It was my part-time nanny who discovered little Rascal’s love for rice — “RASH, Mama, RASH!” And it was my part-time nanny who fed him hot dogs for lunch today. I almost had a heart attack when she told me, especially since I’m trying REALLY HARD to adopt the DR. FUHRMAN’s eating plan for my children (sshhhh! don’t tell Josh) — which emphasizes loads of vegetables and very little animal products. I’ll leave MOST of the treats and animal products to grandma and the nanny…. The kids’ll thank me later.

Because they had hot dogs for lunch (God help me), I wanted to give them a straight vegan dinner. And it was NICE for me to be able to eat exactly what they were eating. I made this great pesto rice dish and some grilled peppers and portobello mushrooms — which EASILY take the place of steak on a vegan plate. YUM. I finished the meal off with a KALE/banana/strawberry/omega 3 oil smoothie. The ingredients of which I could never duplicate (but see sidebar tag cloud for sneaky smoothie ideas).

And now for the recipes. Check it….

PESTO RICE

INGREDIENTS (serves 4-6)
1 cup Brown Rice
2 cups Water
1/2 cup Chopped Mushroom
Basil (to taste)
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
Salt (DASH; optional)
Pepper (to taste; optional)
Handful Pine Nuts (or so)

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. COOK RICE: In a medium-sized pot, pour in the rice and water and BOIL. Turn heat down to low when water starts to boil, and let sit for 15 mins. Turn OFF heat, and let sit until all water is absorbed.
2. Sprinkle the mushrooms on top as rice sits cooking (this will steam them to perfection).
3. Once rice is done, and enough water absorbed, add the oil, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, and pine nuts. Note that HEAT IS OFF. We want to keep the oil, etc., raw, for maximum health benefits!

Et voila!

ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS

INGREDIENTS
Portobello Mushrooms (thickly sliced)
Red Pepper (sliced)
Any other veggie
Canola Oil Spray (preferably high-heat resistant Spectrum, organic)
Tamari Sauce (or soy sauce)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place reusable silicon mat on baking sheet (to make it nonstick). Place veggies on baking sheet and SPRAY until just covered. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until peppers start to darken and crisp lightly at the edges. Place veggies in a bowl and mix with tamari sauce to taste. ENJOY!

The reason it’s sexy is because it’s VEGAN (with vegetarian options), it’s YUMMY, and there’s NO TOFU INVOLVED, and, still, it offers a nourishing, satisfying amount of protein, fiber and nutrients. Black beans make a WONDROUS, whole-food alternative to ground meats.

I had the vegan version of the dish, and my kids and Josh-O enjoyed a little organic cheddar cheese grated on top. I don’t do soy cheese because I can’t find a brand that I like (and I’m not a believer in fake anything); so, I can tell you the dish was still delicious sans any cheese. If you’re really LAZY, you could sprinkle parmesan on top. But, this is Mexican we’re talking about here — which means GRATED cheddar. Besides, let’s face it, the big parmesan brands that you buy in the grocery store, are, well, pretty-much fake and laden with salt and chemicals…. Blech.

You can add any vegetable you want to this. But, if you’re dealing with picky children, sometimes a purée is best. Because I’m the Cheatiest cook in the West…, I added a spinach purée to it, which I’ll include in the recipe. Spinach is one of those super-healthy leafy greens that is a MUST in the diet, and it offers good calcium and iron for vegans (especially when combined with the vitamin-C in the tomato sauce).

Okay, so CHECK IT! Oh, and by the way, I’m putting vague amounts here, because they really vary, depending on how many people you’re serving, how much pasta you’re using, etc.. You’ll see….

INGREDIENTS

1/2 jar tomato sauce (any variety)
1/2 jar mild salsa
1 can black beans
1 cup spinach (to be purée in 1/4 cup water) (optional)
1 cup grated soy or organic cheddar cheese (optional)
Cooked pasta (or rice)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour all the ingredients over hot cooked pasta (or rice)!
2. Grate your cheese on top (in front of the kids, if possible, because they find it thoroughly entertaining — think making-spaghetti-with-play-dough…).
3. Stir it up!
4. ENJOY!

P.S.: This dish keeps really well in the fridge for a good 3-5 days. Or, freeze for later!

I’m working SO HARD right now to feel better. I’ve been feeling totally depleted lately. A diet consisting of pretty-much only almond butter, spelt bread, orange juice, soy chai lattes and multivitamins will do that to you.

It’s a wee bit challenging to eat well as a vegan. It’s like, when you pledge to become a vegan, you also pledge that you will EAT REALLY REALLY WELL. Indeed, part of being a vegan is being gentle and compassionate to your own body. And, I have not been. I’ve been so preoccupied with my children, and their health and well-being, that I’ve made no time for my own SELF-CARE. Cooking seems to take too much energy, and all I want at the end of the day, is to sit on my arse and eat sweet, and almond-buttery and BREAD-Y goodness…. But, my lips are chapped, and my energy is low, and I slip in and out of dark moods all too easily. Not a good sign.

So, yesterday, I vowed to make a change. I decided not to make any strict rules that I would end up breaking and berating myself for breaking. Instead, I decided just to eat a little better. To eat some meals and maybe even some greens.

Well, the FREEZING weather here in Canada made it difficult for me to fill my fridge with vegan delicacies (lettuce). But, I did have some KALE in the fridge…. And, I steamed it with my dinner….

…and it was good. I liked it. I didn’t put a single seasoning in it, and I LIKED it. Kale is an AMAZING vegetable. It’s one of the healthiest in the world — as are most dark-green leafy vegetables. Maybe it was so tasty because my body really needed it…. I’m not sure. But, go for it, Gorgeouses. Pick yourself up a bunch of kale, steam it gently in half a cup of water, and enjoy….

If your body doesn’t welcome the plain steamed kale as much as mine does, add a teaspoon of low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari sauce), a minced garlic clove or two, and some pepper. Let us know how you like it!

Guess who else liked it…? Josh-O and the RASCAL. The monkey didn’t try it. But, it’s okay, because she LOVED my latest concoction: “NATURE’S CANDY.”

Last night at dinner, Monkey asked me if she could have CANDY for dessert. Instead of saying “noooo,” I said, “sure! I’m making you ‘Nature’s Candy.’” She was SO. EXCITED. Squealed for joy! When I finished making it, I walked into the dining room and confidently handed her “Nature’s Candy.” And, to my delight (and surprise), SHE LOVED IT.

She loved it SO MUCH…that she POSED with it….

Later, when she was in bed, she said she really liked “Churchiss Candy.” So, you better get the recipe, eh, Gorgeouses!? HERE IT IS!!!

NATURE’S CANDY

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

1 apple
1 kiwi
Raisins
(Really, any fruit will do; but, the raisins are a must!)
Tablespoon walnuts (optional; great for added omega 3s)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop up fruit and throw in a bowl.
2. Sprinkle with raisins.
3. Serve with chin up and big smile! AND MAKE SURE YOU CALL IT “NATURE’S CANDY,” or some other name with “candy” in it…. They’re LOVE IT! Hee!

That’s me! I’m a cheaty little chef. Well, I’m still a little bigger than I’d like to be this long after BIRTHING Rascal. But, in good time. In good time. In any case, I’m definitely a cheaty chef. I sneak as much as I can into my children’s food without them knowing it — because they are truly picky eaters, and I am truly obsessive compulsive when it comes to their diets. I am MISERABLE knowing my children aren’t getting EVERYTHING they need EVERY DAY. And, I do whatever I can to avoid the misery by being CHEATY.

Today, I share with you my easiest, yummiest, cheatiest method of getting SPINACH and other good stuff into my children’s diets…. And, hey! This is not limited to children, of course. Husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, CATS, grandmas — name a loved one — and YOU will love it, too!

CHEATY’S SPINACH YOGURT DELIGHT

Looks good, right? You’d never KNOW there was spinach in there! Now, really, anything goes here. But, the ingredients that follow worked really well. And, the combination of spinach and blueberries is ideal (iron and vitamin C should be ingested together for optimal absorption). The ground nuts provide much-coveted omega 3 fatty acids, an itty-bitty crunch, and a tasty nuttiness — because I’m nutty like that…. Check it:

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 4)

Oh gosh. The amounts of everything really vary…. You have to use your intuition. I’ll try to gage it here….

1 cup yogurt (soy, if you’re vegan like me)
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 oz (2 tbsp) ground almonds/walnuts (if you don’t have a coffee grinder for grinding nuts and seeds, get one! I use mine all the time. They’re small and inexpensive.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Place all of the ingredients in the blender or food processor and BLEND! If it won’t blend, just add more yogurt. The monkey’s loved it.

My little monkeys ate spinach, Gorgeouses. They actually ate spinach! AND, Rascal’s constipation has been MUCH better thanks to the blueberries, spinach, AND nuts! Sweet.

ENJOY! And, let us know what you think!

By now, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a big fan of THE MUFFIN. Muffins are just SO EASY and always YUMMY. If they’re made nutritiously, they’re like CAKE without the fat and calories.

The muffins I’m sharing with you are adapted from one of my foodie favourite books, Enlightened Eating, by Caroline Marie Dupont, a very talented energetic healer, and nutrition and meditation expert whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with — she did some energy work on me, and it was UNBELIEVABLE.

Anyway, I was in a bit of a hurry, but I REALLY wanted to make the kids something homemade and nutritious to munch on because, as you know, I’ve been feeling down about my cooking lately…. I opened the pantry for an easy organic muffin mix that I THOUGHT I bought. But, alas, there was none in the pantry. And, then I remembered I never actually bought it; I’d put it back on the shelf last minute, SWEARING that I’d bake muffins from SCRATCH. No copping out this time.

So, I went through ALL my cookbooks, as I do EVERY time I go to bake muffins, and I found a surprisingly EASY one, with very few ingredients, AND VEGAN. Sweet!

You know, vegan muffins are not just good for vegans: no eggs = almost NO MESS. So, without further ado, I give you….

ENLIGHTENED APPLESAUCE MUFFINS!

INGREDIENTS
(Serves 12)

1/2 soy milk (I like the YU soymilk with omega 3s in it; you can substitute ANY kind of milk, including dairy for this, though)
1 cup applesauce
3 tbsp. olive oil or butter
1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp. ground flax seed (I used about 3 Tbs)*
2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 – 2 tbsp lemon zest (I didn’t have lemons, so I left this out)
1 cup raisins or currants

*Always grind your flax seeds right before using them. I use a really small coffee grinder. So quick and easy.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil the muffin tin. Caroline suggests using coconut oil. I used an organic canola oil spray that I have — not the ideal choice, but I use so little….

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the wet ingredients and ground flax seeds.

3. In another larger bowl, mix the dry ingredients and then fold in the wet ingredients.

4. Add the raisins and stir until everything’s mixed and you get a nice moist batter (never over-stir when baking).

5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tin.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

7. Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes, and remove them from the tin.

Muffins freeze really well. So, you can put some in an air-tight container to freeze. This will prevent you from eating them all at once, too……. ENJOY!