the offering block tonight, I am going for the vegan version of an old fave - baked potato night!!!

I also no longer microwave if I can help it, (apparently it massively depletes the nutrients in your foods, and as I now eat and feed my humans specifically for nutrition I stopped nuking stuff)  This means I do have to crank up the oven...but I can brush a little olive oil on the spuds first, so the critics may enjoy them a little more.

I would like to add that in a RARE special guest appearance Captain Picky Pants WILL be eating what I make for dinner!!!  He will only slap butter, cheese, and salt on his, but hey, it is a rare occurrence.

Ingredients....


Red Skinned potatoes 1 per person  (FOUR!!!! Tonight)
1 can Heinz Baked Beans ( the UK version) http://www.heinz.com/our-food/products/bakedbeans.aspx  A more tomato based sauce, and vegan!
1 tub Tofutti Vegan Sour Cream http://www.tofutti.com/ss-hydro.shtml
Daiya Cheddar Cheese
Brush of olive oil.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 367 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 398 Calories from Fat 89

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.9g 15%

Saturated Fat 5.1g 26%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 25mg 8%

Sodium 1589mg 66%

Total Carbohydrates 70.7g 24%

Dietary Fiber 12.4g 50%

Sugars 22.2g

Protein 15.0g

Vitamin A 11% • Vitamin C 20% Calcium 13% • Iron 19%

Nutrition Grade B

PS I know the sodium is wrong on this, but it wont register correctly for some reason.  It is more like 495mg Sodium  :)

Sooo I will bake the spuds for about 45 mins in the oven,  brushed with olive oil and perhaps a sprinkle of Himalayan salt. Then personally I will put a teeny bit of Earth Balance on my potato a dob of sour cream and then put my bakes beans right in there too, with the Daiya Cheddar on top.  ( At this point all Brits reading will be going "oooh yes")  Americans might think I am slightly mad, but what can I say, I love Marmite and Vegimite too ( as do the little Humans) and you should try it all mixed in cos it is sublime!

Stay tuned for the results - I am off to cook the spuds!

UPDATE!

  The chef was spared!  Although disparaging remarks were made.  :(

BUT I REFUSE to be deterred, they would have been equally enthused about traditional spuds, only the lure of bacon would have made it a success.  Let the record show I have tried "fakin bakin" and (GAG) it isnt something I would push on my dogs!

WOo Hoooo I think I have another success, so this makes it SIX things I can now serve!!!  Sure 3 are breakfast foods, but who has ever known a kid who didn't like breakfast for dinner!!!  Funny, breakfast foods are my LEAST favorite.  I know, call me weird, it won't be the first time!!  LOL

No new recipes were tried this weekend

....and I have not been shot!!!!!!  (Although I did get the stink eye for asking a child to clean her room, I think if there had been a shoot the parent rating for that job, I may have been wounded!)

Hee hee hee.  Yesterday, I did make the Vegan Pot Pie for my parents and they quite liked it.  The kids ate pizza with Captain Picky Pants.

This week we are going to be trying a few old foods with new ingredients.  We will try to usher in the return of baked potato night with vegan cheese and sour cream.  ( There really is not a big difference if you use the Daiya  (www.daiyafoods.com) brand cheese.  ALSO be on the lookout for CASE OF DEERS night!!!!  (Quesadillas !!)

I feel pretty good about my odds with those things.  Now what to do for the other 4 nights?!?!  LOL  There are several fun recipes on the Daiya site, including fondue.  My kids LOOOOOVE fondue, so I think perhaps that might be an option one night too!

Well I really couldn't go wrong with pizza!

 yeah this is me!!!


I have been off the hook for a couple of days, we have been out, and small human has had a couple of events, so I havent had to cook!!!

Today I was back in the trenches again...Oh I mean kitchen!

Presenting VEGAN PIZZA!!!!!

This makes 2 mini pizzas, but you can make it bigger if you want.

2 Coco Multigrain pop cakes ( like at Wegmans)
1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

Sauce
1 cup tomatoes
4 fresh basil leaves
a sprinkle of oregano, onion powder, parsley and garlic powder ( fresh everything is also fine, but this doesnt get cooked, so the onion and garlic can be strong)
1tsp agave
BLEND!!!!!


Assemble the pizza, broil til cheese has melted.  DONE!!!!


Now the crust you can use a whole wheat tortilla.  Calories go up a little, but the coco cakes do get a little soggy.


Taaa daaaa.  Note the crispy crust - that is what happens when you start blogging and forget about your broiling pizzas!!

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 184 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  169 Calories from Fat  57

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  6.3g 10%

Saturated Fat  2.0g 10%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  0mg 0%

Sodium  287mg 12%

Total Carbohydrates  18.2g 6%

Dietary Fiber  2.8g 11%

Sugars  9.2g

Protein  2.3g

Vitamin A 25% • Vitamin C 32% Calcium 1% • Iron 2%

Nutrition Grade B

Apparently my kids should be breakfast-atarians!

WAFFLES!

ANOTHER THUMBS UP!!!!! 
















 ( And the crowd goes WILD!!!!!)

Well I should preface things by saying that medium human ( aka the harsher critic) is away at camp for the week.  Small human critiqued vegan breakfast alone.

Today we did vegan waffles

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 cups water or soymilk
• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 cups whole-wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 scoop protein powder
• vanilla extract to taste (optional)

Threw it all in the blender, and plopped the batter int he waffle make.  It makes 6-7 waffles.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 140 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories  168 Calories from Fat  13

% Daily Value*

Total Fat  1.5g 2%

Trans Fat  0.0g

Cholesterol  8mg 3%

Sodium  25mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates  31.4g 10%

Dietary Fiber  2.7g 11%

Sugars  3.1g

Protein  7.7g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 3% Calcium 11% • Iron 11%

Nutrition Grade A-

It was served with 2 cups of berries ( not included in calorie count).


It should also be noted, that I am new to waffles - I had a bad waffle experience in 1982 ( I kid you not!) and I haven't been able to even think about them in the past ( covers mouth and mumbles)  years!

The story goes a bit like this.....

I was visiting the US for the first time from England, I was young, and we were in Washington DC.  We were starving the morning after the flight, and when my waffle came, it was HUUUUUUGE.  Now in England portions were about 1/4 the size of American ones, and if we ate at a restaurant we were expected not to waste food.  So I knew I should eat all of it.....being young I didn't realize the size would make that impossible.  I tried really hard, I over ate, I felt bloated, and in pain, and nauseated, for the next 4 hours and seriously have not been able to even look at a waffle for the past 20 some years.

Captain Picky Pants bought a waffle maker on sale ( he is also known as Captain Cheapy Pants) last year; and initially I thought perhaps he was trying to torture me!!  But, after I made waffles for Small and Medium Humans, and tried a teeny piece, I realized that I might finally be on the mend from my waffle horror of  '82.

Which leads us back to today's breakfast.  Maybe my kids will just have to eat vegan breakfast every day for all meals!!  LOL

No one ever asks about your protein 'til you tell them you are a vegetarian or a vegan!

Seriously.  LOL  It is so true, in fact I may actually make a T Shirt.  When people meet, you chat..

Hello how are you?


                                     What do you do?                           How old are your kids? 


Where do you work?                            How much protein do you eat and where does it come from?!!


This NEVER EVER happens in normal conversation, til you tell people you are vegetarian or vegan!!!  LOL I actually get the double whammy on this because I also home school ( oh now I've done it, people on here who don't know me, now think I am one of those very crunchy, earthy, non shaving hippy Mums!)  Let me just say for the record I SHAVE!  ( Certainly, I take liberties with this from time to time, but that is because my hair is very light and I can get away with it - it fits into my laziness credo ( more on that another time).  I am not that kind of crunchy.  Certainly, I may be crispy around the edges with some things, and have some crunchy friends; after all I DO home school.  LOL but in general I am VERY average.  Anyway, I digress...the home school version of the above conversation peeks with.... 


         ....WHAT about SOCIALIZATION??!!!!   We can talk about that another day if you'd like, just leave some comments that you are interested and I will gladly oblige.


Anyhoooo, so yes, no one is ever interested in your protein unless you tell them you don't eat meat and dairy.  So for the curious, this is what I will be eating today... ( I track this on a FABULOUS free site www.nutritiondatabase.com.self )


( Oh joy the mysterious white highlight is back - sorry no clue how to fix it!)

Agave, raw (Southwest) Qty: 1.0 x 1 ounce (28g)	19 (1%)	0 g	0 g	5 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Bananas, raw Qty: 1.0 x 1 large (8" to 8-7/8" long) (136g)	121 (7%)	0 g	1 g	31 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Blueberries, raw Qty: 1.0 x 1 cup (148g)	84 (5%)	0 g	1 g	21 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Carr's water crackers Qty: 4.0 x Custom Food (14g)	240 (14%)	4 g	4 g	40 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Clementines, raw Qty: 2.0 x 1 fruit (74g)	70 (4%)	0 g	1 g	18 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Daiya Cheese ( cheddar) Qty: 2.0 x Custom Food (25g)	180 (10%)	14 g	2 g	14 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
frozen strawberries Qty: 1.0 x Custom Food (140g)	50 (3%)	0 g	1 g	13 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
My stir fry Qty: 1.0 x Custom Food (119g)	140 (8%)	12 g	2 g	9 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
old fashioned oats Qty: 1.0 x Custom Food (40g)	150 (8%)	2 g	5 g	27 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Raspberries, raw Qty: 1.0 x 1 cup (123g)	64 (4%)	1 g	1 g	15 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Rice noodles, cooked Qty: 1.0 x 1 cup (176g)	192 (11%)	0 g	2 g	44 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Sun Warrior Protein Qty: 1.0 x Custom Food (21g)	84 (5%)	1 g	16 g	4 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Sweet Potato Pepper Bisque Qty: 1.0 x Custom Food (404g)	216 (12%)	8 g	4 g	34 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain
Tropical Shakeology Qty: 1.0 x Custom Food (42g)	160 (9%)	1 g	15 g	20 g	Weight Loss Optimum Health Weight Gain

Total Calories:1770

I hope that scrolls when I publish this!  If not I will redo it as a list.

And here is my nutrition breakdown

Calorie Information Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Calories 1770 (7411 kJ) 111%   From Carbohydrate 1147 (4802 kJ)   From Fat 403 (1687 kJ)   From Protein 221 (925 kJ)   From Alcohol ~0.0 (0.0 kJ) Carbohydrates Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Total Carbohydrate 295 g 98% Dietary Fiber ~43.4 g ~87% Starch ~7.4 g Sugars ~86.9 g Fats & Fatty Acids Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Total Fat 44.7 g 89% Saturated Fat ~14.4 g ~144% Monounsaturated Fat ~0.2 g Polyunsaturated Fat ~0.8 g Total trans fatty acids ~0.0 g Total trans-monoenoic fatty acids ~ Total trans-polyenoic fatty acids ~ Total Omega-3 fatty acids ~285 mg Total Omega-6 fatty acids ~533 mg Learn more about these fatty acids and their equivalent names

Protein & Amino Acids Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Protein 56.1 g 112% Vitamins Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Vitamin A ~33318 IU ~666% Vitamin C ~408 mg ~681% Vitamin D ~200 IU ~50% Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) ~12.4 mg ~62% Vitamin K ~80.3 mcg ~100% Thiamin ~0.3 mg ~20% Riboflavin ~0.3 mg ~16% Niacin ~3.4 mg ~17% Vitamin B6 ~2.8 mg ~139% Folate ~305 mcg ~76% Vitamin B12 ~0.0 mcg ~0% Pantothenic Acid ~1.3 mg ~13% Choline ~58.1 mg Betaine ~1.6 mg Minerals Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Calcium ~845 mg ~84% Iron ~11.0 mg ~61% Magnesium ~508 mg ~127% Phosphorus ~402 mg ~40% Potassium ~1301 mg ~37% Sodium ~1870 mg ~78% Zinc ~7.5 mg ~50% Copper ~1.3 mg ~64% Manganese ~3.9 mg ~197% Selenium ~9.9 mcg ~14% Fluoride ~3.0 mcg Sterols Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Cholesterol ~0.0 mg ~0% Phytosterols ~21.8 mg Other Amounts Per Selected Serving %DV Alcohol ~0.0 g Water ~613 g Ash ~3.3 g Caffeine ~0.0 mg Theobromine ~0.0 mg

Note plenty of protein USRDA is 46g for an adult female, 16g for Small Human and 34g for Medium Human.  AND plenty of calcium - not 100% today, but 84% is pretty good.

Tonight's offering will be the stir fry ( a previous success) paired with rice noodles in a sesame sauce.  Stay tuned for the update as to how it goes over.  Apparently, yesterday's lesson of   "just cos we ate it once doesn't mean we will again"  (cringes, and has a slight urge to put thumb in mouth and rock in a ball) could become a new crinkle in the road.  Sigh.  But I have friends coming for dinner, so at least their responses will be gracious!!!  My delicate Chef side will not be too dented today.  :)



UPDATE


Due to one of the dinner guests having Indian food for lunch, we switched to spaghetti squash and home made sauce with veggie medalions.  I will post the recipe later today, but it has to be said the CHEF was complimented!!!!  .....it should also be noted that Small and Medium Humans ate Mac N Cheese prior to the official "dinner with friends" so while this was a success withe friends, we KNEW they would be kind to the chef!!!