Fall is in the air!

This is the time of year when I look forward to the smells and sounds of fall. Wood burning in fireplaces, cinnamon and spices in baked goods, and a the crispness of the fall air. I love hearty comfort food during the fall season - warm bread, potatoes, casseroles.

Raising Vegan Children

Raising children is a hard enough venture, and throw in a lifestyle choice that is not the "mainstream" and it becomes that much more difficult. Raising our daughter vegetarian (and ultimately vegan) was a choice made during pregnancy that both myself (the vegan) and my spouse (the opportunistic carnivore) were confident with, even though we knew it would be a point of concern for some people. When our daughter was very young it was less of an issue because she was fed a combination of breast milk and soy formula. And even when solids were introduced - cereals, fruits and veggies - there was little to stress over when it came to making food choices. Now that she is a toddler though, and in a child care setting, the game has gotten more complicated. I stress myself out scrutinizing the food that is provided at school - can she eat it, and did they accidentally feed her something not on her "safe" list? How can I match what is on the menu so she doesn't feel like she is the odd kid out eating something different than the rest of her classmates. And how can I educate the people who care for her about what she can and cannot eat - its more often than not just a lack of awareness and certainly not an attempt to subvert my food choices for her. The average person, I have long since realized, does not read labels with any sort of understanding. I suppose it takes someone that eats a "restricted" diet (I really hate that term that so many people use!) to make an effort to read and understand food labels. An example ingredient that frustrates me to no end is Whey. It is so pervasive in our food products and it doesn't need to be! I have to scrutinize things from crackers to bread to make sure its not included. Most people when trying to accomodate a person's vegan diet make an effort to not offer meat products. Fish for some reason is not considered meat (a mystery I have never understood - most likely stemming from all those "vegetarians" who happen to eat fish...) and is often offered as an alternative. Once I explain that as a vegan I also do not consume eggs or dairy or honey (honey?!), most offers of omelettes and cheese also stop. But cheese flavored crackers, soups made with meat broth, and most other products which require a quick read of the ingredients to see that they indeed contain whey or cheese solids or egg, are still offered freely. I don't want to be the vegan food police and make my daughter's teachers feel they are under attack by me so I try to tell them what crackers she CAN eat, and also that I will bring in several alternatives that I know are "safe" for her to eat. I do it because its easier for me to provide the food than to analyze and criticize what the staff is offering her. I try to educate gently without being "that parent" who bashes the teachers. And I always am appreciative when the teachers and staff express their willingness to make sure her special diet needs are being accomodated. My daughter, who is tall and healthy and energetic and bright, and just an all around pleasant child to be around, is the best "vegan propaganda" available I think. She is a great example of how the vegan lifestyle promotes health and wellness regardless of age. She debunks the myth that a child needs milk or eggs or meat to grow up healthy. And as she gets older she will be raised with the understanding that animals products don't need to have a place in a person's diet. She is already growing up with an appreciation of having animals to interact with, and this experience can be extrapolated to teach her a valuable life lesson that most parents try to avoid. There is no difference in animals. If it is unacceptable to eat your pet dog or cat, than why is it acceptable to eat a cow or a pig? They are all animals. And while some people have cows for pets, it is more common for pigs to be pets, and they are great companion animals! How do we as parents teach our children that some animals are okay to eat but not others? Or do we lie and not tell them that "hamburger" is actually cooked cow? I believe in being upfront and honest with my daughter about what food really is. Meat products and cow's milk, and eggs come from animals and that is why we don't use them. She will grow up with the truth and be a better person for it.

Vegan Mofo - Cookies!

This is my first post for Vegan Mofo. I am starting off the cooking season with a tried and true favorite – peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. My husband has been requesting these for quite a while now, and in fact I am pretty sure my marital status hinged on making these as soon as possible (!) and so I thought they would be the perfect starter dish. I’ve just recently changed my recipe ever so slightly by increasing the peanut butter concentration (not too much or the cookies become too flakey!), and so now these are my aptly named “1.5X Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

What is spring without strawberries?!

So I finally had the opportunity to go to a "pick your own" strawberry patch about 30 minutes north of Panama City. It was so much fun - I had to force myself to stop at just one box of berries - and good thing I did because each box holds 10 pounds. My friend and I went in the morning and we each worked down either side of a row, filling our boxes with little red gems. Such fun!

so now its time to get down to business with all these berries! My roommate requested strawberry shortcakes, and I haven't seen a vegan recipe for angelfood cake yet, but I love the Vanilla Yogurt Pound Cake from Veganomicon. Its an awesome recipe - I don't like store bought cakes because they tend to be too sweet (and non-vegan of course...) which is one reason why I love baking cakes myself. This is such an awesome recipe. There is a hint of citrus that I love, and it's so moist, thanks to the yogurt. This cake is quite capable of being eaten alone, which isn't something I usually think of with pound cakes - they tend to be too dry and.. well, cakey. But this one is just fine alone.

With that being said, however, I am not one to pass on the availability of fresh, local strawberries. I prepared a strawberry topping that was, like the cake, not too sweet, and complimented the cake perfectly. Sugar, water, cornstarch, and lots of strawberries. Yummy!

Vegan Mofo First Post - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cuppers!

I thought I would start the fall off right with a favorite dessert of mine. This is Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cupcakes with cinnamon icing from VCTOTW. Love, love, love this recipe. Its always a hit with my family and friends so I thought it would be a good start to the fall baking season. While baking is definitely one of my favorite things to do, I am determined this month to spend a lot more time exploring new non-dessert recipes. I have recently, in the last month or so, tried several Indian dishes and have been quite pleased with the results. I gauge my cooking success at this point with my daughter's willingness to eat the food, and so far she LOVES Indian dishes. She turns 2 next month so I am pretty impressed with her love of various seasonings. Its really cute to see her face covered with a curry dish. I actually made a Sweat Potato and Chickpea curry dish the other night but didn't take any pics as my camera is malfunctioning. However my daughter loved this dish so will definitely be repeating soon.

Disclaimer, my photos will be coming from my video camera so the quality isn't as great as I would like, but hopefully that doesn't detract too much from my posts.

Kulfi!!!

So yesterday I made my first attempt at mango kulfi, or some version of it at least. I've found a variety of recipes for it, some containing gelatin (no thanks!) and some with sugar and milk and cream, so I figured I would go super simple for my first try. I put the flesh of two mangoes in the food processer (where would I be without this device?!) and processed until smooth. Then I added approximately 500 ml or 16 oz of soy milk and processed some more. When it was nice and smooth I aliquoted into small tuppers that look EXACTLY like italian ice cups. I covered with saran wrap and froze.

So now for the self criticism. My kulfi had ice crystals throughout, making it more like an icy cup than mango ice cream. I mean, don't get me wrong, its still delicious, but I am determined to get the smooth consistency I am used to. So I think there are a few things I need to try for the next batch.

1. Freeze, blend, repeat. I was reading about freezing for an hour or two, blending thoroughly, and repeating maybe twice. I'll try this.
2. Use a mixture of soymilk and soy creamer.
3. Some recipes I have seen call for boiling the milk. Not sure if I need to try this or not. I'll try the first two and then see what else is needed.

Cobbler!!

After my first cobbler success, I wanted to try a different fruit to mix it up a bit. I used the same recipe, but instead of strawberries, I used blackberries! The only change besides that was an increase in cornstarch to 2 Tbsp and addition of 1 Tbsp lemon juice after addition of the berries. It came out great!