30 Day Vegan - Day Six

I started out Saturday by baking Rise and Shine Breakfast Bread from the 30 Day Vegan workshop. Everyone LOVED it, and it really does make a great breakfast. Here's William's serving:

No, I didn't let him eat the whole 90+ carb serving; I had him cut it in half.
.
Then, out to the yarden for some more prep work.

Dumb dog ate my new gardening gloves.

.

I got the first load of material loaded into the tumbling composter, part of our multi-family composting endeavor.

Bin for collecting; tumbler for composting (hopefully quickly).

.

Margaret and I both had problems with the tumbler staying too wet and not composting properly. Since we can pretty much count on rain and dampness year round, I wanted a way to keep my "dry" material as dry as possible. I found an old wood pallet in the storage shed and put a batch of dried leaves on that. Hopefully up off the ground it will stay fairly dry, and be able to dry out a bit after a rain. Maybe I'll keep a small bit of plastic sheeting on hand for rainy days...

I then spend a bit of time working mushroom compost and soil conditioner into the upper planters. I ended up with enough excess soil to start filling one of the lower planters.

.

By then it was time to take the boys up to their friend's house for his birthday party. The usual "challenging" fare...pizza, homemade cake, and ice cream. I got William dosed for the pizza, and set up an estimated dose for the cake and ice cream before heading off to the grocery store for this week's shopping.

.

There were a few more items this week that I didn't find, including sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds. The checker suggested that perhaps these were "seasonal" items. I find it a bizzare state of things that "seasonal" has come to mean "available for specific holidays" such as Christmas, Easter, Labor Day and SuperBowl, rather than to mean "this is when it is harvested". I got more jars (one case of quart, one case of small jeweled), and remember now why I don't do grocery shopping on the weekends; there are more people there, more meanderers, and the shelves have been picked over and aren't fully stocked. I'll have to plan the next couple of Fridays to print my recipes, make my list, and get to the store by mid-day on Friday.

.

By the time I'd unloaded everything and put away, the boys were back from their party. Since they'd consumed decidedly non-vegan food for their "dinner", I cooked just for David and I. My first run-in with tofu was in the form of Family Friendly Pad Thai.

It was most definitely yummy, though I found it a bit on the sweet side for my taste. I'd been curious about the peanut dressing thing (this one made with tahini and maple syrup), and I really liked it. I couldn't really taste or notice the tofu, which is probably a good thing. It did fry up nicely and I think "held" the fresh garlic flavor for the dish. David loved it, too.
.
Since my order from Johnny's Selected Seeds arrived earlier in the day, I sat down to start seriously planning out the garden, and to create a master list of "what to do when".

.

The kids wanted to watch a movie all together, and I made up some popcorn using coconut oil. We have an air popper, which is supposed to make popcorn "healthier" by eliminating the fat, but I find the popcorn ends up way to bland, and the salt doesn't stick. The coconut oil lent a great, subtle flavor, and helped the salt stick. Very nice!

.

So, up for today: Get some more work done in the garden (mostly prepare the ground for the beneficial's welcome garden), putter in the yard a bit, finish up the garden planning, and maybe do some baking. I'm looking forward to trying that Pad Thai sauce in a veggie wrap for lunch!

30 Day Vegan - First Week

Well, we're most of the way through the first week of the 30 Day Vegan workshop. After starting out like gang busters last weekend, I backed off a bit on the vegan cooking mid-week. David was in Canada Wednesday through Friday, and since the kids haven't been entirely enthusiastic about some of the main dishes, I decided not to do a vegan dinner each night. We did a bit of grazing, and some left-overs, and the kids seemed to be fine with that.

But, Thursday night I made Lemon, Garlic and White Bean Pasta for myself (and the kids to have one bite of). And, because I'm incapable of following a recipe to the letter (even the first time I make it), I made a few substitutions:

• Used cilantro instead of parsley (also because I had not parsley)
• Used whole wheat thin spaghetti
• Tossed in some pine nuts
• Added a bit of garlic powder at the end for some extra garlic-y-ness
  

Wow! I really liked this dish! But, next time I will probably skip the zest and stick with just lemon juice. And, I think I overcooked the white beans when I pre-cooked them; I think the kids will like this better if the beans are a littler perter.

Served with a chunk of fresh-from-the-oven artisan bread:



I'm feeling pretty optomistic about our grocery bill for the first week. That first shopping trip on Sunday just about held us for most of the week, with just a few "here and there" items picked up mid-week. The overall bill was less than I usually spend on a week’s groceries, even though much of what I bought was “pantry” stocking of "specialty" items. I'm interested to see what this week's bill will be.

Also on Thursday we got a delivery, which Michael and Thomas immediately tore open and put together:


I decided to plant our garden from seed this year, so ordered this cute little mini-greenhouse to start seeds in. I also bought a book, since I've never started seeds before. The New Seed Starters Handbook also has a chapter on seed saving, which I've wanted to do, but have always been intimidated by.

Michael, of course, had to find some plants to put in the greenhouse:

I remembered to check our little avocado pits, changed their water, noticed one of them has a root sprout, and put them in the greenhouse this morning. Good think I checked on the other plants; the greenhouse had really heated up in the direct sun. I'll need to check it every day to be sure the plants don't overheat as the days warm up.

.

I’m trying not to let the “other projects” lingering in the back of my mind get to me too much while I'm spending more time in the kitchen. Most pressing are the garden and the impending moving in of Kit and family. The garden I’m behind on anyway since I don’t even have my seeds yet, so spreading out that project a bit won’t put me any further behind. I do, however want to finish mixing the upper beds this weekend, and take stock of the soil needs of the lower garden. And, I did get a start on “purging” in preparation for cohabitating; yesterday I went through my bedroom and closet, and the laundry room, resulting in two contractor bags of junk tossed to the curb. And, I managed to get ALL of the clean laundry folded and put away (there was A LOT piled up!). It has helped a lot that the kids have been pretty much self-directed in their learning this week (with a little nudging here and there), though I'm feeling a bit guilty about not reading to them as much as I would like. But, there's always next week.

30 Day Vegan - Day Two

Yesterday was pretty low key in the kitchen. While I had managed to “wash as I went” for most of Monday’s cooking, I petered out toward the end and there was a sudden explosion of dishes mounded in the sink by the time post-dinner rolled around. It didn’t help that one of my kitchen crew was MIA; Thomas is usually in charge of unloading the dishwasher, and he was staying at a friend's house.

So Tuesday morning first thing was kitchen cleanup (I hate cleaning up a dirty kitchen in the morning almost as much as I do after a long day...drat those lazy Kitchen Elves for not showing up!). I checked in with 30 Day Vegan for my morning inspiration, then cooked up a batch of brown rice using our virgin rice cooker (it’s been sitting in the pantry for about a year, unused). The rice turned out a bit mushy, but that could have easily been my doing.

I had just enough time for quick sweep-up of the house, a shower, and veggie wraps for lunch, then the kids and I headed to homeschool Park Day. Brrrrrrrr….it was cold! We took along the rest of the Carrot Sesame(less) Spice Cookies, and everyone pretty much agreed they were yummy. William even ate two, but he was chasing a low, so I'm not sure I can count that as an official endorsement. I think the Homemade Granola he had for breakfast was "slow"; I gave him a correction 2 hours post-meal, and he hit a nasty low shortly after.

Back home I popped my cooled goopy rice into jars and refrigerated them for later use (maybe I should try California rolls!). Of the two dozen jars I bought on Sunday, plus the half dozen or so recycled jars I've been using, I now have only three left. I'm gonna need more jars!

Our usual Tuesday family was with us, so I made a double batch of Quinoa and Black Bean Chili. It was waaaaaay good, and very easy to make. I went easy on the chili powder for the benefit of the kids (I also ran out of chili powder), and I imagine for those who like their chili spicy a dash or two of Tapatio or other hot sauce might be just the thing (sorry, Kit, I didn't think of it last night!).

I served the chili with Veganized Old Fashioned Cornbread. I took the recipe off the back of the Hodgsons Mill corn meal bag, and made some substitutions.

2 Tbsp coconut oil (instead of shortening)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp milled flax seed + 3 Tbsp water (instead of an egg)
2 cups corn meal
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp maple syrup (instead of honey)
1 3/4 cups almond milk (instead of buttermilk)

This version is baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet. It was great!

I think I'll try the Lemon, Garlic and White Bean Pasta tonight with Artisan Bread, and I need to make another batch of granola and cookies (Thomas didn't get to try the cookies...they all got eaten!).

Happy cooking!

30 Day Vegan - Day One

Yesterday I did some “prepatory” cooking; beans, white and black, for future dishes. I could have just bought canned beans, but I want to do as much from scratch as possible.

Did a bit more organizing; putting stuff into jars. I’ve seen photos of some of the other participant’s pantries with nice labels on all of the jars and containers, but I’m just writing on them with a sharpie. (If I need a different label, I can just take it off with SolUMel). I’m also including carb counts for each item on my “label.”



Michael was my kitchen helper, and he made whole wheat spaghetti with marinara for lunch. Everyone pretty much played along with the vegan thing by skipping the parmesan topping without complaint.


I realized I will have to go back to the store because I’m missing some ingredients. Some I’d neglected to put on my list, and some had been scarfed down by certain children who shall remain nameless, but whose initials begin with M, S and G. We’re going to have to make a new rule along the lines of “If you need to climb on a chair (or your buddy) to reach it, then you have to ask first AND LISTEN TO THE ANSWER!”
.
I took a break and dropped Thomas off at John’s house for an overnighter; Nic was to join them later in the day. I would have gone by the store on the way back, but I left the house in my slippers, and Michael had no shoes at all.
.
Back home, and back into the kitchen, I whipped up a batch of granola and a batch of cookies, and jarred my beans (got two quarts of each black and white beans for later use). And, made up a batch of vegetable broth (tops of leeks, a couple of carrots, the tops and heart of a bunch of celery (the “good” parts went back into the fridge snack drawer), the outer leaves of a cabbage I’ll be using later this week, an onion (the only “virgin” veggie going into the pot) and the end of a bunch of parsley that wouldn’t be lasting much longer).

For dinner I used some of the white and black beans for the Veggie Wrap with Tahini Sauce (thank you, Margaret, for the loaner!). The sauce is very flavorful, and a little bit goes a long way. I really liked the combination of cold beans and veggies. We did cucumber, red bell pepper, tomato, avocado, and carrot.

.

*****

.
So, a few thoughts and observations from Day One.

.

I can’t believe how often I’m taking out a full bucket of kitchen waste to the composter since we've been eating semi-vegan. I'm probably making at least one full bucket of scraps per day, and happy to be doing so. David brought Margaret’s tumbler over, so I’m hoping to get a load “started” in the next day or so.

.
Carb counting for William's insulin doses is going to be a real trick. I could meticulously calculate all of the carbs going into any given recipe, and then figure out his portion from there, but I think a lot of these dishes William is not going to be terribly interested in. And, my experience with this type of calculating "scratch" dishes has not ended up being terribly accurate (I swear some dishes add or loose carbs during cooking!). So, I'll be relying heavily on my "guestimating" skills.

.
I spent just about the entire day in the kitchen. The time was enjoyable (though I was tired by the end of the day), and I did at least as much "puttering" as "cooking." I’m not sure I can be this focused on cooking, spending this much time in the kitchen, for 30 days, much less for the rest of my life. But, I have a feeling that once I get into the mindset and rhythm of whole-food, vegan cooking, it will take me much less time to whip up meals. I’m mostly experimenting right now, and am unfamiliar with the ingredients and how to use them. I think it will get more stream-lined with time. I feel a bit like the movie “Julie and Julia”. Just not all year.

.

Today, I'll be pre-cooking some rice and other grains, and am planning on Quinoa and Black Bean Chili for dinner...my first foray into the mysterious quinoa grain. Wish me luck!

30 Day Vegan - Getting Ready

I was sick on Friday and Saturday, so I feel like I'm a couple of days behind. Especially when I see what some of the other seminar participants have been doing in their kitchens to get organized. Ugh! So, most of yesterday was spent in preparation.

First, I cleaned out the refrigerator; got rid of everything that needed getting rid of, and even washed the shelves.

Ready to be filled with goodies!

.

I also printed out this week's recipes and put them in protective sheets (I didn't have a binder on hand). Then made a shopping list of stuff I needed. It was a really long list.

After a nice little salad for lunch, I went shopping. Amazingly, I was able to find everything I needed except tahini at Kroger. But, Margaret assures me she found tahini there, so I'll just have to ask next time. In the mean time, she let me borrow some of hers.

Our "butt load" of groceries.

Grace informs me that the metric conversion of "butt load" is "bum load".

My seminar binder full of yummy recipes.

.

The total grocery bill was right around $250, but I got a few "extras". Most noteably:

• My binder.
• Wide-mouth Ball jars; one flat of freezer-safe pint-sized and one flat of quart sized. I used the box bottoms to help organize the pantry.

Two dozen lovely wide-mouth Ball jars and their partner lids.

.

• Sandwich bread; As Margaret has explained to her family, my end of the bargain is to make meals and put them on the table. You can eat it or not (though I might require each child to take at least ONE bite), no derrogatory comments will be allowed, and you are free to make yourself something else to eat. I see a lot of PBJ's in our future.
• Fruit juices.

I ousted almost all of our plastic storage containers (most of whom are missing mates), and loaded up the cabinet with our new jars.

My first "seminar" dish was Butternut Squash and Apple Soup. Very simple, and absolutely fabulous. Just about the best winter soup ever.

Served with artisan bread (also vegan). Perfect!

Ready for another day!