Around the World: The Southwest

This lunch showcases some of the traditional foods of the southwestern region of the United States, which includes Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado: Corncob Cornbread, Anasazi Beans with roasted chiles, Prickly Pear Pudding, Fried Nopales, and a Baby Squash Medley topped with sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Just for fun I used scissors to cut corn tortillas into "cornhusk" shapes and wrapped them around the cornbread to resemble fresh ears of corn. The tortilla strips are used for scooping up bites of beans and nopales at lunch time.

One cactus is in this lunch, served two ways: First, nopales are the flat, green pads of the prickly pear cactus. When cooked they taste something like lemony green beans, with a slippery quality like okra. They're very popular at the Hispanic grocery store in my town, where I usually have to stand in line to get to them, in bags already deprickled and diced. (I cut a whole pad into a little garnish, too.) Next, the red fruit of the prickly pear cactus is made into a sweet syrup that flavors the nondairy pudding for dessert.

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Grilled cheese sandwich triangles, Masoor, orange and apple slices, garbanzo beans

Grilled cheese sandwich triangles : whole grain bread slices, some finely grated baby carrots, american cheese slices and grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. I grilled it on the nonstick pan with few drops of olive oil and cut it into triangles.
Soaked whole Masoor (lentils). they didn't sprout yet.
Tangerine (orange) and apple slices.
Soaked and cooked (with salt) garbanzo beans.

Around the World: Italy Again

Here's another "Around the World" menu inspired by the cuisine of Italy: Grilled Vegetable Stromboli, Balsamic Strawberries, and a green salad with Italian dressing.

Stromboli is usually made by rolling meats and cheeses up into an Italian bread dough before it's baked. After the loaf is cooked and cooled it's cut into slices and served. You can easily make stromboli with vegan meats and cheeses, but I decided to switch things up and use an assortment of grilled vegetables and a layer of roasted garlic instead.

This lunch was photographed in a Lunchsense lunch box. The owner was kind enough to send me a Lunchsense to photograph for my book, and everyone who saw it was impressed. The containers have tight lids and fit together perfectly along with an ice pack and beverage container in the lunch box, which has a nice shoulder strap and also folds out to make a place mat for your meal. It's a great design, especially if your kids are old enough not to lose track of their containers and lids.

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Around the World: Morocco

Oh, I can't look at this picture without wanting to make and eat this all again! This is the menu for Morocco: Moroccan Tagine, Orange Couscous, tangerines (named after the city of Tangier, in Morocco!), and Cinnamon-Sugar Almonds.

Tagine is a thick Moroccan stew made with chickpeas, vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, and peppers), raisins and spices, served on a fluffy bed of couscous. Couscous looks like a grain but is actually a tiny semolina pasta; it is a staple food in the cultural area of North Africa known as the Maghreb (west), which includes Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia. So there you go -- your geography lesson for the day!

The toasty, sugared almonds are actually even better using whole blanched almonds (almonds without their skins), but I wasn't able to locate any locally for the photo shoot.

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Japanese pizza or pancake, marinated and roasted lotus root slices,grapes and strawberries

Japanese pancake (okonomiyaki) : This is a savory pancake - a vegetarian version closer to japanese pancake or pizza. This is clean the fridge recipe...can be made with many vegetables.

3 cups cabbage thinly cut into strings, grated carrots 1/2 cup, sliced mushrooms, 2 tablespoon while wheat flour, 1/3 cup grated raw nagaimo root [optional or potato/taro root can be used], 2 teaspoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, salt. Mix it all together without any water. With few drops of oil make mini pancakes on the nonstick pan. Cook from both sides.

It already has ketchup but kids can eat enormous ketchup. This is a very good picnic food...lunchbox item.

Marinated and roasted lotus root slices : lotus root slices marinated in soy sauce + salt + sesame oil + rice vinegar and roasted on the pan.

Lotus root being a starchy root doesn't have much nutritional value...its different taste makes it a fun food to eat. Fresh lotus root is available at any supermarkets. Asian stores like Uwajimaya carry it in frozen sections too.

grapes and strawberries.

Around the World: Indonesia

Indonesia -- land of tempeh! For those of you not familiar, tempeh is made by cooking and fermenting whole soybeans until they form a solid cake that can be sliced and steamed or fried; it has a nutty, mushroomy flavor and a firm texture. Nutritionally, tempeh has more bioavailable protein than tofu or plain cooked soybeans, and the fermentation process makes it easier to digest. So thank you, Indonesia, for inventing my favorite soy food and a vegan protein powerhouse!

Lunch inspired by Indonesia: (clockwise from top right) Golden Indonesian Tempeh, made with a sweet soy sauce - brown sugar caramelizing glaze and a touch of spicy chile, Indonesian Vegetable Pickles, tangerine and star fruit, and Yellow Coconut Rice. The rice is garnished with a Chile Blossom (Have I mentioned that the new book includes an entire chapter on lunch box garnishes? Indeed it does!)

The vegetable pickles include lots of shallots, a member of the onion family which might not be familiar to all of us here in the West but is used extensively in Indonesia.

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Around the World: Hawaii

Here's another picture that didn't make it into the book, but I'll show it to you here! This is my Hawaiian Luau Lunch Box: (starting far left) Tropical Fruit Salad (mixed tropical fruit with coconut cream), Maui Onion Dip with sugar snap peas, Huli-Huli Tofu (grilled tofu with a Hawaiian-style barbecue sauce, and Aloha Sweet Potatoes (roasted sweet potato and yam topped with yummy toasted coconut).

Okay, so maybe the fabric is a bit busy, but I still had a lot of fun making and setting up this lunch box! You can have fun when you make it, too, by including a paper umbrella to garnish the fruit salad or wrapping your lunch box in a plastic lei.

Speaking of lunch boxes, this is another Lunchsense, size medium. The website says that this is the most popular size for grade school kids, and if you get it in this bright construction-worker orange, I'm sure your kids will never lose it!

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Around the World: Japan

Here it is, the final photograph from my new book! This was the Big Bento Box Photo Shoot, an epic day of cooking, set-up, and photography. I wanted to show every bento box menu I made for the Japan section of Around the World;I've been so inspired by Japanese bento culture, I couldn't leave anything out, and I also included lots of tips on how to make your own bento-style vegan lunch boxes.

Okay, let's start with the red Laptop Lunch Box: Zaru Soba (cold noodles with dipping broth) with Carrot and Daikon Salad, edamame, and persimmon.

In the pink bento box: Tofu Tamagoyaki with Potato Salad Balls, Octo-Celery (instead of the ubiquitous octodog, because vegan hot dogs won't curl, and celery is healthier anyway), Cucumber Sushi Rolls, cherry tomatoes, a Botan Rice Candy, and kiwi and watermelon stars.

In the small red bento with red apple side dish: Onigiri (rice formed into shapes by hand or with a mold), vegan chicken nuggets, Stir-Fried Arame with Carrots and Ginger (this is one of my favorite dishes from the entire book, btw - sooo good!!), Radish Rosettes, and Apple Bunnies.

Finally, in the two-tier kitty bento: Tofu Tiger on a bed of rice, Carrot-Cucumber Tulips, Broccoli Salad with Daikon Flowers, and some strawberries.

Except for the Laptop Lunch Box and the apple all these bento boxes were from I Love Obento!

Link: Vegan Lunch Box Around the World.

Phodnichi poli (masala tortilla/chapati/roti), woldorf salad

Phodnichi poli - policha kuskara - masala tadka chapati (phulake) :
Its a popular Indian breakfast item made from leftover Roti/Poli/Chapati/Paratha/Tortilla.

Crumble or cut or crush the tortilla/chapati to small pieces. If its dry chapati like phulake you can use mixer to do it. Add some lemon juice, salt and sugar a teaspoon each for 6-7 tortillas and keep it aside. For tempering/ tadka/ phodni - heat very little oil (I used 1 teaspoon) in a pot and then add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, grated ginger, finely chopped onions pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon water. cover with lid and let it cook.
Add vegetables of your choice. I added frozen peas, green pegion peas (tur), edamame, grated carrots, finely chopped zuchini. Mix in the crumbled chapatis/tortillas. Turn the heat to low and let it cook for 10 minutes covering with lid.

Woldorf salad : Mix all of it together - finely chopped apple, celery, walnuts, grapes, thick yogurt, sugar. Yummy and easy :)
It is made with mayonaise and raisins but Roo doesn't like it so I added grapes and yogurt instead.

The Loaf is Back, Baby!

Quite a few of you have noticed that my Magical Loaf Studio has been down all summer. Good news finally! I moved my website to a new hosting service, got a little technical help (thank you, Greg), and the studio is up and running again!

For those of you who haven't used it yet, the idea is to create your very own recipe for a vegan dinner loaf by choosing from the lists of options. For example, make a yummy loaf of lentils, amaranth, and almonds ... or garbanzo beans, oats, and cashews ... or black beans, rice, and pine nuts ... or kasha, butter beans, and walnuts ... etc. etc.!

So if you're not sure what's for dinner, head on over to the Magical Loaf Studio and let your imagination run wild!

Polenta with beans and carrots, apple slices

Polenta with mexican red beans and grated carrots in Pasta sauce :
In this recipe I used polenta like pasta, roasted it on the pan. Mixed some cooked (with salt) beans and grated carrots in pasta sauce...microwaved it for a minute sprinkled some cheese and gave it in hot lunch box.
Polenta is prcooked corn meal (north Italy) and has savory taste. It is available in any supermarket. Mexican red beans are like small kidney beans (rajma) but has different taste.
with apple slices.

Sweet Citrus Iced Tea

I think everyone loves Iced Tea in the summer right?

But I think when you throw in a bit of citrus into that already delicious beverage, then you end up with a super delicious Iced Tea that will get you rave reviews and requests for the recipe.

I've been making this one for a long time and it just never gets old :)

Sweet Citrus Iced Tea

14 and 1/2 cups of water, divided
10 tea bags
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice (I like freshly squeezed lemons)
1/4 orange juice
Ice cubes

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, remove from heat and pour into a gallon size mason jar or pitcher.  Add the tea bags, close and let stand for about 10 minutes.  Remove the bags and throw out.

Stir in sugar, lemon juice and orange juice and the remaining water.  Refrigerate.

To serve, just pour into a tall glass, add some ice cubes and a slice of lime.  You can also add a slice of orange or lemon if you prefer :)  Enjoy!

Afternoon Snack - Apple Sandwiches

I love making fun snacks for my kids, I think as with everything else, if the food looks fun or has vibrant colors, it's going to make you want it and enjoy it more.

This was another super quick one for this afternoon.

Nothing to it, just core an apple, slice it into thick slices....smear on some peanut butter then add some mixed nuts and some marshmallow and top with another apple slice.  It's like a little apple sandwich :)

You can also do peanut butter, chocolate chips and mini marshmallows, or leave the marshmallows out, it's up to you.

Enjoy :)

Holiday Cabbage Rolls

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for, especially our good health and the health and well-being of those around us.

With that in mind, this year I again made my Cabbage Rolls as a healthy vegan centerpiece dish. The rolls are filled with a mixture of walnuts, brown rice, and garbanzo beans seasoned with herbs and Dijon and baked in a mixture of low-sodium veggie juice and lemon juice. They were a big hit -- even some of the meat-eaters gave them a try and liked them!

As an early Christmas present to all of you I am posting the recipe here. Use it next time you want to stay vegan and healthy at a festive feast. I'm sorry I didn't get this up before Thanksgiving, but I know there a few more opportunities coming up this season!

Buckwheat Tabbouleh Wraps

Today I started a brand new full-time job! That's right, I finally get to pack lunches for myself!


Lunch Number One: an avocado with a tiny container of dressing, baby carrots, grapes, Fruit & Nut Bars, and four incredible lettuce wraps.

When Gluten Free Gidget shared her Buckwheat Tabbouleh Hummus Wraps on the This Is Why You're Thin! blog, I immediately thought of how lovely they would be as a healthy, gluten-free packed lunch. I followed her recipe but used only a scant 1/4 cup olive oil and less than half the salt -- it was spectacular! Very satisfying yet light and refreshing.

I topped the wraps with extra romaine to munch on.

Harvest Apple Ice Cream with Warm Salted Caramel

One of my favorite pie fillings are Lucky Leaf, matter of fact they're the only ones I buy and thankfully I've been blessed to be able to review a lot of products for the Lucky Leaf Brand.

Just a few weeks ago I was contacted again and asked if I wanted to try some recipes and give my opinion on my favorite recipe.  Here is what it said:

Lucky Leaf has some exciting news for you. We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with Better Homes & Gardens to select the three winning recipes from our Made with Love Recipe Contest this year. The grand prize winner is Greg F. and his delicious Pork Chops in Apple Jalapeno Barbeque Sauce recipe. The runners up are Nadine M. and her Lemon Bar Blackberry Trifle, and Lindsay W. with her Harvest Apple Ice Cream with Warm Salted Caramel recipe.

So far, I've only tried one and I don't know how the others will fare because truthfully we are not a fan of Pork Chops with any kind of apples so my family has informed me that they're not interested in trying that one....I will let you know about the Lemon Bar Blackberry Trifle next.....but this first one, oh my....., little did I know that this would become one of my favorite ice cream flavors EVER, hands down, I'm actually enjoying a bowl as I type this.....amazing.

Harvest Apple Ice Cream with Warm Salted Caramel

Lindsay W.

1 21-ounce can LUCKY LEAF ® Premium Apple Pie Filling, chilled
1 cup whole milk, chilled
1/2 cup whipping cream, chilled
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Seeds from one vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup purchased or prepared caramel sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt


Preparation
1. In a blender combine pie filling, milk, whipping cream, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean seeds or vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and blend until smooth.

2. Pour mixture into ice cream freezer. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Spoon into a freezer container and freeze for at least 30 minutes or until desired consistency.

3. To serve, heat caramel sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over low heat until warmed through. Spoon caramel sauce over ice cream.

Servings: 8

Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Thank you to Lucky Leaf for providing me with the samples needed to try the recipes.  I was not rewarded financially in any way, shape or form and all opinions expressed are mine alone.

Beef Pot Pie with Beer Biscuits

Yes you heard right, Beef Pot Pie with BEER Biscuits.  You think I'm kidding????  I have never seen my 8 year old devour biscuits like these, I actually told him to stop and slow down so he wouldn't get drunk...he totally believed me and said "really?".  It was hilarious LOL



Anyway, this one comes from a cooking with Beer book, there are so many good recipes in there and I'll be trying a few others but this one just called my name, I love a good beef pot pie and I love a good beer and then you combine them and I'm one happy camper. 

If you don't like beer or don't like cooking with any alcoholic drinks you can use just a simple biscuit mix.


Beef Pot Pie with Beer Biscuits

Stew:
4 bacon slices, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and black pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 can (about 14 oz) beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch chubs
3/4 cup lager

Preheat oven to 350 F.

For stew, cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp.  Transfer to paper towels, using slotted spoon.  Reserve fat from Dutch oven.

Return 2 tablespoons of reserved fat to Dutch oven.  Season beef with salt and pepper.  Add to Dutch oven in batches;  cook and stir over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until browned.  Transfer to plate;  reserve fat in Dutch oven. 

Add remaining reserved fat to Dutch oven.  Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic;  cook and stir over medium heat 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Sprinkle with flour, stir well.  Stir in beef, broth, Worcestershire sauce and thyme;  bring to a boil.  Cover and pop in oven to bake for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is almost tender.  (recipe doesn't tell you to, but I added the bacon back in)



For biscuits, whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.  Cut in butter with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in enough lager to make soft dough.  Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface.  Roll dough into 9x6 inch rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into six 3 inch square biscuits.   (I decided to make mine into stars and cut more than six)



Remove Dutch oven from oven, increase oven temperature to 400 F.  Place biscuits over stew, overlapping if needed.  Bake 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

Cabbage Rolls

Today was my first 9 hour day, so I had to pack enough to get me through!

I packed the last of my Thanksgiving Cabbage Rolls in a wide-mouthed insulated container that kept them nicely warm until lunchtime.

A simple salad with dressing is up above, with an apple, grapes in a smiling mushroom, and more Fruit & Nut Bars.

It worked! I ate lots of fruits and veggies and still stayed nice and full until quitting time!

I'm going to bed now.

Lemon Rice and Peas

Today I made Lemon Rice and Peas from May All Be Fed. Last night I had leftover cooked brown rice, so it only took a few minutes to toss it together with Indian spices, frozen peas, cashews, low-sodium tamari and fresh lemon juice. I also threw in some garbanzo beans I had in the fridge.

This morning I packed the cold rice and peas in my To Go Ware alongside an avocado wrapped in yellow Hello Kitty. I opened the avocado at lunchtime and mashed it with some balsamic vinegar for green salad.

On the side are an orange, a low-sodium V8 juice, and yet more Fruit & Nut Bars (in case I needed a snack later in the day).

Since I have access to a microwave, I transferred the rice and peas to a regular bowl and microwaved them at lunchtime. They were so good I didn't want to stop eating, but it was too much to finish!

Now that I'm away from home all day, I feel even more the importance of a healthy lunch packed with care and love. It's a little reminder of home, a little moment of caring for yourself in the middle of the day, and a chance to smile a bit to yourself at a cute lunch box or a Hello Kitty avocado. :-)

Tofu makhani with poli (chapati)

Roo calls it orange bhaji (sabji/curry). Its her very favorite that nothing goes on the side.
Tofu makhani - Paneer makhani - In a pan heat a teaspoon oil. Add garlic, ginger, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, carrot cubes, peeled and cubed zuchini (if other vegetables like spinach added then add beet root to enhance color), some cooked canellini (white) beans . Let it all cook with some water and by covering with lid. blend it in blender (mixer). cut tofu/paneer into small bite size cubes.
In the pan heat a teaspoon oil/butter and add masala (I usually use Shahi paneer masala/ tandoori masala or paneer makhani). Add the tomato-onion gravy and tofu cubes; some salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar for taste.
with Phulake (I used few drops of olive oil on top so they will stay soft).

TIP about buying Masala powders : If you are making Sambar...purchase Sambar masala made in south India...MTR, 777 are good brands. If you r making pav-bhaji... Mumbai brands like Everest. If you are making north indian dish like paneer makhani...then MDH brand.
I usually read the address where it is manufactured when buying.

I gave it in typical stacking tiffin which goes in the insulated box. It will be warm lunch.