I am learning that snacks are very, very important when eating a plant based diet. My dear friend Julia is teaching me a lot about how best to keep my man with a happy tummy. The first night we ate gluten-free/vegan he came into our bedroom at about 10pm and said “I feel great and am really really hungry – what else do you have to eat!?!” Most of the time he just feels bad and uncomfortably full so it was good that he was hungry but I needed to come up with some good snacks to keep him going when he is working late or between meals.
My first snack:
Roasted Nuts!
I went to Costco and got an array of nuts to try out both raw and roasted. We found out quickly that my hubby is allergic to Walnuts (opps!) but everything else he really liked – here is what I got:
I came home and roasted them (Almonds, Pecan, Walnuts) in the oven (single layer) at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. They I turned off the oven, let them sit and dry out inside the oven for 30 more minutes and then cool with the oven door open for another hour.
I put a bowl of nuts on Caleb’s desk and he ate them throughout the day – so happy! The extra’s went into a tupperware so that I can refill his bowl daily. A total success. My 15 month old also really really loved the Pecans – she sat on the kitchen floor munching for quite a while. Good day in finding a new favorite for our household!
Dinner 9/16/2009:
This dinner was so supper tasty and filling! My 15 month old liked the Kidney beans the best second to the soup. She was not a huge fan of the corn but my hubby loved the corn and dressing on the salad! It took about 1 hour to do the whole recipe with some yelling from the kids and a break to breastfeed Zeb (the 3 month old). The Kitchen smelled fabulous!
Squash Soup
with Side Salad of Kidney Beans and Corn
Butternut Squash with Shallots & Sage
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Cook shallots and squash, stirring until shallots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add broth or water, brown sugar, sage and salt, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally until squash is tender, 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vinegar, pepper and salt to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
(I make this Squash into soup by adding about 1 – 1 ½ cups vegetable broth, heating on the stove in a soup pot until it goes to mush and then blending it in the blender until it is completely smooth. It makes a lovely soup for about 6 people.)
Compliments of Bastyr Website.
Kidney Bean and Corn Salad
with Cider Lime Vinaigrette
Kidney beans and fresh corn have a sweet flavor and are good sources of protein. Paired with a cooling cider lime vinaigrette, this salsa inspired salad is great on a hot summer day.
Prep time: 15-20 minutes (salad), 5 minutes (vinaigrette)
Serves 4-6
Soak kidney beans overnight. Pressure cook beans for approximately 20-40 minutes in 6 cups of water. Drain beans and let cool until room temperature.
Remove husks from corn. Bring water in a pot to boil. Place corn in boiling water. Turn off heat. Remove corn after 4 minutes, let stand until corn returns to room temperature. With chef’s knife, remove kernels from cob. Combine cooked beans, corn kernels, pepper, onion, garlic and cilantro in large mixing bowl.
For the Vinaigrette
Whisk together all ingredients in a mixing bowl until mixture thickens slightly. Combine with kidney bean salad until all ingredients are well coated.
Original Recipes Copyright 2009 by Genevieve Sherrow
Compliments of Bastyr Website
I have been gluten-free for about 4 years now and am just embarking on a vegan lifestyle as well. I have a 15 month old and a 3 month old (born on the same day one year apart!). They are amazing kiddos and I am really looking forward to making meals that my 15 month old likes too! I was a vegetarian before I found out I had Celiac’s Disease and now want to get back to a more meat/dairy free world since I really loved it before I had Celiac’s. We are however going to encorporte fish into our diet as Omega-3′s are so important for brain development for all of us but especially my kids. Yea for healthy breastmilk!
My first project is to embark on a challenge to find 30 Gluten-Free and Vegan Dinners that are Kid-Friendly. I plan to post all of the recipes online to share with those of you who are trying out the same kind of diet. Maybe this diet will help me loose some of this baby weight I am so ready to be rid of!
