VeggieMama

Goods 4 Girls

2008-03-07T14:46:00.002-07:00

Many of you have probably seen the televison commercials and magazine ads explaining that in Africa, many girls miss a week of school a month due to their periods (rather, inadequate menstrual protection).

Fortunately, Always/Tampax is going to rescue them!

They're going to give the girls pads. Disposable pads. Now, I know that I am overly cynical when it comes to corporate altruism (mainly because it just doesn't seem to exist). But come on! This is right out of the artificial baby milk companies' playbook--although without that unfortunate infant-death consequence. Go into Africa, give them wonderful things from monetarily-wealthy nations, then pull out once they're hooked. Et voila, a new market!

Is Always going to "always" give them free pads? I doubt it. And how exactly should they dispose of these disposable pads? Problem solved! Always is going to build incinerators near some of the bathrooms at the school. You know, to incinerate the _plastic_ pads.

Fantastic.

Apparently, many people out there are as cynical as I am. One woman started "Goods 4 Girls", which gives away reusable cloth pads. Here's the website:

http://www.goods4girls.org/

And yes, I do use reusable products myself (faves are Lunapads and the Diva Cup). "Disposable" products don't magically disappear once the garbage truck comes by!

Chickpea-Noodle Soup

2008-02-05T08:07:00.000-07:00

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed in your fingers
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/3 cup brown rice miso
3 cups water
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups cooked dried chickpeas, or 1 (15 oz) can, drained and rinsed
6 oz soba noodles (most come wrapped in 3-oz serving sizes. If not, the circumference of one 3-oz. bundle is about the size of a quarter).

Preheat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and carrots in the oil for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and herbs, and saute for another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with a splash of water. Add the 3 cups of water, the 3 cups of stock, and the chickpeas. Cover and bring to a boil.

Once the broth is boiling, break the soba noodles into thirds and throw them in. Lower the heat to medium so that the soup is at a low boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the miso and stir until it's incorporated. Taste and adjust the salt, and add a little extra miso if you would like a stronger, saltier flavour.

Note: soba soaks up a lot of water, so leftovers will be more stew-ish than soup-ish. If you don't care for this, use a different noodle such as spaghettini.

(taken from Veganomicon)

stuff I like

2008-02-04T13:49:00.001-07:00

Lunchbox:

I love love love our laptop lunchbox--it encourages meal creativity, the kids think it's fun/cool to eat lunch out of it, and it's very environmentally friendly. Oh, and stylish. I bought mine at Earth's General Store. This is what they look like: http://www.laptoplunches.com/

Earth's General Store:

I've been shopping here for over a decade. Awesome store concept, and the staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. They sell environmentally-conscious and fair trade products, so it's good karma central. If you want to know how to start a worm composter, or save money on electricity, get info on cloth-diapering, or pick up some cool stickers for your bike, this is the place. Check out http://www.egs.ca , and sign up for the weekly (e-mailed) activist agenda.

Lunapads:

These are my favourite cloth pads, and they're made in Canada! They have some great fabrics to choose from, and they aren't the envelope style; rather, the liner goes on top, so you can change the liner without having to change the whole pad. It's hard to describe, so just go here : http://www.lunapads.com

Stonz:

It took awhile for these to grow on me--I thought they looked kind of goofy at first. Anyway, I was pretty much forced into buying them as they were the only option available for my small-footed toddler. Regular winter boots were way too big for her, but she really needed some as she likes to walk and we live in Edmonton. I'm very happy with them; they stay on her feet, they're easy to get on, and she likes them. Sometimes she even wears them to bed (boots and sleepers, there's a look). Oh, and they are also made in Canada. http://www.stonz.ca

The Bamboozle:

Super-absorbent diaper made out of bamboo fabric. It's very soft too! I used Dri-line Blue Dog diapers when Annalina was younger (and was happy with them), but now that she's older and not needing to be changed quite as often the Bamboozles (Totsbots) are great.
http://www.bummis.com/en/Products/covers/Bamboozle.html

Mother-ease covers:

These are great diaper covers. I especially like the Eco-Theme ones :) I switched to these after the Dri-Line Blue Dog ones started to leak as Annalina got older. http://www.mother-ease.com

Bummis Super Brite covers:

These are also great covers, and as the name implies they are super bright! I really think that cloth-diapering products should be attractive--after all, disposies have designs printed on them. Although it is a bit unfair: now, besides being better for babies' bums, and better for the environment (yes, even when factoring in water use, using the dryer in the winter, etc.), they're prettier too!

http://www.bummis.com

That'll do for now, I think.

Back again

2008-02-04T13:47:00.000-07:00

So, once again I inadvertently deleted a whole pile o' posts. This proved very frustrating, so I gave the blog a rest for awhile. Now I'm back, and I'm not going to mess with the settings ever again. I hope.

Fiesta Macaroni Bean Salad

2007-11-22T21:24:00.000-07:00

QueenOfDrama (my lovely daughter/cooking partner-in-crime) loves this salad in her laptop lunches.

3 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked

Dressing:
3/4 cup vegan "mayonnaise"
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salad:
1 large carrot, grated
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, minced
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
1 19-oz. (540 mL) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

In a large pot of water, boil the pasta. While pasta is cooking, prepare the salad ingredients and place into a medium bowl. To prepare dressing: combine all ingredients. Set aside. To prepare salad: Once pasta is done, drain and rinse pasta under cold water until cooled. Shake off excess water and add to salad bowl. Toss ingredients with dressing and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

(taken from La Dolce Vegan!)

Sesame Street awesomeness

2007-10-29T14:50:00.000-06:00

Check this out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=g3DWRhfNm4c

It's from 1977, when Sesame Street was focused more on education (and less on making sure that no one was offended).

Raspberry Blackout Cake with Ganache-y Frosting

2007-10-24T13:34:00.000-06:00

This was Annalina's birthday cake--she quite enjoyed it! Thanks to VegMomma for the suggestion. I doubled the recipe (the recipe below is not doubled) and used a 9x13 pan. I'll post a pic when I figure out how to do it.

Raspberry Blackout Cake

1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 + 1/2 cups plain soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
10 oz jar of raspberry preserves (reserve 1/2 cup for the batter)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 + 1/4 cups sugar
Fresh raspberries for decorating and yumminess

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round springform cake pans with cooking spray.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Combine the soy milk, oil, 1/2 cup of the preserves, the vamilla, and the sugar in a large bowl and mix with a hand mixer or strong fork. The jam should be mostly dissolved with the rest of the ingredients; some small clumps are okay .Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches and mix until everything is incorporated. Divide the batter between the prepared pans and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pans. When the cakes have cooled fully, spread one layer of cake with a think layer of the remaining raspberry preserves; spread a layer of chocolate frosting on top of the preserves. Place the other layer of cake on top and spread its top with preserves. Carefully spread the chocolate frosting over the top, then ice the sides.

Chocolate Ganache-y Frosting
3/4 cups soy creamer (I use Silk brand, but if it's not available then plain soy milk will do)
6 tbsp nonhydrogenated margarine
10 oz semisweet chocolate chips

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the soy creamer to a low boil. Add the margarine and melt, turn off the heat, and stir in chocolate chips until smooth. Let sit for at least 1 hour. It shoudl still have a pourable consistency at this point.

(taken from Vegan with a Vengeance)

Menu for Annalina's Par-tay

2007-10-18T12:20:00.001-06:00

Two-Bean Salad with Tarragon Dressing
Oriental Cabbage Salad
Black Bean & Avocado Salad
Spicy Hummus with pita
Veggie dogs
Raspberry Blackout Cake (this is the birthday cake!)
Coconut Heaven Cupcakes
Peanut Butter Cookies
fruit with yogurt dip
potato chips (ketchup, salt & vinegar, dill pickle, sour cream & onion)
soft drinks
juice
booze

more as I think of it . . .

I'm not here

2007-10-04T11:37:00.000-06:00

The little monkey and I are in Kelowna visiting my parents and sister. My dad is an awesome cook, so I won't be in the kitchen much this week. I will try to post a couple of his veg recipes though.

Funny story: I showed up at the airport a day early. My mum booked my flight for Wednesday, I thought it was on Tuesday, and yeah, I showed up 24 hours early. Everything worked out--it's a daily flight, so the fantastic WestJet guy managed to get me on the flight I thought I was on.

Needless to say, I will be triple-checking my arrangements to get home.

Two-Bean Salad with Tarragon Dressing

2007-09-18T11:43:00.000-06:00

Salad:

1/2 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 15-oz. can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 6-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup sliced red onion

Tarragon Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic or tarragon vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp fresh tarragon

To make salad: fill large pot with 1 inch water and set steamer basket in pot. Cover, and bring water to a boil. Place green beans in steamer basket. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and steam 2 to 3 minutes, or until green beans are crisp-tender. Cool.

Toss green beans with all remaining salad ingredients in large serving bowl.

To make Tarragon Dressing: blend vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper in blender or food processor until smooth. With machine running, gradually add oil and tarragon through feed tube, and blend until smooth. Pour dressing over salad, and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

(taken from the April 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times)

Vegan Gummi Bears (review)

2007-09-18T11:30:00.000-06:00

I bought some vegan gummi bears at Organic Roots yesterday (the "classic" flavour). They were very, very sweet. A bit too sweet. And the texture was a bit granular (it felt like eating sugar). They're not bad, but I don't think I'll buy them again (unless it's to decorate a cake or something).

Pasta Puttanesca Salad

2007-09-17T17:10:00.000-06:00

I'm a puttanesca puttanesca, what can I say.

1.5 cups dry pasta (farfalle works nicely)
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
6 large green olives (preferably garlic-stuffed), halved
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
2 cloves garlic
4 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp olive oil

Cook pasta. Rinse under cold water and drain well. Toss with tomatoes in a medium bowl.

Pulse olives, capers, garlic, and basil in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add olive mixture and olive oil to pasta, and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to eat.

(taken from the April 2007 issue of Vegetarian Times)

--I added a bunch of leftover artichoke hearts and some spinach leaves. My 11-month old absolutely loved this salad!

Coconut Heaven Cupcakes

2007-09-13T20:06:00.000-06:00

QueenOfDrama987 (my lovely daughter/cooking partner-in-crime) and I made these the other night. We ate 4 right away (quality control, of course), and the rest disappeared soon after.

Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup coconut milk (we used lite)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Frosting:
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine at room temperature
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 cup unsweetened coconut

Bake the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a twelve-muffin tin with paper liners, set aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. In a separate bowl combine the oil, coconut milk, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until smooth. Fold in 1 cup of unsweetened coconut. Fill each muffin tin about two-thirds full. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-22 minutes; the cupcakes should be slightly browned around the edges and spring back when touched. Remove them from the muffin tin and place on a cooling rack.

Make the frosting: Cream the margarine until light and fluffy. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and combine. Add the sifted icing sugar and mix until smooth (use an electric mixer unless you're a masochist). Add the unsweetened coconut and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Frost when the cupcakes have completely cooled. You can sprinkle a little more unsweetened coconut on top if you like, or put a berry on them for a little colour.

(taken from Vegan With A Vengeance)

Artichoke Heart & Basil Pasta

2007-09-13T15:08:00.000-06:00

dry pasta, enough for 2 people
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large tomato, chopped
1 6-ounce (170-mL) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Boil the pasta in a large pot of water. While pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan on medium-low heat, saute the pine nuts and garlic in oil until garlic starts to soften. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Add the tomatoes, artichokes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and heat thoroughly. Drain noodles and return to the pot. Add the sauce to the noodles and toss together well. Serve immediately.

(taken from La Dolce Vegan!)

--I did not toast the pine nuts, but it was yummy anyway.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

2007-09-13T14:52:00.000-06:00

1 (12-ounce) can whole tomatoes (in juice, not puree)
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
3 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp salt
10 cups fresh spinach, well rinsed and chopped
4 cups chickpeas, cooked and drained (or 2 - 15 ounce cans)

Prepare the tomatoes by removing them one at a time from the can, squeezing out the juice, and tearing them into bite-size pieces. Place the prepared tomatoes in a bowl and reserve the juice in the can.

Preheat a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat; pour in vegetable oil and then the mustard seeds. Let the seeds pop for about a minute (you may want to cover the pot so that the seeds can't escape), then add the onion; turn up the heat to medium-high and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onion begins to brown. Add garlic and giner, and saute 2 more minutes. Add spices, salt, and 1/4 cup of the reserved tomato juice; saute one minute more. Add tomatoes and heat though. Add handfuls of spinach, mixing each addition until wilted. When all the spinach has completely wilted and the mixture is liquid-y, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste, and adjust the spices if necessary. Simmer uncovered for about 10 more minutes, or until a thick, stewlike consistency is achieved.

(taken from Vegan With A Vengeance)

-I had to add more liquid than the recipe called for, but this might be due to my error. We'll see what happens next time!

Chopped Black Bean-Avocado Salad

2007-09-13T14:48:00.000-06:00

2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp whole-grain mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup black beans (adzuki beans work well too)
1 cup corn
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup sweet red pepper
1/4 cup diced celery
2 green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced

Whisk together lemon juice and mustard in a large bowl. Add oil, and whisk until smooth. Add all remaining ingredients, and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

(taken from the April 2007 issue of Vegtarian Times)

Lentil Salad

2007-09-13T14:35:00.000-06:00

1 cup dried lentils
1 medium-size carrot, finely diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils, and reduce heat to medium low. Cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until lentils are just tender. Drain well. Spread lentils on large baking sheet to cool.

Toss lentils, carrots, green onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

(taken from the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times--I modified it a bit)

Mushroom, leek, and lemon risotto

2007-08-14T16:44:00.000-06:00

2-3 trimmed leeks
2-3 cups mushrooms
8 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 green onions
2 cups arborio rice
5 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup lemon juice

Slice the leeks in half, then chop into small pieces. Chop the mushrooms as well. Heat 6 tbsp of the oil and cook the garlic for about a minute. Add the leeks, mushrooms, and onions, and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of oil, then stir in the rice. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the grains are translucent. Add a ladleful of stock to the pot, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock one ladle at a time until it has completely absorbed (this usually takes about 25-30 minutes). If desired, garnish with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Spicy Hummus

2007-08-13T16:48:00.000-06:00

2.5 cups cooked or canned chickpeas (a.k.a garbanzo beans)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3/4 cup lemon juice
jalapeno peppers (I use half a jar of the Old El Paso ones)
1 cup tahini
2 tsp cumin
dash of cayenne

Throw everything into a food processor. Turn on food processer. Turn off the food processor when desired consistency is achieved. If it's too runny, add more tahini. If it's not smooth enough, add more lemon juice. Serve with pita or veggies. Also tastes great on sandwiches.