Pita Sandwich with Flaxy Hummus and Oven-Dried Tomatoes

I made this for dinner tonight. My 11 year loved the tomatoes. I cooked the tomatoes last night because they take so long. The recipe comes from Vegan Lunch Box.

I served it with cucumber spears (I leave the skin on when the cucumbers are organic), lemon soy yogurt topped with thawed frozen blueberries, and sharkies.

When you buy soy yogurt look for the vegan symbol. Some soy brands have hidden dairy ingredients.

I got the sharkies here. They were so good. Better than standard bad for you fruit snacks in most stores.

Recipe for Oven Dried Tomatoes

6-8 medium size plum tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 250 F
Halve tomatoes and toss with other ingredients.
Place cut side up on a baking dish. Roast until shriveled but not burnt for 3-4 hours. Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Recipe for Easy Hummus

1 (15 oz can chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 TBSP Tahini
2 TBSPs Freshly squeezed lemon juice (I used the bottled kind)
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt (I used 1/4)
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Blend it up in food processor or blender. If it's too hard to blend, add a little of reserved liquid.

Pita Sandwich with Flaxy Hummus Recipe

1/2 piece of white or whole wheat pita bread (I used a whole piece of whole wheat)
3 TBSP Easy Hummus or store bought hummus
1 tsp ground flaxseed
Optional:
sprouts, lettuce or baby spinach (I used baby spinach), Oven Dried Tomatoes, black or kalamata olives (I used kalamata.

Mix hummus and flaxseed. Place an even layer of hummus on bread. Add other ingredients. The author filled the pita bread, I liked making whole sandwiches out of them.

2 Vegan Friendly Places at San Tan Village

San Tan Village is an outdoor mall in Arizona.

They have 2 vegan friendly places that I went to today.

Kona Grill is one and the food was delicious. My only complaint, nothing on the kids menu is vegan. The 1 vegetarian meal is macaroni and cheese. More places should take a lesson from Pita Jungle. They have the healthiest kids menu around. My 2 year old ate edamame and miso soup. I had the vegetarian roll and the portabello mushroom minus the pesto sauce.

Then we went to Leonidas Chocolates. I went in for organic hot tea. The selection was huge. I asked the woman working there if they have any vegan treats. 3 of their ice creams are vegan and many of their chocolates are. We split a dark chocolate bar and it was so good.

Melissa

A Healthier Approach to Frozen Pancakes

I didn't love these, but my kids did. But I don't love any frozen pancake or waffle very much. These are much healthier than your typical frozen breakfast item, especially if served with real maple syrup. So I figure if my kids like the healthy version, then that is fantastic. I prefer my own pancake recipe, so I will stick with those in the future. But if you are looking for something quick and easy, reach for these and lego of the others.

Melissa

Pomegranate Cafe

Pomegranate Cafe is located in Ahwatukee. They are all organic and the menu changes depending on what fruits and veggies are in season. They buy from local farmers too. They have the most amazing teas.

We went their on my birthday for breakfast. All of their desserts are vegan. For breakfast my son and I split the breakfast tacos. You can have them made with eggs or tofu. All of their eggs are farm fresh, cage free and antibiotic free.

I highly recommend. They are also located next to a hot yoga studio.

Melissa

Ribs

Tonight we had family dinner at my parents home and they made ribs, corn and coleslaw for dinner. Well my sister brought me over my own ribs to eat!!

Oh my gosh!!!!!!! They were DELICIOUS!! They looked just like the ribs everyone else had. 

They are also vegan for my vegan eating bestie that might be craving ribs :)

 

Brittney

Can a Vegan Eat Chicken?

YES! A vegan CAN eat fried chicken. If it's Morning Star Farms Chikn Strips!

The recipe comes from PETA's Vegetarian Starter Kit.

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups unbleached white flour (I used whole wheat)
4 TBSP nutritional yeast (optional, but I used it, it's tasteless and such a great supplement for vegans)
3 TBSP yellow mustard.
1/2 cup water
2 TBSP baking powder
1 lb mock chicken (try morningstar farms chikn strips)
3 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used 2 b/c I was out and it was just fine)

Mix together salt, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, flour, and nutritional yeast in a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, dilute mustard and the water. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and stir. Combine the baking powder with the remaining flour mixture.

Dip chunks of the mock chicken into the mustard batter, then drop into the flour mixture to coat with the desired amount of "crust". Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (or use a deep fryer) and fry until crispy and golden brown, turning as needed.

I challenge you to try this and see how it compares to real chicken. It's actually better tasting. No fatty pieces, no veins, no worrying about sanitizing the kitchen afterwards or cooking it through. Oh, and the best part, no one died for me to stay alive.

I ate so much I feel like I am full from thanksgiving dinner. Delicious. My 11 year old had seconds. My 2 year old said, "mmm".

A shot out to 2 websites.

Both of these are on the plate with the "chicken" and they were delicious.

Quick Sweet and Sour Cucumber Pickles

Curried Acorn Squash

YUM!

Quinoa Salad

I love all of the health benefits associated with quinoa. I finally cooked it for the first time last weekend. I served it to a bunch of carnivores and they loved it. They even had seconds. I served it with a romaine salad, pita bread and hummus.

Both recipes come from Saving Dinner the Vegetarian Way.

1 1/2 cups quinoa
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
1 large cucumber, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup orange juice
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 tsp grated orange rind
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBSP olive oil
6 red leaf lettuce leaves
5 TBSP pine nuts, toasted

In a colander, rinse quinoa thoroughly and drain. In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil, stir in quinoa, and return to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes, till liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, red onion, red bell pepper, cucumber, and basil.

In a small bowl, combine orange juice, vinegar, orange rind, and salt and pepper. Whisk in oil. Pour dressing over quinoa and toss well. Arrange each serving on lettuce and garnish with pine nuts.

Hummus

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini (found in the ethnic food section of your grocery store)
1/2 lemon, juiced (no seeds)
1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything into your blender or food processor and mix till smooth.

An authentic Greek person told me the hummus was delicious!