Let Them Eat (Cup)Cake!

My daughter's Brownie Girl Scout troop recently had their end-of-year ceremony.  I was forced to...er, I mean, I decided to make a bunch of vegan cupcakes for the event.  I used the "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"  recipe for golden vanilla cupcakes and used the buttercream frosting recipe that I dyed green.  Topped with brown sprinkles (Girl Scout colors are green and brown), they were very pretty and they were the HIT of the ceremony!  I am not the only parent who brought cupcakes (although I usually bring treats to these events to make sure that my own kids can get SOMETHING), the vegan cupcakes were gone by the time the whole thing was over.  I got lots of compliments, and a few recipe requests.  Oh, and my kids got to eat "junk food" (not really, wink, wink), which they think is the bomb!

Cookout Conundrums?

Fried Chicken-Style Seitan, vegan potato salad, green beans

It's summertime in North America, and that means cookouts!  Yeah!  Well, not always.  For the first couple of years after we went vegan, cookouts and BBQ's were pretty challenging.  We actually used to eat BEFORE we went, just to make sure that my husband wouldn't starve to death.  Occasionally we still do this, because   WHY, OH WHY does everything at cookouts seem to be made with animal products?  Even veggies and fruits cannot escape...Jello molds with fruit cocktail, watergate salads (marshmallows!), corn with butter, beans with bacon.  Now, we just bring tons of food!  The last cookout we went to, we brought tons of fresh sweet corn (cooked it myself, no butter), crackers and hummus, veggie dogs and burgers, and Oreo cookies.  The Oreos were gone in like, 5 minutes, but at least my kids got a sweet treat before they disappeared.  The best part was that everyone was very understanding.  After a while, people just get used to the fact that you are vegan and that you are simply not going to eat the same things as everyone else.  It's nothing personal, it's just the way it is!  If you can, call the host(ess) ahead of time and explain to them the situation and ask them if it would be OK if you can bring whatever it is you are planning to bring.  Chances are, if you let them know ahead of time that vegans are a-comin', they will rise to the challenge and make sure that there is food that you can eat.  If nothing else, you can always eat the potato chips and crudites and then get a Taco Bell 7 layer burrito with no cream and no cheese afterward.  Next time, host that baby yourself, and give them a real treat..."Fried Chicken-Style Seitan" could change their lives forever!

Kids Favorite: Vegan Mac and Cheese

 What can you give vegan kids any time that make them super-happy?  Vegan mac and cheese is a super meal that goes well with just about ANY veggie!  Yes, parents are tricky like that!  You say your kids won't eat cooked broccoli?  Serve it with a SMALL pile of mac and cheese.  When they ask for more mac, tell them that they can only have seconds if they eat that broccoli.  It works for me, seriously.  You just have to have really good mac and cheese prepared.  It is so super easy to make it from scratch...you just throw everything in the blender to make the sauce and then add that to the cooked macaroni.  This is not in my recipe, but I like to make the mac and cheese, stir in a bag of Daiya shredded cheese (vegan cheese in the grocery) for extra cheesiness, throw it in a glass baking dish, crush up french fried onions and sprinkle them on top, then bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.  It's GOOD!  The recipe I use is from the blog Vegan Dad. 

INGREDIENTS

Makes enough for a family of 5 with leftovers. Cut in half if needed.

- 1/2 cup raw cashews

- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

- 2 tbsp pine nuts

- 2 cups soy milk

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 1/2 cups firm tofu (does not have to be silken)

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp paprika

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp onion powder

- 2 tbsp miso (something mellow)

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp cornstarch

- 3 cups uncooked macaroni

METHOD

1. Cook macaroni, as per directions, until al dente.

2. While macaroni is cooking, place all other ingredients in a blender and blend for 5 minutes, until very smooth. Make sure all nuts and seeds have been blended.

3. Drain macaroni and return to pot over medium heat. Add sauce and bring to bubbling. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and reduces a bit (about 5 mins)

Berry Delicious!

 June was super-busy for my family, as we wrapped up the end of the school year.  This is usually a time of the year when we eat quick meals like quesadillas, Smart dogs, and spaghetti.  One thing we did get was plenty of red, ripe strawberries from our little strawberry patch!  If you remember from earlier posts, we had to build a cage around our ENTIRE patch because of our furry little friends the rabbits and the squirrels.  That cage still works because we got plenty of berries...enough to make a good sized batch of strawberry shortcake for dessert!  I got a good recipe off the internet (nope, I had never made it without Bisquick) and cooked my shortcakes from scratch.  They were tasty!  To make the strawberries JUST right, I cut them in half and then mixed them with a little water, sugar, and vanilla extract.  You have to let them sit like that for a while, stirring occasionally, to get a great syrup.  Take your hot little cakes and break them up a bit.  Put a few dollops of Earth Balance or other dairy-free margarine on the hot cake.  Pile on the strawberries and syrup (be kind, save some for everyone else), then I topped mine of with vanilla frosting that had been heated so that it could be drizzled.  Or you can get some soy whipped cream, but that's hard to find and kind of hard to make in a hurry.  Then eat! Enjoy!