Tuesday, June 9, 2009

This is good, really good!

Clara is reading library books to Ollie and Isabel. We signed up for the public library summer reading program so Clara has incentive to keep reading. We've made charts of what they are reading and they receive prizes from the library.
Chocolate ice cream kisses. She really knows how to pucker!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Vegan Planet

The cookbook Vegan Planet is starting to become a favorite of mine. We don't actually own it , but have checked it out at the library several times. Recently I made a broccoli stir-fry recipe from this book and really loved it. We ate it as a main dish with brown rice. Here's the recipe: Sesame-Broccoli Stir-Fry 1 large head broccoli 3 T. toasted sesame oil 3 T. tamari or other soy sauce 2 T. hoisin sauce 1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted (I think you could easily get by with half this amount.) 1 T. peanut oil 1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and cut into matchsticks 2 cloves garlic, minced 1. Cut the broccoli into small florets and peel and thinly slice the stems. Steam the broccoli until barely tender, about 3 minutes. Rinse under cold water to set the color and stop the cooking process, then drain and set aside. 2. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, tamari, hoisin, and sesame seeds and set aside. 3. Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bell pepper and garlic and stir-fry to soften slightly, about 1 minute. Add the broccoli and sauce and stir-fry, coating the vegetables with the sauce, until the vegetables are cooked to the desired doneness, about 3 minutes. Serve hot. What I really like about this cookbook is that it stresses the importance of protein in a vegan diet. I'm constantly trying to find ways of getting protein sources (other than dairy) into Clara since she is vegetarian. Ollie is pretty much the opposite and I struggle more to get enough vegetables in him.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Does froggy like lentils?

Isabel:
loud slurp "Ummmmm" "Ossy"..."Oop"
Translation:
loud slurp
"Yummm" "Froggy"..."Soup"
Isabel was pretending that her frog was eating her lentils.
I don't know if froggy likes lentils, but Isabel sure does.