Couscous Confetti Salad

The first week's menu for the 21-Day Vegan Kick Start was sent out yesterday. I couldn't wait until Monday to get started so I made the Couscous Confetti Salad last night.

It was very quick and easy to make.  I love all the different types of vegetables in one salad. I served it with baked tofu and green beans. The kids were not fans of the salad. I think the vinigar taste was too sharp, but I kept a little couscous seperate for them to try and they did like that. The salad was a hit for both my husband and me. The recipe was big enough we'll have leftovers salad to use in a meal or two this week.

21-Day Vegan Kick Start!

 The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is sponsoring a 21-Day Vegan Kick Start beginning on March 1. Here's some information about the program:

Get Ready to Kickstart Your Health on March 1!

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., one of America’s leading health advocates, this program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. Low-fat vegan—plant-based—diets are the easiest way to trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, cut cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse heart disease, and reduce cancer risk. They even trim our carbon footprint.

The Kickstart will give you an all-access pass to:

I took part in 21-Day Vegan Kick Start the PCRM sponsored in January and successfully completed 21 days of vegan. However, I also tried out too much vegan junk food! I'm going to take part again in the March Kick Start and attempt to stay closer to the PCRM meal suggestions. I am interested in finding out if I have an increased level of energy if I cut out dairy and cut down significantly on sugar intake. I would highly recommend this kick start if you have been thinking about moving towards a vegan diet or just want to improve your eating habbits. The information on the PCRM website is very helpful and inspiring.  I am planning on posting my daily meals along with any recipes I try during the kick start.

Penne Puttanesca with Veggie Meatballs

Tonight for dinner I made Penne Puttancesca with Veggie Meatballs. The recipe came from the February 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times. I've tried a few store bought veggie meatballs and thought they were fine, but not fantastic so I was very excited to make my own.  Here's the recipe:

Penne Puttanesca with Veggie Meatballs
4 oz. dried penne pasta
7 oz. (half of 14-oz. pkg.) soy sausage substitute, such as Gimme Lean (1 cup packed)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish, optional
1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil, divided
1/4 tsp. ground fresh pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.), divided
1 cup tomato sauce
2 Tbs. chopped black olives, optional

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine soy sausage, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, 1 Tbs basil, 1 tsp. garlic, and pepper with fingers.
2. Coat large skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat.  roll soy sausage mixture into 12 balls, about 2 Tbs. each. Cook meatballs 5 to 6 minutes, or until evenly browned. Add tomato sauce, olives, remaining 1 Tbs. basil, and remaining 1 tsp. garlic. Cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 3-5 minutes to let flavors meld.
3. Drain pasta and stir into tomato sauce mixture.

I thought the meal was really flavorful and so easy to make. Plus it took less than 30 minutes from start to finish! I did substitute a vegan Parmesan cheese and would probably opt to leave out the cheese entirely next time. However, the meatballs and the sauce both tasted great. The veggie meatballs had a very nice texture and flavor. I will definitely be making this again!

Valentine Cookies

Happy Valentine's Day! We celebrated at our house by making valentine cut-out cookies. We used the following recipe we got from a kid cookie making class we took at Whole Foods. I love this recipe because there are no eggs and you can eat the dough! We used dairy free substitutes for the butter, cream cheese and milk and the cookies tasted great.

Easy Cut Out Cookies
1 1/4 cups Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened butter
1 tablespoon softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter and mix until crumbly. Beat in cream cheese and vanilla until it is clumpy. Add water until it comes together. knead dough into one big ball. Roll out dough until it's nice and thin. Cut out shapes and bake for ten minutes. Let cool, then decorate with icing (recipe below). Makes about 18 big cookies.

All Purpose Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons whole milk
2 tablespoons softened cream cheese
Food coloring, if desired

Directions: Whisk until smooth. Makes about 1 cup


Here's a couple pictures of the finished cookies!

The Key to Quick Healthy Dinners for Families

Want to make dinner for you family, but it seems like an overwhelming task after working all day? Two things are key:

• Cook in bulk and freeze leftovers for future meals.
• Keep it simple.

Cooking in bulk is a nice way to build up your reserves for easy dinners. Make a big batch of brown rice on the weekend and put the leftovers in freezer bags in meal-sized portions. The idea of freezing grains revolutionized cooking dinner for me. No longer did I need to cook rice for an hour to get dinner ready for my family. If you rotate the types of grains you make in bulk on the weekend you will have a variety of grains to choose from in your freezer. My first thought on freezing the rice was, “Does it taste good when you thaw it?” Yes, it does! You can either set it out in the fridge in the morning to thaw, use the microwave, or the stove top. I usually end up using the microwave because its so quick. If your rice feels a little dry you can put a damp paper towel on top of it in the microwave and it will help with the moisture.

Second, keep it simple. You've got your grain so now you need is a protein and some vegetables. Next choose some protein for your meal such as seitan, tempeh, tofu, or my family's favorite Field Roast sausage. I start by cooking the veggie meat in a pan and cutting up the vegetables while the protein is cooking. Then I add my vegetables to the same pan, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the vegetable, and voila you have a meal.

You can take this same idea and get a different meal every night by swapping out the type of grain, protein and veggie you choose. It's also easy to make the meal seem fresh by varying the seasonings you use.