In the midst of figuring out my nutrition beliefs, I went from picky eater to vegetarian to vegan to omnivore. While vegetarian and vegan, my two favorite cookbooks were “A Celebration of Wellness – A Cookbook for Vibrant Living” and “Moosewood Cookbook”. I wanted to share with you what remains one of my favorite recipes from Moosewood Cookbook. Scheherazade Casserole is a delicious recipe, which includes bulgur, onions, bell peppers, and soybeans (just to name a few ingredients). I hope you enjoy this satisfying dish just as much as I do! Maybe it will become one of your favorites too!
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Place the bulgur in a small bowl. Add boiling water, cover with a plate, and stand at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, salt, and seasonings. Stir occasionally as you sauté over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Add bell pepper and sauté about 5 minutes more.
Drain the soybeans, if necessary, and place them in a blender or food processor with 1 cup fresh water. Grind until the soybeans resemble a coarse batter. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the soaked bulgur and sautéed vegetables to the soybeans, Stir in the tomatoes, breaking them up into bite-sized pieces. Add tomato paste, the parsley, and 1 cup of the feta cheese. Mix well.
Spread into the baking pan and sprinkle the remaining feta chees on top. Cover and bake for 30 minutes at 375°F, then uncover and bake 15 minutes more with the oven turned down to 350°F. Serve hot.
With Halloween around the corner and the weather cooling down, there’s nothing better than mixing the wonderful flavors of fall into all your cooking! Chia pudding is a delicious and nutritious breakfast, but here I’ve switched it up and used Qi’a superfood blend, a combination of chia, buckwheat, and hemp seeds, to make a harvest breakfast pudding great for warming bellies on cold mornings!
Combine Qi’a, almond milk, and pumpkin puree; let stand for five-ten minutes. In blender, mix Qi’a mixture, spices, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!
My daughter was ten when she refused to eat meat because she didn’t want to harm animals. A class discussion had raised this topic and she was sold. I listened calmly to her rationale, and it made sense. The bigger question for me was how to manage dinner for a vegetarian and a meat-and-potato-loving husband and preteen son!
Preparing different meals is a common concern I hear from parents with kids becoming vegetarian. Additional questions I often hear include: Is it safe? How will my child get enough protein? What other nutrients should I worry about? Here are some suggested guidelines for responding to the topic of vegetarianism if your child or teen brings it up:
Listen. Talk calmly with your child about their reason for eliminating meat. If it is about animal rights or another reason that you feel makes sense to your child, be respectful of his or her choice(s). It is not worth a power struggle and shows that you value what your child feels. If you have any concerns that your child is cutting out a category of food(s) for weight-loss purposes, it is important to talk about balanced eating and healthy habits rather than weight. In some cases, a sudden change in diet can indicate potential eating-disordered thoughts, and you may have to take the opportunity to address this swiftly.
A well-planned vegetarian diet can be nutritionally adequateaccording to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. A healthy vegetarian diet will contain a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and calcium sources. Your child must learn that a steady diet of pizza, pasta, mozzarella sticks, and bagels does not constitute a “healthy” vegetarian diet.
Nutrients in shortest supply in a vegetarian diet, particularly a vegan diet (one that excludes dairy and eggs), may include:
Protein: Vegetarian sources can include eggs and cheese, legumes (beans), nuts and nut butter, seeds, tofu, and other soy products.
Calcium: Vegetarian-friendly sources of calcium include: cow’s milk, yogurt and cheese, calcium-fortified soy, rice, oat or hemp milk, calcium-fortified juice, and tofu, broccoli, leafy greens, beans, almond and almond butter, sesame seeds and sesame butter, and soy nuts.
Iron: Rich sources for vegetarians include fortified breakfast cereals, enriched breads and pasta, eggs, beans, and dark leafy green vegetables. Soy products such as veggie burgers are generally fortified with iron. It is important to consume a good source of vitamin C in order to increase absorption of iron. Vitamin C is found in citrus, tomatoes, and peppers.
Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 is found only in animal products including eggs and dairy. If your child is a vegan, he or she will need supplementation. Many soy products and milk substitutes are fortified, so read labels.
Vitamin D: Considered the “sunshine vitamin” since our body can make it from exposure to sunlight, some vegetarians who do not consume fish, eggs, or dairy and/or do not spend time in the sun will benefit from supplementation.
Do I need to prepare two dinners? A vegetarian diet can be healthy for the whole family, so this is your chance to slowly introduce some new foods into the entire family’s diet. I usually involve my kids in planning several meals for the week.
Simple meal suggestions my kids came up with:
Whole grain pasta with ground turkey (son) AND vegetarian crumbles (daughter). We added salad and soy milk for calcium and protein.
Stir-fried vegetables with chicken AND tofu and quinoa or brown rice.
Rice and beans was a great main meal for my daughter and a side dish for my husband and son. Smaller amounts of red meat and vegetables rounded off the meal.
I experimented and would make dishes that everyone could enjoy such as whole grain vegetable lasagna using tofu instead of ricotta cheese, with lots of vegetables and soy cheese instead of mozzarella.
Turkey tacos and bean tacos were common fare.
When I made breaded chicken cutlet, I make breaded tofu cutlet.
On hectic nights, I confess that I have used frozen foods such as Amy’s Organic Bean Dishes, Morningstar Farm or Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers, or Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods frozen vegetarian meals. Even a dietitian needs a night off from cooking!
Where can I read more about vegetarianism? Some great websites for vegetarian nutrition include:
Whether you serve it alongside Thanksgiving dinner or as a side at a Sunday night family supper, cornbread is a great addition to a home-cooked meal. This recipe is both gluten and dairy free and could easily be made vegan by swapping the egg for a flax egg or applesauce. Plus, it’s very easy to prepare, making it a great activity to share with your children in the kitchen. We hope you enjoy this recipe, and feel free to send us your favorite cornbread recipe! Do you add quinoa to other recipes, too?
Quinoa Cornbread
Ingredients
* 2 ¼ cups unsweetened soy milk (or milk of choice)
* 2 cups gluten-free cornmeal
* 1 cup quinoa meal
* ¼ cup agave nectar
* 1 egg, beaten (or 1 flax egg)
* 2 tbsp canola oil
* 2 tsp salt
* 1.5 tsp baking soda
* ½ tsp baking soda
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl.
Combine both wet and dry ingredients, mixing well.
Grease loaf pan with canola oil spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the golden-brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
We love quinoa! Are you new to this nutritious grain? If so, we recommend heading over to Cooking Light’s test kitchen. They have a great piece on quinoa, plus a video on how to cook it!
I recently attended the Citibabes’ Holiday Shopping event and had the pleasure of meeting the brains behind Feeding Audrey, a wonderful blog portraying the story of the journey through motherhood. I left the event with some beautiful recipe cards and wanted to share this delicious recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Spiced Carrot & Apple Mini Muffins 30 mini muffins Ingredients:
2 flax eggs (see below)
1.25 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
1/4 cup gluten-free oats
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cardamom
1.25 cups unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 red apples, grated (Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady)
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
Method: To make flax eggs, combine 6 tbsp of water with 2 tbsp of flax meal. Stir well and place in fridge to set for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚F and line mini muffin pan with liners or spray with cooking spray. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together applesauce, oil, vanilla, and flax eggs. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into dry ingredient, fold in the grated apples and carrots. Place 1 tbsp of batter into muffin pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until center comes out dry on a toothpick. Cool on a wire rack.
We know it isn’t Meatless Monday, but we can pretend it is, right? We were just too excited to wait until next Monday to share this delicious Wild Rice Burger recipe. Laura and her family will definitely be having this for dinner tonight. Do you think Laura’s boys will like them? (We sure hope so!)
Cook wild rice according to package instructions or use the boiling method. Cool completely. (Can make a day ahead and refrigerate.)
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and sauté onions, celery, and garlic until onion is translucent.
In a large bowl, combine onion-celery-garlic mixture with wild rice, breadcrumbs, Asiago cheese, salt, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Cool completely and then add eggs, stirring to combine.
Divide mixture into 4 and shape into 1/2-inch thick patties.
Heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry patties 2-3 minutes on each side until crisp and golden.
Serve with your favorite burger toppings.
Variation: For a vegan version, omit the Asiago cheese and replace the eggs with 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds whisked with 6 tablespoons water.
Posted by Emily Ho
Emily Ho is a writer and recipe developer. She lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches classes on food preservation, wild food, and herbalism. She is a Master Food Preserver and founder of LA Food Swap and Food Swap Network.
With the cold weather quickly approaching, we’ve been getting our traditional fall recipes out and ready for action. And I’ll admit that I could not wait to share this delicious and simple vegetarian chili dish with an extra nutritional punch with you!
photo courtesy of DulaNotes.com
Butternut Squash Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, diced
1 can canellinni beans
1 can black beans
1/2 medium butternut squash, chopped
16 oz crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Optional: diced carrots, frozen corn, or peas.
Directions:
Heat large stockpot with olive oil. Once pot is warm enough, add onion, squash, bay leaf, chili and garlic powder. Stir occasionally.
Once the onion is fragrant, add the beans. Stir occasionally.
After 5 minutes, add the crushed tomatoes and optional vegetables.
Cover with lid and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes. Making sure to stir every few minutes to prevent sticking.
Serve in bowl and enjoy!
Note: please remove bay leaf before serving.
Do you have a favorite chili dish? Any fun ingredients you like to add to it? We’d love to see!
Whether you’re a seasoned baker or new in the kitchen, we’re going to share with you a speedy way to serve up mouthwatering desserts… cakes in a mug! How adorable are these?! We recently just discovered an entire cookbook dedicated to mug cakes and were excited to review it! Mug Cakes: 100 Speedy Microwave Treats to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth by Leslie Bilderback contains a variety of flavors and is accommodating for any lifestyle diet. We mean it too! We were very pleased to find nut-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and even sugar-free recipes.
Whether you’re a busy parent or college student, Mug Cakes are a quick solution to those who want to satisfy their sweet tooth–in a balanced and portioned serving. They are fairly easy to make, require only a handful of ingredients and minimal prep and bake time in the microwave/oven. Note: Most of the recipes call for self-rising flour but if you don’t have that on hand, the book includes a recipe to make your own self-rising flour.
Aside from the mouthwatering photos of mug cakes from cover to ucover, one of the best parts of this book is that it really breaks it down for you. From various mixing techniques to what types of flour work best, Leslie guides you through the basics of creating homemade mug cakes in minutes!
In line with our philosophy at Mom Dishes It Out and EALM, we believe in all foods in moderation..yes, that includes cakes too! As Leslie puts it, “Let the kids try their hand with S’mores and Root Beer Float cakes.” We agree– getting the kids in the kitchen is so important. Use your time in the kitchen to teach them how to develop healthy habits. Expose them to new foods by having them help you shop for ingredients. Allow them to help you measure and mix ingredients to introduce them to new food textures and a little bit of math! You can even encourage them to think creatively by having them help you decorate the mug cakes or top them off with fresh fruits like strawberries or raspberries.
If baking dessert isn’t your forte…with mug cakes it doesn’t have to be. With easy-to-follow directions, you can still create delicious desserts in your own kitchen in no time. Interested in your own copy of Mug Cakes? Enter to win your own copy of Mug Cakes cookbook!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press, we’re able to give a lucky reader a copy of Mug Cakes by Leslie Bilderback. To enter, see details below:
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Giveaway ends on Sunday, September 15th at 6:00 PM EST.
Happy Labor Day Weekend! Watch Laura and her boys dish out yummy recipes and gardening ideas while you relax on the train, bus or plane en route to your weekend away. Anyone hungry?
What Would Julieanna Do? – Healthy Kids: To view, click on the image below.
