Category Archives: Our Toddlers LOVE This!

Chickpea Salad

by

4

My toddler has been a picky eater lately… she’s obsessed with cereal and that’s all she wants to eat! I decided to try a new sandwich option for her so I made this, I’ve been wanting to try it for awhile now. This recipe calls for Black Salt and in case you’ve never heard of it… it tastes just like eggs and it’s great in tofu scramble, sandwich type recipes.

Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Chickpea Salad

This recipe is from… can you guess?? Yep! Melomeals! 🙂

My hubby loves this salad mix on sandwiches and in collard wraps, I like it on mixed greens topped with avocado and pepper. Our toddler loves it on a sandwich or just by itself.

Chickpea Salad
2 c cooked and drained chickpeas – you could use 1 can of chickpeas too
½ c celery
2 c shredded carrots (I always have them on hand!)
¼ c onion, minced
2 T mustard
½ tsp black salt (this MAKES the salad!!)
2 T relish
½ cup Vegenaise
Ground pepper
2 tsp marjoram
½  tsp chipotle
2 T nutritional yeast
½ tsp lemon pepper
Pinch garlic powder
Salt/Pepper to taste

Mash the chickpeas a bit with a fork, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let salad sit for an hour ( or even better, overnight ) before serving

Mash chickpeas

Add remaining ingredients, combine well

Refrigerate for at least an hour

Serve on salad

Here’s Melody’s Curried Chickpea Variation :
Remove relish, marjoram and chipotle
Add ½ c raisins, 1 T curry powder, ½ c cilantro and ½ c toasted sunflower seeds and 1 T apple cider vinegar

Related articles

Loaded Veggie Spicy Noodles

by

0

This was SO GOOD! My hubby and I both devoured the leftovers too… so did our toddler!

Loaded Veggie Spicy Noodles

Toddler Approved!

This is made from a few other recipes – GREAT way to use up leftovers! I’m sure you could use any variation of this recipe with great success.

This is another awesome recipe from Melomeals!! She rocks! I changed the original recipe and added more veggies. I have to add kale to everything! I keep shredded carrots on hand for salads and wraps so I dumped some of those in too.

Loaded Veggie Spicy Noodles 

  • 1 box whole wheat pasta – I used regular
  • 1 c pasta cooking water
  • 1/2 cup Chipotle Hummus (leftover from a batch I made the day before – used the other half to make the Chipotle Broccoli Quinoa Soup)
  • 2 T minced fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 T Ketchup
  • 2 T Siracha
  • 1 T Toasted Sesame Oil
  • 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar or Lime Juice – I used lime juice
  • cooked tofu & leftover veggies – I used my batch of Gingered Tofu & Zucchini
  • 1 32oz package of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced (Costco)
  • 1 bunch Lacinato kale, destemmed and chopped
  • 1 bunch of collard greens, chopped (you could use anything here, really)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 large green pepper
  • 2-3 cups shredded carrots
  • Cilantro/Peanuts for garnish
  • Soy Sauce/Pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Cook pasta, reserve water
  2. Saute green peppers, onions and garlic until soft
  3. Add mushrooms, saute until soft, add water if needed to prevent sticking
  4. Add kale and collards, cook until wilted
  5. Add shredded carrots and stir, allow carrots to heat
  6. Mix together ketchup, hummus, sesame oil, ginger, sriracha (if using – or add at the end), Apple Cider Vinegar or Lime Juice and stir until smooth
  7. In a skillet, add the pasta, sauce ingredients , Gingered Tofu & Zucchini, mushroom/kale/carrot/veggie mix and thin out with the pasta water as needed.
  8. Heat through and add the cilantro/soy sauce and pepper to taste

Saute green peppers, onions and garlic... add mushrooms and saute until soft

Add kale and collards, cook until wilted. Add carrots and stir, allow to heat

Mix ketchup, ginger, sesame oil, lime juice together

Add hummus and stir to combine

Drain pasta, add sauce mixture and toss well

Add veggie mixture and Gingered Tofu & Zucchini and toss well

YUMMY!

Top with cilantro and soy sauce (if desired)

Gingered Tofu & Zucchini (AND a little chit-chat)

by

3

I’m a wee bit behind on blog posts… about 30 to be exact! Oops! My son will be 6 months old tomorrow, we moved him into his crib last month (our computer is in his room – my office/his room type of thing) and it’s been hard to get on the computer for any length of time. I cranked up his white noise machine tonight so I can get some of these posts out to you!

He starts solid food tomorrow too… yay!! Baby food recipes coming your way!

Anyways, we have made a few changes to our diet over the past month with the help of an awesome plant-based Registered Dietician – Elisa Rodriquez from EatUrVeggies.com. She’s helped us a A TON and I’ve never felt better! I started Crossfit three months ago and I am SO HAPPY with my overall appearance right now… I look and feel better than I did BEFORE I had both of my kids!!

If you need a little push or a little direction with your plant-based diet, talk to Elisa!!! She’s awesome and very reasonably priced!

A few of the changes we’ve made from this learning process:

* Cut out added oils and salt

* Stopped eating bread more than twice a week MAX

* Switched to eating more whole foods (cut out flour, etc… well, for special occasions!)

SO you may see my recipes changing a bit. I need to post the ones I’m behind on but after that you may see a change in the type of recipes I choose to cook OR I will be altering them to suit our new dietary path. 🙂

OK! Onto the food!

This recipe is from one of my favorites – Melomeals Vegan For $3.33 A Day… LOVE HER!! This is a really easy recipe, perfect for a busy evening!!

Gingered Tofu & Zucchini

My daughter loves this! I serve this over quinoa or brown rice OR I make it into Spicy Noodles! (Post to follow… that’s a GOOD RECIPE!)

Gingered Zucchini and Tofu
  • Cooking spray
  • 7 oz extra firm tofu cut into small cubes – I used one block Trader Joe’s Organic High Protein Tofu
  • 1 large zucchini,  medium chop  I used 3 for extra veggies
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 5 large cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
  • ¾ cup water
  • Smoked Sea Salt to taste
  • Soy Sauce to taste
  • Black Pepper  to taste
  • Siracha if desired, to taste
  1. In a screaming hot cast iron (medium high heat) add the tofu, onion and zucchini. Let it stay there until the tofu starts to come away from the pan. This will give it a nice caramelization.
  2. Now add the garlic and ginger along with the water and a pinch of salt.
  3. Stir well and cover for 5 minutes, add soy sauce, more smoked sea salt, pepper and siracha to taste

Tofu, zucchini & onion ready

Add to HOT pan

Now add garlic, ginger and water

Add soy sauce, pepper, smoked salt and sriracha to taste

 

Skinny Buckeyes

by

1

I was trying to fight off a serious sweet tooth (it wasn’t working!) so I decided to make these… I figured it was a little bit of a compromise, considering they contain beans! They turned out really good, my hubby and toddler loved them!!

Skinny Buckeyes

This recipe is from Happy Healthy Mama. She has some really great recipes!

INGREDIENTS

* 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1-15 ounce can, rinsed and drained)

* 1 1/2 cups peanut butter

* 1/2 cup agave (original recipe called for honey but agave works too)

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used dairy-free chips)

* 2 tablespoons coconut oil

* toothpicks

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a food processor, process the chickpeas until they are completely broken down. Add the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, and salt and process until everything is well combined and forming a ball, about one minute.

2. Scoop the mixture with a rounded spoon (I used a 2 teaspoon size), roll into a ball, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Continue until you use all of the mixture; you should get approximately 48 balls.

3. Place in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place your chocolate chips and coconut oil in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds and then stir the mixture. Microwave another 30 seconds and stir again. If the chips are not completely melted yet, microwave in 5-10 second increments until totally smooth. {Alternatively, you can use the double boiler method to melt your chocolate. I always just use the microwave.}

5. When your peanut butter balls are firm enough, take them out of the freezer. Put a toothpick into the top of each ball and then using the pick as a handle, dip the ball into the chocolate. Leave a little circle open at the top to make traditional Buckeyes. I had a little chocolate leftover using this method, however, so if you want to cover the entire ball with chocolate, go ahead. Return the dipped balls to your tray.

6. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm and you are ready to serve. If storing, store in the refrigerator.

Process chickpeas

Add other ingredients and process until it forms a ball

Roll into balls and place on parchment paper - freeze for 15 minutes

Heat coconut oil and chocolate chips

Dip the balls into the chocolate using the toothpicks - refrigerate until firm

Yummy!

 

Lentil Quinoa Stew with Red Chard

by

7

This is one of our new favorites FOR SURE! My hubby loved it and so did our toddler, she ate two bowls! I reduced the amount of spice for her and I have to admit, I was a little surprised she ate so much because it still had quite a kick!

The original recipe is from Melody from Melomeals – I made a few changes to make it a wee bit healthier.

This recipe calls for her Goaty Cashew Cheeze and Easy Garlic-Roasted Marinara Sauce (Oil-Free) so if you just made the sauce from my post yesterday… save some for this! The Goaty Cashew Cheeze is excellent to have on hand so whip up a batch of that tonight so it will be ready to use!

I’ve learned a ton from Melody’s website! She uses a few base recipes to make a bunch of different dishes, all delicious!

This stew is nice and thick, perfect for turning into burgers!! I mixed 1 cup of the leftover soup with 3/4 cup rolled oats and 1 Tbsp flax meal. It’s sitting in my fridge tonight and will make perfect burgers tomorrow! I think I’ll wrap them in collard greens, that sounds delish! Here’s the “How to Make Burgers Out Of Leftover Soup” recipe if you need a reference.

Lentil Quinoa Stew with Red Chard

  • Water or broth for sautéing
  • 1 tsp good quality Italian Seasoning
  • 1/4 – 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you don’t like hot – I only used a few dashes and it was a little spicy but good)
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 c cooked lentils – I used 2 cans of Lower Sodium Organic Black Lentils, rinsed well (Sprouts sells them)
  • 3 cup water or broth – I used water
  • 2 cup Easy Garlic-Roasted Marinara Sauce (A MUST!)
  • 3 Cup greens of choice, chopped – I used a whole bunch of red chard, stems included
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms – I used one whole package of sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 – 4 Tbsp Goaty Cashew Cheeze (I used 4Tbsp)
  • 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp t lemon zest (I zest all citrus before using and freeze it!)
  • Pepper to taste
Method:
  1. Saute dried spices, onions, chopped chard stems and garlic for 3 minutes
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the chard leaves, balsamic vinegar, Goaty Cashew Cheeze, nutmeg, lemon zest and pepper – cover and bring to a boil for 15 minutes
  3. Remove lid, add chopped chard leaves and cover, cook for a few minutes or until chard wilts
  4. Take off heat, stir in vinegar, goat cheese, nutmeg, zest and add pepper to taste

Saute onions, garlic and chard stems with red pepper flakes and italian seasoning

Add selected ingredients (I messed up and added the Cheeze early but it was still good!)

Add chard leaves

Add balsamic, Goaty Cheeze, fresh nutmeg, lemon zest and pepper

Enjoy!!!

Related articles

Easy Roasted Garlic Marinara (Oil-Free)

by

7

I’ve tried a lot of marinara recipes but this one is my absolute favorite! That’s it, I’m never making another one again! This is really easy to make and the roasted garlic is a nice touch! Plus it freezes nicely. My toddler loved this too!

In an effort to reduce my pasta intake, I mixed the sauce with beans and pasta and served it over spinach (I got the idea from Melomeals!). It was delish!!!

Roasted Garlic Marinara with beans and pasta over spinach

Original recipe is from Melomeals… I changed it a bit to make it oil-free and a bit lower sodium.

Roasted Garlic Marinara

  • 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (for roasting the garlic)
  • 10 cloves garlic sliced
  • 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (I did less to make it toddler friendly)
    • 1 t marjoram
    • 1 t rosemary
    • 2 t dried basil
    • 2 T balsamic vinegar (for deglazing)
    • 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I used no-salt added canned tomatoes)
    • 28 oz can diced tomatoes with their liquid (I used tetra packed tomatoes)
    • Salt/Pepper to taste
    • 1 c fresh basil or parsley
    • 1 carrot, shredded (add to cut acidity instead of sugar)

    Method:

    1. In a cold pan place the balsamic vinegar and garlic in the pan. Turn heat to low and slowly caramelize the garlic This took me about 25-30 minutes.
    2. When garlic is golden and fragrant, turn heat up to medium and add the spices.
    3. Cook spices for 1 minutes, then deglaze with balsamic vinegar
    4. Add tomatoes, bring to a simmer, cover for 20 minutes
    5. Taste and adjust seasonings, stir in fresh herbs
    6. If the sauce is too acidic, add 1 shredded carrot or 2 t sugar (I added a shredded carrot)

    Roast garlic

    Add spices then tomatoes, simmer

    Add fresh basil

    Add carrot to cut acidity

    Yum!