Veggie Mommy is back with some yummy Pad Thai

Veggie Mommy is home on maternity leave with VeggieBaby (child #3, our first boy!), so now that VeggieBaby is taking longer naps, I am thinking now is the time to start posting to this blog again.  Plus, there have been a few days that I have been able to try out new recipes!  Last week I tried a new pad thai recipe and it was perfect.  I prepared everything during the baby's naps, so it didn't take much come dinner time.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Ingredients:
12 oz. dried flat rice noodles (1/4 inch wide)
1 1/4 Tbs. tamarind paste
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbs. Sriracha sauce
1 bunch scallions - cut into 2-inch pieces, halve the pale green and white parts lengthwise
4 large shallots - thinly sliced
1 package firm tofu - cut into 1 inch cubes and patted dry
1 1/2 cups peanut oil
2-4 eggs (depending on taste)
4 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 lime
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

1. Soak noodles in a large bowl of warm water until softened, 25 to 30 minutes.  Drain well and cover with a dampened paper towel.
2. Make sauce by mixing the tamarind paste with 2/3 cup hot water.  Add soy sauce, brown sugar, and Sriracha, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat, then fry half of the shallots until golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove the shallots and spread on paper towels.  The shallots get nice and crisp as they cool.
4. Reheat the oil until hot and fry the tofu, turning occasionally, until golden.  Transfer tofu to paper towels. Pour off and save the frying oil, except for 2 tablespoons.
5. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat.  Transfer to a plate.
6. Heat 5 Tbs of the shallot oil over high heat and stir-fry the scallions, garlic and remaining shallots until softened, about 1 minute.
7. Add the noodles and stir-fry over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Add tofu, bean sprouts and sauce, and simmer, turning noodles over to absorb sauce evenly until noodles are tender, about 2 minutes.
8. Stir in eggs.
9. Serve with peanuts, fried shallots, lime wedges, cilantro and Sriracha. 

My girls are all about limes right now so they loved squeezing the lime juice on top.

Peanutty Stew for Fall

I made this last week for dinner and served it with some brown rice and BOTH of my kids loved it. It is super easy and reheats well.

Creamy Butternut Squash Stew

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 butternut squash, seeded, peeled and cubed
1 onion, diced
1 can chick peas, drained
2 heaping tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 cups vegetable broth
Cumin
Cayenne Pepper

1. Cook the onion until it starts to soften.
2. Add cubed sweet potato, butternut squash, cumin and cayenne pepper (to your taste - I use about a tablespoon of cumin and about 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper). Cook about 7 minutes until squash and sweet potato start to soften but not brown.
3. Combine 1 cup of vegetable broth with peanut butter and stir together. Add the broth mixture to the pan and stir together.
4. Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Cover. Turn down to low or medium low and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. Add the chick peas and cook for 5-10 minutes with the cover off. The stew should be thick and creamy.

You can serve this alone or over brown rice.

My Never Fail Dish: Eggplant Parmesan

The one recipe I make that never fails is my eggplant parmesan. You can get eggplant at the Farmer’s Markets in the Southeast right now so this is a great time of year to make it. For me, the key to this recipe is baking the eggplant, not frying. For kids, I think the key is all of the cheese! In any case, 1 eggplant with some pasta or a green salad makes a complete meal for us. The cheese gives us a fair amount of protein and if I want to up the vitamin content of the dish I will shred some carrots into the tomato sauce.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant
2 cups Breadcrumbs
3 egg whites
Tomato sauce
8 oz. Mozzarella, grated
1 cup Parmesan, grated

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Slice the eggplant thinly, about ¼ inch.
3. Separate whites of three eggs into a shallow bowl.
4. Put breadcrumbs on a plate or in a shallow bowl.
5. Coat both sides of each piece of eggplant with egg whites and then bread crumbs.
6. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet coated with olive oil spray.
7. Bake until browned, starting to crisp, about 45 minutes, turning halfway through.
8. Lower oven temperature to 350°.
9. In a 2 ½ quart casserole or baking dish, spread tomato sauce in a thin layer over bottom of dish. Place eggplant in a single layer over the sauce. Put a thin layer of sauce over the eggplant. Sprinkle grated mozzarella and parmesan. Add eggplant in a single layer and repeat with sauce and cheese. Finish with layer of cheese on top.
10. Bake at 350° for about 35-40 minutes until cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Veggie Chicken Fajita Pasta

This is a great dish to make ahead or to throw together on a week night. I made this dish on Monday night, while making and cleaning up that night’s dinner, and reheated it for dinner last night. It reheated well but it is super quick and easy to make if you have 30 minutes to make before serving. The girls loved it and so did we. We did kick up the spice for ours though – adding the crushed red pepper. For Lillian’s we separated out the veggie chick’n from the pasta as she seems to prefer her foods “separated” these days:)

Ingredients

12 oz. egg noodles
8 oz. low fat sour cream
½ cup adobo sauce or enchilada sauce (depending on how much heat you want)
2 T lime juice
1 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
½ t crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how much heat you want)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
12 oz. Veggie chick’n strips (like Morningstar Farms Meal Starters)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In large bowl, combine sour cream, adobo sauce or enchilada sauce, lime juice and spices. We added the crushed red pepper to individual bowls after so the girls’ wouldn’t be too spicy.
3. Sauté the onion and peppers in olive oil for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the chick’n strips and cook until lightly browned.
4. Stir together the pasta, sour cream sauce and veggies and chick’n and serve!

Labor Day Mac-n-Cheese

This post is a little late (today is actually October 1) but I'll try to catch up on some September recipes so we can dig in to some yummy fall recipes this month - I am so excited for squash and other fall vegetables at the farmer's market!

I made this Mac-n-Cheese recipe for a barbecue we had on Labor Day. After people left that afternoon, I found myself wondering when we transitioned from parties that lasted until 3 am to backyard barbecues with the kids that ended by 3 pm? Probably about the same time we started serving dishes like this one . . .

I have this recipe scrawled on a piece of paper and I have to admit I am not exactly sure where it came from. I thought it was from Celia Rivenbark's Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank (Hilarious book!) but I don't think that's right. It may be from The Sweet Potato Queens' First Big Ass Novel by Jill Conner Browne. In any case, if you are looking for a tasty way to step-up your baked macaroni and cheese, check this out.

Macaroni-n-Cheese

12 oz. pasta (shells or rotini)
1 stick butter
1/4 c flour
2 c milk
Salt & Pepper
1 lb cheddar or monterey jack + 1 c cheddar, grated
1 medium onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Tater tots
Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta.
2. Sauté diced onions and sliced mushrooms.
3. Melt butter in the microwave and stir in flour.
4. Heat milk on stove until hot but not boiling and stir into butter and flour. Add a dash of salt and some pepper to taste.
5. Stir until thickens and gradually add the 1 cup of cheddar.
6. In large bowl, stir together the cooked pasta, onions and mushrooms, and cheese sauce. Stir in the remaining cheese.
7. Pour into 13x9 pan and cover with a layer of tater tots. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

The tater tots sound over the top but it is delicious!

Friday Afternoon Ladies Lunch

The girls had last week off, their usual one week break between the beginning of summer session and before the beginning of the fall session. As always, the break brought on the usual juggling of schedules to cover childcare. My husband stayed home with the girls on Monday, my mother-in-law came Tuesday – Thursday, and I stayed home on Friday. My friend, Louise, came over for a doggie playdate and a visit with the girls on Friday. I made a chilled noodle salad with mango, based on a recipe from the June 2008 Vegetarian Times magazine for all of us girls (which paired nicely with a chilled Prosecco for the adults). It’s a great recipe for a summer afternoon, both for the kids and the adults.

Chilled Noodle Salad with Mango
(Adapted from the Vegetarian Times recipe at http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10643?section=)

Dressing
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper chili flakes

Salad
12 oz. wide Lo Mein noodles (the VT recipe calls for 8 oz. dried rice-stick noodles but I wanted something more substantial)
¾ cups thin carrot strips
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced leaf lettuce
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
3/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed


Directions
To make Dressing: Warm all ingredients in saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Cool.
To make Salad: Cook noodles according to package directions.
Drain noodles and toss with a dash of olive oil to prevent from sticking. Let cool. Toss noodles with 1/2 cup dressing and carrots, lettuce, basil, mint and cucumber. Arrange mango slices on top, and drizzle with remaining Dressing. Sprinkle with peanuts.

Fun with Veggie Dogs

Our good friends had an Olympics Opening Ceremony party last Friday. They made an awesome spread complete with handmade empanadas, G’s famous homemade hummus, a fruit salad featuring the Olympic rings carved from watermelon rind, and veggie pigs in a blanket. This was the first of three meals we would have last weekend that featured the wonderment that is a veggie dog.

I know that some vegetarians poo-poo processed vegetarian products that resemble meat products, but I personally love them. It’s not that I miss meat and I personally don’t like any product that is too “meaty” but who doesn’t love the concept of the hot dog? You put it on a bun and add all kinds of things to it so that you don’t notice the consistency of the strange tube like thing you are eating – how American is that? And, as I plan to set out in this post, they are downright versatile.

So, first up, we have veggie pigs in a blanket. These couldn't be easier. Just cut some veggie dogs into thirds, wrap in dough and bake until golden. Our friends used leftover empanada dough (maybe if we're lucky they will post a comment with the recipe for their empanadas). We have used the biscuit or crescent roll dough that comes in a tube in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Kids love them!

On Saturday, we went camping and had (you guessed it!) veggie dogs over the camp fire for dinner! The key to roasting veggie dogs is not to leave them on too long. The casing can get a bit chewy if left on too long.

And, finally, for Sunday dinner:

Vegetarian Corn Dog Casserole
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1-1/2 cups sliced green onion
1-1/2 pounds vegetarian hot dogs
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (8.5 ounce) packages dry corn bread mix
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a shallow 3 quart baking dish.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then saute celery for 5 minutes. Stir in green onions, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
Cut hot dogs lengthwise into quarters, then cut into thirds. In the same skillet, saute hot dogs for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix hot dogs into celery and onions. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, sage, pepper, and corn bread mix. Stir well to combine, then stir into remaining hot dog mixture. Mix in 1-1/2 cups cheese. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with reserved hot dog mixture and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

From http://recipes.kaboose.com/corn-dog-casserole.html

This was tasty and the kids love it!

Eggplant Bulgur Casserole

I love casseroles because 1) it’s all in one – easy to serve, easy to clean-up; 2) it’s a great way to get more vegetables in my kids' diets; and 3) I am from the Midwest – doesn’t everyone from the Midwest love a casserole?

This is a great recipe for mid-week. I made it the night before I wanted to serve it for dinner and then we took it later in the week for lunch. The eggplants and tomatoes are from the local farmer’s market. Bulgur is a great whole grain that has a slightly nutty flavor. It is available by other grains and flours in most grocery stores. Instead of the Indian spices, you could use Italian herbs. We served it with goat cheese sprinkled over the top. Yum!

Eggplant Bulgur Casserole

2 medium eggplants, chopped into 1 inch square pieces
4 tomatoes
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1 cup bulgur
2 cups water

1. Add mustard seeds to 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and sauté over medium high heat until the seeds start to pop.
2. Turn down to medium heat and add onions and sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften.
3. Add the eggplant, tomato, cumin, turmeric and coriander and continue cooking over medium heat for about 5 minutes – eggplant should be starting to soften and skin may be browning.
4. Mix in the bulgur and cook for a few more minutes before adding the water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Fondue!

My niece and nephew were visiting this past weekend so we decided to do something fun for our Saturday night dinner - Fondue party! My niece and nephew had never tried fondue and it had been awhile since we have made fondue with our kids. My husband and his family love fondue and made it for all birthdays when he was growing up. So we have made it a tradition in our house as well. It sounds cheesy (no pun intended) but kids love fondue! You get to stab things with a fork and dip it into yummy cheese - how can you go wrong? We always do cheese and chocolate. Getting the right consistency is always key with fondue, but with kids, it's even more important to have the right foods to dip. This weekend we had:
• 1 loaf whole wheat french bread – strategically cut so that each piece has at least one side of crust
• broccoli (not in season right now so store bought bag of florets to save time), blanched
• small pickles
• mushrooms
• baby potatoes, boiled until just starting to soften and cut in half

You can dip just about anything that is firm enough - try cauliflower, carrots, olives, cucumber, peppers, and garlic cloves. The kids loved it! They had a great time dipping and trying different things, figuring out which was their favorite.

We used a basic fondue recipe:

Ingredients:

• ½ clove garlic
• 1 lb. Gruyere cheese
• 8 oz. Emmentaler cheese
• 1 ½ cups dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• pepper
• pinch of nutmeg

1. Grate the cheese and toss with the cornstarch.
2. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut surface of the garlic.
3. Mix together lemon juice and wine and heat in the pot over medium heat.
4. Once hot enough to melt the cheese but not boiling, begin adding the cheese one handful at a time, stirring until melted.
5. Stir constantly and continue adding the cheese until the fondue is a smooth and creamy texture. Add nutmeg and a few dashes of pepper.
6. Remove from the stove and place over a flame.

This makes enough for 4-6 adults. It could easily serve 6-8 adults if you started with a salad.


Then, of course, we did some chocolate fondue (see pictures above). Just heat about 1/4 cup of milk in a pan on the stove and add about 1/2 bag of chocolate chips, stirring constantly and removing when smooth and creamy. Chocolate fondue is easy to experiment with - we often do peanut butter and chocolate. This time, we added a handful of chopped chocolate mint from our garden (yes, there really are chocolate mint plants). We have a very small ceramic fondue pot that sits over a tea candle that is perfect for chocolate. This time, we just dipped strawberries, blueberries (from the Farmer's Market) and pound cake (keep pound cake refrigerated until serving to help it stay together). It was divine! I have to admit, the chocolate was a bit messy for the four-year-old but well worth it!

Lilly's Eggplant Stew

Last night we made an eggplant stew that was a combination of Indonesian and Moroccan recipes we have used in the past. We served the stew with pineapple rice. The whole family loved it. I am calling it Lilly's stew because my daughter, Lillian, picked out the eggplant at the Farmer's Market.

Ingredients:

• 1 eggplant, cubed
• 2 medium size sweet potatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 t ginger
• Crushed red pepper
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 3 T soy sauce
• 1 t brown sugar
• Cilantro, as much or as little as you like

1. Saute over medium heat onion, garlic and sweet potatoes with a dash of olive oil and the ginger and crushed red pepper, until onion starts to brown and sweet potatoes start to soften. [I didn't have any fresh ginger on hand, and my husband isn't a huge ginger fan, BUT, if you like ginger, fresh ginger would be good. I only used a few pinches of crushed red pepper for the kids.]
2. Meanwhile, combine the coconut milk, soy sauce and brown sugar in a bowl.
3. Add the eggplant and chopped tomatoes with a dash of salt and continue to cook over medium heat for another two minutes or so.
4. Stir in the coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer about 10-15 minutes - until the eggplant is soft and the sauce thickens.
5. Serve with cilantro and sour cream, if desired, over a bed of pineapple rice.

For the pineapple rice, I used basmati rice made with about 3/4 cup of pineapple juice (the amount of juice in a can of pineapple chunks) and 1 1/4 cup of water. You could also add some garbanzo beans to the stew for some added protein.

As a side note, the coconut cream and pineapple juice were left over from making the "Tropsicles" in the July/August 2008 Vegetarian Times Magazine.