Vegetarian Mama

Dipman Beans

2011-11-20T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's been more than a year since my last post. I'm vegetarian mama to Baby #2. There is a lot more to say about that, but for now I'm just going to do a recipe that I've been meaning to post for a long time! It's one of my easiest but most delicious meals. It's named in honor of the friend who first made it for us many years ago.

Ingredients

Several cloves of garlic, minced
2 T olive oil
One 28-oz can diced tomatoes, or even slightly more (can also be made with fresh tomatoes)
1 cup water
3 cans white beans (cannelini, navy) (can also be made with dried beans)
1 T dried basil (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T balsamic vinegar

1. Saute the garlic in the oil until soft.
2. Add the tomatoes and the water, bring to a simmer.
3. Add the beans, simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Stir in the basil and salt and pepper to taste, cook another 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Add the balsamic vinegar, stir well.

Serve with a vegetable and a crusty bread loaf!

We had this tonight. Both girls loved it. N, age 3.5, ate hers with a spoon like an adult. M, age 9 months, had hers spread on a piece of bread.

Still Rear Facing at 30 Months

2010-09-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Here is an updated photo of N., still rear facing in her car seat at 30 months, 37 inches, and 30 pounds!

Pumpkin French Toast

2010-04-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

How do you get a picky toddler to eat more vegetables?

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a cookbook about how to hide vegetables inside kids' food so that they will consume more of them without realizing it. I do not agree with this philosophy at all, because I think that children have a right to know what they are eating, and because I don't believe it actually encourages kids to "like" eating vegetables! Parenting has to include building trust between the parent and the child, and I don't ever want my daughter to think that she can't trust me to tell her the truth about what I am giving her.

Instead, I prefer to capitalize on what N. does like and build from there. I continue to serve her a variety of foods each day that she has both liked and disliked in the past, and every once in a while she will decide to like a new food. (Recently: honeydew melon and grapes.) I also regularly serve her favorite nutritious foods so that I can be sure she's getting the vitamins she needs.

The cookbook did have some ideas I found intriguing, though; in particular, inserting vegetable purees into common everyday foods. I decided to try this myself, but WITHOUT HIDING! N. watches, and even helps, as I spread her quesadilla with pureed carrot or her grilled cheese sandwich with butternut squash. And one of her new favorite breakfasts is pumpkin french toast!

1/4 cup canned pureed pumpkin
1 egg
1 slice whole grain bread
a pinch of cinnamon
cooking spray or oil/margarine

1. Mix together the pumpkin, egg, and cinnamon in a bowl.
2. Soak the bread in the mixture, about 30 seconds each side.
3. Heat a pan that has been sprayed and/or dotted with oil or margarine.
4. When the pan is ready, place the bread in it. Pour any excess pumpkin-egg mixture on top of the bread (there will probably be a lot). Lower heat, cover, and cook for about two minutes.
5. Flip the slice of bread and cook the other side for about two minutes, or until it appears that the egg is all cooked. Continue flipping and cooking as needed until you are sure it is thoroughly cooked.
6. Cut, cool, and serve! Can be topped with maple syrup or powdered sugar if desired. Personally, I think it needs a little sweetener, but I try to serve it to her without much extra sugar.

Sunday Dinner

2010-02-07T18:42:00.000-08:00

Growing up, Sunday dinner was always a little fancier than the rest of the week. Maybe something that cooked for a few hours on the stove or in the oven, maybe a fire in the fireplace, and maybe sitting in the dining room instead of the kitchen.

I've tried to keep up the tradition, and sometimes nothing says "Sunday" like meat and potatoes. But since we don't eat meat ... it's time for Field Roast!

We buy it at Whole Foods or at our local co-op. It's easy, and we all love it. I make a vegetarian gravy and serve up some cooked vegetables and potatoes, and voila - fancy Sunday dinner!

Vegetarian Gravy

1 carton (4 cups) vegetable broth
1 bulb of garlic
1 T olive oil
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
a bunch of fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
some white flour
a little butter (optional)

1. Bring the vegetable broth to a gentle simmer on the stove. Add in the carrots and pepper.
2. While the broth is simmering, slice off the top of the garlic bulb, pour on the olive oil, cover in a microwavable dish, and cook on high in the microwave for 2 minutes.
3. Allow the garlic to cool, then peel the individual cloves and add them to the broth.
4. When the carrots are soft, puree them with the garlic into the broth. (I use an immersion blender, but you could also pour it into a food processor.)
5. Whisk in the nutritional yeast and bring to simmer again.
6. Whisk in the flour, or, if you have more time, cook the flour in the butter to make a paste before whisking it in.

Quinoa Casserole

2010-01-17T21:08:00.001-08:00

Quinoa is an grain that originated in the Andes Mountains of South America. It is high in protein and iron, making it great for vegetarians. The grains are about the same size as couscous when uncooked.

When I first read about quinoa I was intimated by the need to rinse it before cooking. Once I tried it, though, I realized how easy it was. N. likes it some days, especially if I leave out the spices!

I usually bake it in a casserole using the following general guidelines:

1 T canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced (optional)
1 cup dried quinoa, rinsed in a wire strainer under cold running water for 2 minutes
1 can black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 T chili powder (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin (optional)
2 cups vegetable broth - approximately

1. Saute the onion, garlic, and pepper (if using) in oil until softened.
2. Mix all ingredients except the vegetable broth in a casserole dish.
3. Add the vegetable broth until the mixture is a couple of centimeters from the top of the dish.
4. Bake in 375 degree oven for 1 hour. Check after about 45 minutes, stir, add more broth if needed.
5. The quinoa is finished when it is puffy and translucent.

I think the photo shows some corn in there, too, but I usually leave that out.

Serve with grated cheddar (optional).

Extended Rear Facing

2010-01-15T14:51:00.000-08:00

This is a blog about raising a vegetarian child; however, I am going to put up this photo of N. in her new rear-facing car seat. The benefits of rear facing past age 1 have been demonstrated in several studies. We hope that this car seat will allow her to keep facing backwards until she is 4 years old. The seat is a Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL. When she becomes too tall to rear-face in the seat, we will turn it forward to enable her to ride in a 5-point harness for another year or two at least.

The second photo is of her Evenflo Triumph Advance, which she uses in her grandmother's car. It is not as tall as the Radian, but it should still allow her to rear face for another year at least. The Radian would not have fit well in this car.

If you would like more information about extended rear facing, please visit the following links:

AAP Article Encouraging Rear Facing to Age 2

BMJ Article Explaining Safety of Rear Facing Through Age 4

Accident Study of Car Seat Use in Europe (long, contains photos, some disturbing details)

I hope you will consider rear facing your child to the limits of their seat.

Minestrone & Brussels Sprouts - A Holiday Recovery Meal

2010-01-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

We traveled for Christmas, ate too many cookies, and suffered a bit from jet lag. For our first dinner back at home, I wanted a low-fat, high-nutrition, comforting meal. I made minestrone soup for everyone, broccoli and peas for N., and sauteed Brussels sprouts for the adults.

N. not only loved the minestrone - veggies and all - but she also requested some of our "sprouts." Then she requested more, and more, and more. We were amazed at her sudden love for them. Perhaps it was in the saute... or perhaps all the holiday food just left her body craving vegetables!

Easy Minestrone:

2 T olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
3-4 stalks of celery, diced
2-3 carrots, diced (I actually used about 12 baby carrots)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2-4 oz small dried pasta shapes (I used broken spaghetti, about 1 inch long)

1. Heat olive oil in large pot.
2. Saute onion and garlic for about five minutes, until onion is soft and translucent.
3. Add carrots and celery; saute another five minutes or so.
4. Add vegetable broth and bring to boil.
5. Lower heat, add spices, and simmer about ten minutes.
6. Add beans and pasta and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
7. Serve with parmesan cheese (optional). If needed, add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts:

10 oz fresh Brussels sprouts (I like the Trader Joe's bags)
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed

1. Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and remove the tougher outer leaves (just the first layer). Cut each one into four quarters.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet until the butter is melted and they coat the bottom of the pan.
3. Saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the Brussels sprouts, stir well to coat with butter & olive oil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low.
5. Continue cooking for about fifteen minutes until soft, stirring every 3-4 minutes to make sure they aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Harvest Meal with Soymilk

2009-11-19T12:52:00.001-08:00

Fall is such a great season for vegetarian cooking, with all the squash and other harvest-y foods. A couple of weeks ago I made wild rice casserole (complete with low-sodium cream of mushroom soup), which was a big hit.

She ate it with squash and applesauce. The applesauce, not usually served at dinner, was very popular. (Incidentally, I usually add wheat germ to applesauce to boost its nutrition content.)

Off to the left you can see her straw cup with soymilk. While I cook with cow's milk, I don't serve it for drinking. N. has only ever had soymilk to drink and she assumes it's the norm. When she sees a picture of someone drinking milk, she calls it "so-milk!" It took a while for her to like drinking it, and even now she doesn't drink very much - maybe an ounce or two at best. But since we're still nursing twice a day, my pediatrician says we don't need to worry.

First Mini-Donuts

2009-10-29T14:09:00.001-07:00

I really don't let my daughter eat junk food. She's had ice cream a few times, and cake a few times, but that's about it. Since she doesn't eat much to begin with, I don't want her to fill up on nutritionally-empty foods.

That said, we had a family trip to the pumpkin patch last week (our third!) and it was COLD. When I saw that there were mini-donuts and hot cider for sale, I said, "It's time for her first donuts." We bought a bag and sat on a bench, munching away. She was pretty impressed by the whole experience, and ate two! But she wouldn't consent to even a small taste of the cider.

Healthy Vegetarian Toddler

2009-10-01T20:03:00.001-07:00

We had the 18-month check-up earlier this week, and N. is officially a healthy toddler. She measured in at 90th percentile for height and 40th for weight, so she is tall and thin like her dad! She easily passed her milestones and enjoyed coloring with crayons on the exam table.

I asked the pediatrician if we should be concerned about iron, given the vegetarian diet, and she expressed her opinion that N.'s healthy pink color and obvious energy level gave her no concerns about iron deficiency. (I do give a half-milligram of iron supplement a couple of times per week, in addition to trying to serve iron-rich foods on a regular basis.)

Although I believe that a vegetarian diet is perfectly healthy, it's still always nice to have it confirmed by an actual M.D.

Tofu Shapes

2009-09-20T20:08:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while I have an unusually satisfying success. Yesterday afternoon was one of those times.

I am always hoping to find more foods are both nutritious and easy to eat, especially if they don't involve bread or cheese. I also like recipes that are easy to make and to clean up afterward.

Several years ago, I stumbled across the Vegan Lunch Box, a blog written by a Washington mom with lots of great ideas. (I also have her first cookbook and am hoping to soon purchase her second.) She has a recipe for Tofu Fish Sticks that always interested me, and now I have a child old enough to eat them.

However, I myself hated fish sticks as a child, so I wasn't interested in making anything that tasted remotely fishy. I also have a daughter who doesn't like strong flavors right now, so I needed to make a plainer version than what Jennifer has on her blog. I ended up designing my own recipe, and it worked very well!

1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes (read here if you don't know what these are)
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 cup plain unsweetened soymilk
1 lb firm tofu

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare a cookie sheet. (I like to use a Silpat.)
2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a cereal bowl or pie pan.
3. Pour the soymilk into a shallow bowl.
4. Cut the tofu into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Then use a cookie cutter or knife to create your desired shapes. You'll probably have leftover scraps -- they can be used, too!
5. One at a time, dip each piece of tofu into the soymilk and then the cornmeal mixture and cover both sides. Place on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes on each side.
7. Let cool before serving, depending on the age of your child.

Nora didn't like these when I served them at 2pm, but when I served them again at 3:30, she ate three of the heart shapes! Robert ate about ten of the scraps, and I ate a few myself, dipped in ketchup and mustard.

It is somewhat time-consuming to do all the dipping in the two bowls, but I was able to complete most of it while Nora sat in her booster seat having a snack. Then she napped while they cooked in the oven.

Worth Remembering

2009-09-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today, my finicky toddler reminded me once again as long as I keep providing her with a variety of nutritious foods, she will choose from among them a well-rounded diet. Not within each day, perhaps, but probably within each week.

I have ascribed to this philosphy since the beginning of her solid food consumption, but on those days when she refuses to eat anything other than bread and cheese I do feel a sense of growing frustration and even worry. How could she possibly getting all the Vitamin A, the iron, the magnesium, etc., that she needs?

Then comes a day like today, when she turns aside her pita bread and pizza in favor of broccoli, and sweet potato, as well as banana and peas. Apparently, her own little self realized she needed an infusion of something other than complex carbohydrates and cheese. I'll have to remember this the next time I despair of her seemingly endless appetite for bread!

Pizza Dippers

2009-09-13T21:32:00.001-07:00

It's a nice idea, but ...

Shown in the photo is my "pizza dippers" toddler meal. I microwave a Trader Joe's whole wheat pita with a slice of mozzarella cheese on top for about 45 seconds, then let it cool slightly and cut it into strips. They can be dipped into a bowl of organic spaghetti sauce. Another bowl of fruits and/or vegetables is served on the side (broccoli and squash, in this case).

The meal has been served four times so far, and every time she has happily devoured most or all of the cheese strips, but left the sauce mostly untouched. So much for the "dip"! Since she loves regular pizza, I don't really understand what's going on. Oh well!

Picky Picky

2009-09-08T20:53:00.001-07:00

Oh, the days when she would eat anything are long gone!

I have a very, very picky toddler. Of course, I was a picky child myself, and I remember it well, so I should not be too surprised. I ate no vegetables besides carrots, squash, and corn until I was in high school. Really, compared to me, she's got an amazing palate.

But lately it seems like each day my child crosses another previously-enjoyed food off of her list. She will happily eat eggs, cheese, tofu, bread in any form, plain beans, avocado, green peas, applesauce, and bananas. After that it gets sketchy. That's really not a long list of foods I can count on!

I'm learning to separate her foods from ours; for example, tonight I made an amazingly delicious polenta-bean casserole that Robert and I enjoyed. Nora ate plain beans, plain tortillas, broccoli, and avocado. I'm also using my heart- and bear-shaped cookie cutters whenever possible. In the past two weeks we've had "heart falafel," "bear [pan]cakes", and blueberry bear- and heart-biscuits. I think I'll be getting more creative with patty-style foods over the next couple of months. If it can be shaped like a bear or a heart, I will try it!

In the photo, she's carefully navigating a well-rounded falafel meal. She dipped pita in olive oil, dipped falafel in yogurt, and gently chewed (but did not swallow) some cucumber. The tomato and tahini were completely ignored.

More on Frozens

2009-08-07T21:51:00.000-07:00

On my work days, I don't often have time to put together a nice meal unless much of it is prepared in advance. Some days, I don't even have time to prepare in advance. Then the frozen options come in handy.

Two weeks ago, when I had some time, I chopped a double-quantity of pizza toppings (onion, green pepper, and mushroom). I put half on a pizza that evening and the other half in a tupperware in the freezer.

At 5pm today, I took the tupperware out of the freezer, emptied it into a bowl (shown), microwaved the contents for one minute, and then spread them on this evening's pizza. Quick & easy dinner! All I needed to do was press out the Trader Joe's whole wheat crust, grate the cheese, and open a jar of sauce. (Since the oven was already going, I also tossed some frozen green beans in a pie pan with cooking spray and roasted them alongside the pizza for a well-rounded meal.)

Ode to Frozen Vegetables

2009-07-05T19:07:00.001-07:00

Frozen vegetables, oh so cold

Frozen vegetables rarely get old

So easy, so simple, throw them in the pot

Quick, nutritious, and delicious, tedious they are not!

Organic? Yes! Diverse? Of course! I really cannot say...

Enough about these vegetables -- so great in every way!

************

As you can see, my freezer is overflowing as usual with a variety of tasty frozen vegetables. Frozen vegetables are actually said to have more nutrition than fresh, because they are immediately packed into bags after processing, while fresh vegetables can leak out vitamins and minerals during transport to market. I like them because they are so easy -- no need to spend time chopping! I usually buy them at Trader Joe's, which has great prices for organics.

Some common ways I use them include:

-- add thawed blueberries to oatmeal (Nora eats this nearly every morning, with banana mashed in as well)
-- add thawed strawberries or raspberries to plain yogurt
-- add chopped spinach to spaghetti sauce or Mexican-style casseroles
-- add green beans, sliced bell peppers, or broccoli to stir-fry*
-- add any of these same, plus peas, to Thai-style green or red curries*
-- add peas or peas & carrots to macaroni & cheese
-- add thawed and sliced artichoke hearts to pizzas**
-- Serve as a side dish! I microwave broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or peas for 3-4 minutes if my main dish is cooking on the stove. If I'm already using the oven, I might throw green beans or asparagus in a pie pan with some cooking spray and roast them for 20 minutes or so right alongside the main dish.

* This will result in a slightly mushy stir-fry or curry, which might bother some people, but I still find that the easiness of it outweighs the mushiness.
** Trader Joe's has frozen artichoke hearts!

Birthday Girl

2009-05-07T14:04:00.001-07:00

I'm far behind in updating this blog, and my vegetarian baby is no longer a baby! She had her first birthday at the end of March, and is now walking all over. She is an active, busy, social girl!

For her birthday, I made her a broccoli pizza on an English muffin. She will sometimes eat multiple pieces of pizza, and sometimes eat none. That night she loved it!

Because she now eats most of the same food we do, I'm trying to find more meals that all three of us can eat and enjoy together. A few successes have included spicy bean hot pot, split pea soup, Trader Joe's black bean chipotle soup in a box, and anything with curry flavor. I'll try to post some more recipes soon!

Nora Eats Spicy Tibetan Noodles

2009-03-08T21:39:00.000-07:00

We try to have family meals together at least three nights per week. This means preparing food that everyone can eat, at least in some form. I also try to make a new recipe at least once every week or two.

A couple of weeks ago, I chose a recipe for Tibetan-style noodle curry from my Passionate Vegetarian cookbook. It has noodles, chopped vegetables, tofu . . . lots of Nora's favorites. During the cooking process, I must have thrown in a little too much cayenne powder because it turned out spicier than I intended. But having worked hard to get everything together for a nice Sunday dinner, I figured we might as well try it anyway.

To my surprise, Nora loved it. She not only loved it for dinner that night, but she loved it for lunch for the next two days. She just kept shoveling it in. And I thought it was pretty good myself.

Mac & Cheese & Peas!

2009-02-22T21:08:00.000-08:00

Yes... my daughter eats macaroni & cheese. I made it by accident one day, decided it was actually quite healthy, and now it's one of her favorite meals!

I boil some whole grain pasta for about ten minutes. After draining it, I add some grated organic cheddar cheese and stir it over low heat. I then throw in some cooked peas, mix it up well, and serve it to her with the pasta cut into small pieces and the peas smashed just a little. She loves it!

Now that we think she isn't allergic to wheat after all, I alternate between whole wheat pasta and quinoa-corn pasta. It also works well with brown rice pasta, but that's less nutritious. The cheese is Trader Joe's Organic New Zealand White Cheddar -- surprisingly affordable. And organic frozen peas are very easy to cook - I just simmer them in a few spoonfuls of water for about five minutes. You can also toss them into the pasta during the last few minutes of its boiling time, but then you risk losing some of the nutrients when you drain the water. It would also be easy to change up the vegetables -- use broccoli, carrots, green beans, or something else.

I often make a triple-batch (which is still pretty small), then divide it into BPA-free tupperware and serve it for three days in a row.

Baby Stir-Fry

2009-02-02T21:22:00.001-08:00

In search of a combination of finger food, vegetables, protein, and grains? Try a baby stir-fry. Easy and nutritious!

For protein, I have used cubed tofu and halved black beans. I think other beans would work as well.

For grains, I have used brown rice, brown rice spaghetti, and assorted quinoa pasta shapes. Her hands-down favorite is the brown rice spaghetti, despite its nutritional deficiency as compared to the quinoa pasta. I think she likes it because it clumps together nicely and she can actually get it into her mouth.

For vegetables, I like carrots, broccoli, green peas, onions, and green beans. Last night she had a bit of red bell pepper and mushroom. I keep the vegetables at an adult bite-size for the cooking, but cut them smaller before I put them on her tray.

I found a wheat-free tamari sauce (San-J brand) at Safeway. Of course, not wanting her to have too much sodium, I try to keep the tamari to a minimum. But she seems to really like it, especially on the tofu.

1) Cook rice or pasta according to package directions.

2) Chop all ingredients to desired size. (For stir-frys, a thin slice or dice is appropriate.)

3) Heat canola oil over medium or high heat. Fry tofu (if using) until golden. Spoon out and set aside.

4) Fry vegetables. Start with the hardest (e.g. carrots) and add additional vegetables every minute or two. End with the softest.

5) Mix all ingredients together. Let cool before serving to baby.

Lentil Balls

2009-01-24T20:03:00.001-08:00

We're still not 100% sure Nora has a wheat allergy, but a nurse at our pediatrician's office told us to hold off on giving her any more wheat until we have more info. So, I'm now on a quest to find ways of offering the kinds of foods I'd like to see her eating -- things she can pick up, bite chew on, pull apart, etc -- without using any wheat. It's a challenge.

Last night I made a tray of "lentil balls." I put organic instant oats (no salt or sugar added -- just straight up oats from the bulk food bin at Whole Foods) in my mini-blender and ground them to a powder, as I often did when making her porridge. I then mashed it together with some cooked lentils, a little salt, and sauteed onion and carrot. I baked the lentil balls for 20 minutes. She loved them! She enjoyed being able to control the food by herself, though she did drop a lot down the sides of her chair. I gave her another this evening and it was a hit again.

The amounts below are approximate as I didn't do a good job of measuring, but I think different proportions could work as well.

2 cups lentils, cooked
2 cups instant organic rolled oats (before grinding), ground into a coarse powder
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 tsp salt
olive oil for sauteing

1. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil for about 5 minutes, until softened.
2. Leaving aside about 1/2 cup of the oatmeal powder, mix the remaining oatmeal, lentils, vegetables, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. Form the mixure into balls about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Roll each ball in the leftover powdered oatmeal before laying it on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake the lentil balls at 350 for 20 minutes.

They can be frozen after cooking -- I would guess they'd keep well for 2-3 months.

Mama's Girl

2009-01-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

My grandfather (my father's father) ate pasta with marinara sauce every night for the last couple decades of his life. I inherited his love for it. Given the choice, I'd eat spaghetti nearly every day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever! Anytime is fine.

Nora has decided that it's near the top of her list, too. We suspect a possible wheat allergy, because Robert had one as a child and because after her first wheat last week she developed red cheeks and a rash. More to come on that when we have more info, but in the meantime she's enjoying quinoa-corn pasta. A bit pricy, but what can you do? I dust it with rice cereal to make it a little easier to pick up. She gobbles it down every time!

Tip: When I used part of a jar of organic spaghetti sauce to make pizza for Robert and myself over the weekend, I froze the remainder in my baby ice cube tray and now have a bag of baby-size pasta sauce portions, ready to heat and serve.

Porridge!

2009-01-12T22:27:00.001-08:00

Life has been very busy lately, with little time for blogging. But I will try to do some more baby food entries before Nora becomes a toddler! She's now a very busy 9 1/2-month-old. Crawling, climbing, and dancing are some of her favorite activities!

There have been many new foods over the past couple of months, and a daily staple is "porridge." Porridge takes many forms, but always includes one or two grains*, a protein, and at least one fruit or vegetable. I mix it all together and serve it warm, and she usually loves it.

Some common combos include:

oatmeal - egg yolk - squash
oatmeal - egg yolk - banana
barley - tofu - broccoli - squash
millet - tofu - pumpkin
barley - tofu - broccoli - sweet potato
millet - garbanzo bean - green bean - peach (yes, really, she ate it!)
barley - lentil - green pea
barley - lentil - carrot

As long as you've got the basic ingredients on hand, you can make a quick, healthy meal in a short amount of time!

* I usually sprinkle a tablespoon or two of Earth's Best organic iron-fortified cereal into the porridge to increase its iron content.

Thanksgiving Tofu

2008-12-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

The vegetarian baby turned 8 months on Friday, so we decided to give her her first "protein" food for Thanksgiving dinner. I mashed up some organic extra-firm tofu with organic canned pumpkin and added a pinch of cinnamon. She seemed to like it! I also gave her a few tiny cubes of tofu for finger-food practice, most of which ended up somewhere in the depths of the high chair.

Little Bird

2008-11-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

I always thought of millet as "bird food," since it's a primary ingredient in many birdseeds. Today, I fed it to my own "little bird." This baby is spreading her wings! She crawls all over the house, can go up and down a single stair, and is starting to try to climb. We love to watch her.

I bought organic pearled millet in bulk from our nearby co-op grocery store. According to WholesomeBabyFood.Com, millet is rich in a variety of nutrients, including B vitamins and iron. I then used the recipe for "Millet Baby Cereal" on that same webpage. I cooked up half a cup of dry millet, and it made far more than she'll ever eat in three days. Next time I'll make less. I then pureed part of it in my blender, mixed in a little more hot water and some breastmilk, and served it up. She liked it pretty well!

Update: Since writing this entry, I have changed my millet-making procedure. I now grind the millet to a powder in the blender before cooking it. I had been afraid of doing this, but it's actually much easier than trying to blend cooked millet. It takes about a minute to do one cup of millet, and the powder can be stored for a few weeks, covered, in the refrigerator. To cook, I bring one cup of water to a boil with a tablespoon of olive oil, whisk in 4 tablespoons of millet powder, lower the heat, and simmer -- stirring frequently -- for ten minutes. I then divide the cooked millet into three portions, serve one portion that day, one the next day, and the rest the day after that. (The millet thickens as it cools, so if I am serving it a day later, I warm and thin it by stirring in spoonfuls of very hot water until it reaches the right consistency again.)

A Typical Meal

2008-11-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

At 7 1/2 months, we have at least two and sometimes three solid meals per day, depending on naps. Each meal includes a serving of grain and 2-4 vegetable and fruit servings. I try to rotate the different fruits and vegetables so that she gets a variety every day. She has one serving of avocado every day for healthy fats.

Shown in this photo, clockwise from top-left, are: homemade oatmeal, peaches, avocado, butternut squash, and green beans. Other foods regularly on the menu are commercial rice cereal (for iron), sweet potatoes and yams, green peas, mango, carrots, prunes, bananas, and occasionally applesauce and plums. She has also had commercial baby barley cereal at a friend's house but we haven't been able to find any of our own yet.

I located BPA-free ice cube trays and bowls with lids at BabiesRUs and prepare most of her food in those. It's really a lot of fun!

Mama's Little Pumpkin

2008-10-28T22:03:00.000-07:00

Of course, a vegetarian baby ought to dress up as a giant fruit for Halloween...

Butternut Squash Cubes

2008-10-25T21:48:00.001-07:00

What does it take to make your own baby food? I've been asked this by several people lately. It's really quite simple. And, I think, it's kind of fun, too.

To be fair, I'm not making all her food myself. As mentioned earlier, she's having commercially prepared oatmeal because it's fortified with iron. Also, when she came down with a virus last week, the nurse recommended rice cereal and bananas, so I went ahead and got commercial rice cereal (Earth's Best Organic) as well. I also use jarred organic applesauce and frozen organic peach slices. But so far I have made everything else myself.

Shown in the photo is a tray of butternut squash. I purchased one squash -- organic -- for just under $3. It made a total of 35 cubes. I figure that if you account for the water that's added to the jars, one of my cubes is equal to 1 - 1.5 jars of food. That means my $3 got me the equivalent of more than 23 jars of food, depending on how you count it. Not a bad investment! Even if you aren't concerned about the price of jarred food, though, preparing your own baby food when you can is also environmentally friendly. I saved at least 23 glass jars from being used!

1. Slice a butternut squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. (Save the seeds for roasting, described below.)
2. Place the two halves face down in a baking dish with about 1/2 inch of water.
3. Cook in a pre-heated, 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until soft. (You can check by stabbing it with a fork.)
4. Peel the squash and let it cool for a few minutes.
5. On a large plate, smash the squash with a fork. Make it very smooth.
6. Press blobs of squash into a clean ice cube tray. Freeze overnight. If you have more squash than fits into your tray, the extra can be placed in a tupperware in the refrigerator until there is room to freeze it the next day.
7. Pop the squash cubes out and store them in a plastic freezer bag. Be sure to label and date the squash. It's good for up to two months in the freezer.

Roasting squash seeds:
Rinse the seeds. Toss with a little olive oil and salt. Roast in an oven with something else you're cooking until the oil is all soaked in, stirring occasionally.

Feeding the squash to your baby:
Take a frozen cube from the plastic bag. Heat over low heat in a small saucepan with a few spoonfuls of water. Stir frequently until all the squash is thawed and warm, adding water as necessary.

Avocado!

2008-10-11T17:25:00.001-07:00

The vegetarian baby has embarked on this next stage in her life! She had avocado on her 6-month birthday -- you can see the results. She seemed to like it pretty well, but then developed a cold that kept her from enjoying much of anything for about a week. Since the cold ended, though, she's been eating up her twice-daily meals.

Her absolute, hands-down favorite food so far is oatmeal. Because I was concerned about iron, I opted to use a fortified commercial brand instead of making my own. We feed her Earth's Best organic whole-grain oatmeal, and it's a hit!

To date, her foods and opinions on them include (in order of introduction):

-- avocado (liked, then didn't like, now likes)
-- sweet potato (didn't like, now tolerates)
-- [rice cereal] (she has just had some tastes of this at our "baby pre-school" class, she likes it fine)
-- oatmeal (her favorite)
-- unweetened applesauce (also introduced at baby pre-school and I decided to go ahead and let her eat a little every few days -- she loves it)
-- banana (didn't like, now tolerates)
-- peaches (just a taste, at pre-school, she liked them)

And next on the lineup, later today, is butternut squash. So there's some variation from my original plan, but on the whole I'm happy with the schedule so far.

I've been asked why I was skipping rice cereal. In my opinion, there's not much point to it. Rice cereal is usually given as a first food because it has a very low allergy risk. However, it doesn't have much to offer - nutritionally - other than calories and fortified iron. I decided that I wanted to maximize nutrition, and oatmeal offers more vitamins and fiber, as well as the iron, with a similarly low allergy risk.

With the exception of the oatmeal and applesauce, I am making all her food myself. I use the "food-cube" method. I buy the produce -- all organic -- then cook and/or puree it at home. She'll eat a bit fresh that day, and the rest gets frozen in an ice cube tray overnight. Then I pop the cubes out and store them in freezer bags. So far I've made two avocados, three sweet potatoes, and 2 bananas . . . and I have enough of all these foods to last another 10-15 days. It's much cheaper and more environmentally friendly than buying all those little jars! Plus it's very satisfying.

Garbanzo Beans with Spinach and Spices

2008-09-17T10:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite quick-and-easy recipes -- very low-fat and nutritious!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
2 T canola oil
2 T ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or less if you don't like it spicy)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 10-oz package frozen spinach
2 tsp garam masala (Indian spice blend)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the canola oil over medium heat until translucent.
2. Stir in the cumin, coriander, tumeric, and cayenne and heat for one minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and simmer five minutes.
4. Add the garbanzo beans and simmer five minutes.
5. Add the spinach and simmer until fully thawed. Stir it in.
6. Add the garam masala and salt to taste. Simmer a few more minutes and taste to adjust seasonings.

Serve over brown rice cooked with a little tumeric in the water for yellow coloring.
Optional: If you make it spicy, serve with plain nonfat yogurt on the side.

Sitting Up!

2008-09-17T09:59:00.001-07:00

My baby girl can sit up by herself . . . she's growing up so fast! We're just a week and a half shy of her 6-month birthday, when she'll start solid foods. We'll start with vegetables and then fruits, in lieu of the traditional rice cereal which I'm hoping to skip altogether. I think early cereals will include oatmeal and quinoa, pending a little more research.

My current plan, assuming our pediatrician approves it, is to start with avocado, then sweet potatoes, carrots, green peas, bananas, pumpkin, and squash (heavy on the autumn harvest). I'm pretty excited and think it will be lots of fun for both of us!

Fat-Free Stir-Fry

2008-08-02T12:55:00.000-07:00

Finally having recovered from my delivery & postpartum complications, I decided it was time to work on losing the pregnancy weight. I gained a rather astonishing 45 lbs... of which the baby was less than seven. Three months of breastfeeding and limited exercise enabled me to drop 25lbs, and finally at the beginning of July I felt ready to start focusing on diet.

I lost 30 lbs on Weight Watchers in 2004 and I am a big fan of the program. I find it works very well with being vegetarian. Since starting to count points and increase my exercise in the middle of July, I have dropped another five pounds. This recipe for fat-free stir-fry has become one of my lunchtime favorites over the past couple of weeks.

Points Value: 6 (without egg) or 8 (with egg)
All ingredients are Core

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice or whole wheat pasta
1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables
1/5 block of firm or extra firm tofu, diced
vegetable broth
soy sauce

Optional: chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped hard-boiled egg, cayenne pepper, whatever else you want to throw in

1. Heat a frying pan and spray it with cooking spray. Saute the onion and garlic, if using, until the onion is starting to soften.
2. Saute the tofu until the sides are starting to turn golden. Add vegetable broth as needed to keep the tofu from sticking to the pan.
3. Add the frozen vegetables and saute until cooked through. Add more vegetable broth as needed, and soy sauce for flavor.
4. Add the cooked rice or pasta and saute until heated through. Add more soy sauce as needed.
5. Remove from heat and turn onto a plate. It will be a large pile of food! Mix in the egg, if using.

Hints: When taking care of a baby all day, I don't have time to spend cooking rice or chopping vegetables. I'll make a large pot of rice one day to keep in the refrigerator and use for several days. Same goes for eggs - boil a bunch at once and then eat over several days. The frozen vegetables are a big time-saver, and are often more nutritious than fresh ones anyway. I like the vegetable broth that comes in a rectangular carton that you can keep in the refrigerator, just using as much as you need at a time.

Still Growing Strong and Rosy!

2008-07-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

The photo is a bit outdated, being three weeks old, but my camera activity has slowed a bit recently. We believe she is now nearly 13 pounds, though we'll find out for sure week after next at her 4-month appointment. I can't believe my little girl is nearly four months old already! Time is going so fast.

She is smiling, laughing, and just starting to roll over (once in a while). She reaches for objects and puts them in her mouth. She loves songs, sleep, and walks in her stroller. She is a lot of fun!

Crockpot Black Bean Soup

2008-07-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

This recipe is adapted from my newest cookbook: Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. I have made it several times, and loved it every time! It's really quite easy, and the crockpot cooking method is very user-friendly. If you don't have a crockpot, I think you could make it in a regular pot, too.

Ingredients:

1 lb dried black beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
1 T canola oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 carrots, halved and sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced OR 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth, or more
2 bay leaves
1 T ground cumin
2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

1. Drain or partially drain* the beans and place in a crock pot with water to cover by three inches. Cook on low for 8 hours.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the onions, garlic, carrots, and green pepper if using, until softened.
3. Add the vegetables, tomatoes, broth, and spices to the the beans.** Cook for at least another half hour to let the flavors blend.
4. Ladle some of the soup into a blender and puree. Return it to the crockpot and stir it in. It will thicken the soup. You can continue to puree until all of it is smooth, or leave some in chunks.

I like to eat it with sour cream or grated sharp cheddar cheese. You can also make this recipe with canned beans. I would use 3 15-oz cans and reduce the cooking time to six hours, with the vegetables included for the whole cooking time.

Weight Watchers points: 3 per cup of soup.

* Draining the rinse water from the beans reduces flatulence but also eliminates many of the B-vitamins that have soaked out into the water. I usually do a partial drain to try and get the best of both options.
** You can add the sauteed vegetables and the spices before or after cooking the beans. However, the tomatoes, vegetable broth, and salt should not be added until after the beans are completely cooked.

11 Weeks

2008-06-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

Our vegetarian (breastfed) baby continues to grow! She weighed 11 lbs 4 oz at her 2-month check-up, continuing at the 50th percentile that she's been at all along. We are pleased.

I recently had a 3-day hospital stay, including two surgeries under general anesthesia, and managed to keep my milk supply strong despite a large loss of blood. (The surgeries were to repair damage caused by childbirth -- I had a uterine inversion and some accompanying issues.) I like to think that having a good diet with iron-rich vegetarian foods helps me to produce good milk!

Hummus

2008-06-16T20:44:00.000-07:00

I tasted my first hummus in the summer of 1995, and have been a major fan ever since! It's nutritious and oh-so-delicious. Here is my basic recipe:

2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2-6 cloves of garlic (depending on your preferences), peeled and halved
1/2 cup tahini paste (sesame paste)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup warm water
juice and pulp of one lemon, or 3-4 T lemon juice
1 T ground cumin
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Put the beans and the garlic in a food processor with the large blade attached. Process until most of the beans are pureed.
2. Add the tahini, olive oil, water, and lemon juice. Process until smooth.
3. Add the cumin, salt, and pepper. Taste for flavor. Add more salt and pepper as needed.

Refrigerated, can last for up to a week. Eat with fresh vegetables, crackers, pita bread, or make into hummus-and-cheese sandwiches.

Optional additions: fresh basil leaves, fresh tomato, fresh parsley

6 Weeks and Growing

2008-05-13T07:00:00.001-07:00

My baby is now six weeks old, and it seems that a vegetarian diet is just fine for breastfeeding. She weighed a whopping nine pounds even at her one-month checkup, and we're pretty sure she's over ten now! She's also grown more than two inches in length. She grows out of clothes so quickly that we don't have time to wear them all!

I haven't had much time for posting recipes lately but hope to be back to it soon. In the meantime, I'm eating lots of: Cheerios, oatmeal, spaghetti, beans, apples, and cheese.

My Vegetarian Baby is Born!

2008-04-05T10:23:00.001-07:00

She arrived Friday, March 28, weighing 6 lbs 15 oz. She is beautiful!

Som Tam

2008-03-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite foods while living in Thailand was "som tam" -- spicy raw papaya salad. I wasn't sure whether I'd ever be able to find it in the USA, but it turns out that it's sold at many Thai restaurants! Of course, it costs about 20 times as much as it did in our Peace Corps town.

I haven't wanted to eat much som tam while pregnant, though, because folk wisdom has it that raw papaya can cause contractions -- not something you want early in your pregnancy. Now that I've reached full-term, however, I feel safe eating it again! So on Saturday night we headed over to Uwajimaya - a local Asian grocery store - and picked out the ingredients. Robert made the som tam while I worked on a noodle curry. He did a great job -- it tasted perfect!

1 large unripe papaya, peeled and grated
2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2-4 small Thai chili peppers, finely chopped
1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 T soy sauce, or to taste
1 T sugar, or to taste (optional)
1/2 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped
juice of 1-2 limes

The fresh chilies give it a real kick, so you might want to start on the lower end and increase if you think it isn't spicy enough. Som tam is best eaten fresh, but can keep for about two days, covered, in the refrigerator.

Phil's Burritos

2008-02-28T20:17:00.001-08:00

My stepfather, Phil, makes his own version of these, which are quite delicious. Mine are lower-fat and have less sauce somehow, but I still call them "Phil's Burritos." They are super easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

8 large tortillas (I like whole wheat)
3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, chopped
1 very large or 2 medium jars of salsa
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (or a little more)
sour cream

1. In a large bowl, mix together the beans, onion, most of the salsa, and most of the cheese.
2. Put a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture into each tortilla and fold it into a burrito shape.
3. Bake the burritos in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees, covered with tin foil, for 30 minutes. I prefer a glass baking dish -- or two, if they don't all fit -- but metal works just fine.
4. Remove the tin foil, sprinkle the burritos with the remaining cheese, and bake 15 minutes more.
5. Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side. Yum!

36-37 Week Photo

2008-02-28T20:15:00.001-08:00

Taken this morning, in front of the window for a change of scenery. I'm definitely feeling more ready every day for this baby to make it's move into the outside world!

Healthy Start

2008-01-27T21:37:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, when I went for the standard gestational diabetes test, I also had my iron levels checked. Being vegetarian and pregnant, I was slightly worried that I would have low iron. However, I passed both tests with flying colors!

I like to think that part of my success comes from the little things I do each day to boost my nutrient intake. In addition to aiming for a good variety of foods each day, or at least each week, I also make an effort to start every morning with a healthy breakfast. Most mornings, I have a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of cranberry juice. The oatmeal includes a good balance of complex carbohydrates, iron, fiber, and antioxidants. Here is how I make it:

1/2 cup instant oatmeal, microwaved with 1 cup water for 90-120 seconds
sprinkle of cinnamon
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup frozen blueberries, thawed in the microwave
1/8 cup raisins
1/4 cup plain soymilk

On days when I eat this breakfast, I don't feel quite as guilty about indulging my ice cream cravings in the evening!

Pizza Crust

2008-01-04T18:00:00.000-08:00

About six years ago, I started making my own pizza crusts. I started with just white flour, then tried just whole wheat, and then experimented with blends of different amounts. I also started kneading by hand, until I learned how to use the food processor. I think I've finally found what is the perfect recipe!

This dough can be frozen before the rising step if desired. Just put it in a tupperware and stick it in the freezer. On the day you will be using it, put it into the refrigerator in the morning, and it will be thawed enough to take out and rise during the evening. You might have to add a little to the rising time.

I usually bake my pizzas on a pizza stone, as it distributes the heat most evenly. But a regular cookie sheet works as well. If using a pizza stone, it should be put in the oven during the pre-heating time. This means you have to work with it when it's hot. But it makes a big difference in the results!

Ingredients:

1 cup water, slightly warm
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 T olive oil

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water, stirring well. Set aside for about ten minutes until foamy on top.
2. In a food processor with the basic metal blade, blend together the flours, salt, and olive oil.
3. With the food processor running, slowly pour in the water-yeast mixture. The dough should form into a solid mass.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. If it seems too wet, add a little more white flour.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large mixing bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise, preferably in a warm place, for about an hour. It is finished when it has doubled in size. (I usually have it sitting near the stove while I am making up sauce and preheating the oven -- this keeps it nice and warm.)
6. When ready, preheat the oven to 425F. If using a pizza stone, put it in the oven during this time.
7. When the oven is ready, sprinkly your pizza stone or baking sheet liberally with cornmeal or flour. Flatten the dough into a large circle on the pan. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes, until the crust edges are firm and the cheese is just starting to brown.

This is a very healthy dough! When I was on Weight Watchers, I made it with half the amount of olive oil and it was worth 2-points per slice (8 slices total) before the toppings.

*The pizza in the photo was made with my homemade sauce, mozzerella cheese, soy pepperoni, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

25 Week Photo

2008-01-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

I am actually 27 weeks now, but this was the last good photo taken of me. I have gained about four pounds since then! I'll put up a newer one when I have a chance.

Spicy Bean Hot Pot

2007-12-14T20:37:00.001-08:00

It's not chili... it's not soup... what is it? Spicy Bean Hot Pot!

This recipe comes from a cookbook my mom gave me several years ago called 30 Minute Vegetarian Recipes. All the recipes, while maybe taking a little longer than 30 minutes, are really very easy and don't require complex ingredients. This bean dish is surprisingly good, and has it's own unique taste. It's that type of favorite dish that I often don't remember to make, and then one day I make it, and think, "Why don't I eat this more often?"

I've pretty much stuck to the recipe in the book, but increased the amounts and changed the serving suggestions.

Ingredients:

1 medium or large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 T canola oil
1 T ground cumin
1 28-oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup tomato paste
several tablespoons of Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce, to taste
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white (cannelini) beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
grated cheddar cheese for serving

1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Saute the onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Stir in the cumin and saute another 1-2 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and hot pepper sauce. Stir well and bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the beans. Add a little bit of water if necessary, but not much. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
4. Season with salt, pepper, and additional hot pepper sauce to taste.
5. Serve with grated cheddar cheese. I like to have baked potatoes or fresh bread on the side.

Here is the cookbook -- I don't know why it's sideways.

Shepherds' Pie

2007-12-03T19:50:00.001-08:00

On a cold, rainy night, of the sort we've had here in the Pacific Northwest recently, it's very nice to have a simple meal cooked in the oven. I first made a vegetarian shepherds' pie just over three years ago, but we liked it so much that I made it several times more before we left for Thailand. Though my original recipe -- a modification from The Joy of Cooking -- is currently buried in storage, I put together an attempt this evening. It turned out quite nicely.

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes
1 T canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced, with leaves
3/4 cup fresh or frozen thawed green peas
equivalent of 1 lb. meat, in meat substitute form (I prefer White Wave traditional flavor seitan, but have also used Gimme Lean beef style), chopped or crumbled
1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth
1 T fresh or dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
butter or margarine

1. Boil or bake the potatoes until soft. Remove skins and mash, with a little milk and butter if you like, or just plain is fine too.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the onions and carrots until the onions are softened.
3. Stir in the meat substitute. If necessary, brown it. (I usually brown Gimme Lean products, but not seitan.)
4. Stir in the celery, rosemary, thyme, and vegetable broth. Continue cooking until broth is absorbed.
5. Stir in the peas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.
6. Spread the mixture in a 9x9 pan. Cover with the mashed potatoes. Dot with butter or margarine.
7. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes, uncovered.

On Eating Soy

2007-12-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

Soy is a bit of a controversial food. For several years, it was promoted as a superfood. More recently, some have raised concerns about its estrogen-ic qualities, and there was some speculation that it could mess with the hormones of a pregnant woman or her unborn child.

I was very hesitant to eat much soy during the first part of this pregnancy, so I avoided it for the most part. At my 19-week appointment, though, my OB (who I like very much) said that while she understood my concerns, she feels that soy is just fine to eat, and that you'd have to eat very large quantities of it to even come close to its purported estrogen-ic properties. So since then, while still being moderate, I've enjoyed its use more frequently. It is a very nice way to get protein.

Fava Bean Snack

2007-11-19T19:36:00.001-08:00

There are days when I have a hard time getting my protein in. And there are days when I don't have much time to cook. I recently discovered this tasty snack, and now I can't get enough!

I buy the frozen fava beans at Whole Foods. They aren't too expensive. I throw some in a bowl and microwave them for one minute. Then I take it out, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a few shakes of salt, stir it up, and put it back in for another 40-45 seconds. YUM! Warm, salty, and fairly nutritious. I eat them with a spoon.

My Favorite Salad Dressing

2007-11-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

I got a version of this salad dressing from a Weight Watchers message board several years ago, and instantly was a fan. Since then I have completely forgotten the correct proportions and usually just throw it together as fast as I can. It's supposed to be a vegetarian caesar salad dressing, but I don't know if it tastes much like caesar or not. I like to use it as a dip with carrots as well (pictured).

Nutritional yeast is one of those ingredients that I avoided for years because it seemed too "odd." But I first used it in this dressing, and I became an immediate fan. It's a yellow powder that's very high in B vitamins -- especially B12, which is difficult to get if you don't eat animal products. I usually buy it in the bulk section at Whole Foods.

1/2 cup olive oil, or more if needed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 T Dijon mustard (regular yellow mustard works, too)
1/4 cup tahini paste (sesame)
juice of 1 lemon, and a bit of pulp if you like
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Mix all ingredients together until well-blended.
2. Serve with salad or fresh-cut vegetables.
-- Can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to one week.

Moroccan Couscous

2007-11-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight I made this recipe -- one of my favorite dinners. It's very easy and full of flavor. It's also got tons of nutrition, including the healing powers of turmeric!

The recipe is adapted from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. I've omitted a couple of ingredients, adjusted the spice levels, and added garbanzo beans for protein. I like to serve it with plain yogurt on top. Don't be put off by the long list of spices. I usually just line them up in order on the counter right before I start cooking, and move down the line with my measuring spoons.

Sauce ingredients:

2 T canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
6-7 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 cups vegetable broth
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 - 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent.
2. Stir in the spices and continue sauteing for 2-3 more minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and the broth, bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add the garbanzo beans, return to a simmer, and cook 10-15 more minutes until heated through.
5. Serve over couscous (recipe below) with yogurt on the side.

Couscous ingredients:

2 cups vegetable broth
1 3/4 cups water
1 T butter or margarine
2 cups regular or whole wheat couscous

1. Combine the first three ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil.
2. Lower the heat to its minimum level and stir in the couscous.
3. Cover for five minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Let sit for two minutes before fluffing and serving.

My Favorite Sodabread

2007-11-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not much of a baker, but I do enjoy quick and easy breads. I also enjoy playing around with recipe ingredients to try to make them healthier. This sodabread is based on a combination of recipes from The Joy of Cooking and an American Heart Association cookbook, with a few twists of my own. It's very easy, and perfect for a weekend morning when you have a little time to wait for your breakfast to cook.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups white flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 T caraway seeds
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I like to use either real butter or canola oil margarine)
1 1/4 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1 T orange flavoring (optional)
1/3 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a pie pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix together the first six ingredients.
3. Cut in the butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal.
4. Stir in the yogurt and orange flavoring (if using) until it is all a solid blob.
5. Stir in the cranberries so that they are more or less evenly dispersed.
6. Shape into a lump on the prepared pan. Cut an "X" into the top with a knife. Bake 40-50 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. The inside will still seem moist because of the yogurt, but it should be fully cooked.

A Recipe at Last

2007-11-01T20:31:00.001-07:00

I've made it to the 2nd trimester, and today my 18-week ultrasound showed a healthy baby. It was a huge relief! My diet hasn't been the greatest lately. I have a huge appetite, it seems, and though as is usual for me I tend to focus more on savory carbohydrates, I also have been eating more sugar than I did before I was pregnant. Oh well. Halloween is over, so maybe the sweets will disappear for a while.

In the meantime, here's a recipe I recently made. I started making risotto in 2004 with my pressure cooker. After more than a two-year hiatus from that appliance while we were in Thailand, I finally dug it out of storage last month and started practicing my risotto again. It's surprisingly easy to make, and wonderfully comforting to eat. This version, based on a recipe from The Roasted Vegetable, uses butternut squash -- perfect for a cold fall day.

Butternut Squash Risotto:

1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 T olive oil
2 tsp thyme or rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion
4 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup water, heated
1/2 cup white wine (don't worry, the alcohol will cook out)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for the table

1. Mix together the squash, red pepper, and garlic with 2 T of the olive oil and the spices. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast at 425^F for 20-25 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. In a pressure cooker over medium heat, saute the onion in the remaining olive oil until translucent. Stir in the rice, making sure to coat each grain with some of the oil, for about 3 minutes.

3. Add the white wine to the rice and stir until the liquid is evaporated.

4. Add the broth and water, close the pressure cooker, and bring to high pressure for ten minutes. Release the pressure with the burner on low heat.

5. Test the rice for doneness. There may still be a little bit of liquid, but it will soak up quickly, so only continue cooking if absolutely necessary.

6. Stir in 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve with additional parmesan on the side.

** If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can make this recipe in a regular pot by adding about a half-cup of the liquid at a time and stirring until it is soaked into the rice before adding the next half-cup.

Early Pregnancy (6-7 Weeks)

2007-08-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

"Morning sickness" has arrived. I had great plans for how I would only eat healthy, natural, organic foods during my pregnancy. They've all been squashed by the onset of near-constant nausea and fatigue. I have little to no energy for cooking or preparing healthy meals, and the foods that appeal to me are by-and-large high in sodium. On top of all this, I've had some complications and am prohibited from exercising. So I'm feeling less than ideal these days. I'm trying to remind myself that this will pass, and I can improve my diet during the second trimester!

Things-I'm-not-so-proud-of-eating in the past week include macaroni and cheese (usually Annie's or Whole Foods brands), canned minestrone soup, cheese pizza, 7-Up, lemonade, and ginger snaps.

Borderline foods that have given me some comfort include egg noodles simmered in canned vegetable broth with carrot, garlic, and ginger, plain sparkling water, and stacks of Saltines.

Some of the healthier foods I've been able to stomach are smoothies (made with yogurt, bananas, and strawberries), salad, oranges, and Dipman beans (recipe to appear later).

On the whole, I feel like I'm probably not getting enough protein or calcium . . . but I'm working on it.

Early Pregnancy (4-5 Weeks)

2007-08-18T13:31:00.000-07:00

I found out that I was pregnant quite early, before I was even four weeks. This was because I had been charting my temperatures every day, so I knew that something was different.

In those first days, I felt a little dizzy or queasy on occasion, but not enough to affect my appetite. I did have a strong desire for melted cheese on a daily basis, which I responded to by making grilled cheese sandwiches with mustard and "pizza bagels" -- toasted bagels, sprinkled with mozzarella cheese and oregano, and microwaved for about half a minute.

I had already been taking prenatal vitamins for three months, and had also recently added a daily B-Complex formula to regulate my hormones. In addition to those, I take daily calcium supplements.

Definitions

2007-08-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

What does being vegetarian mean to me? Twelve years ago, I stopped eating all meat, including beef, chicken, and pork. I had never liked eggs very much, so I avoided those most of the time. I also eliminated any products made with meat, including broths and soup stocks.

Mid-way through college, a kid I was babysitting for saw me eating Lucky Charms at his house and asked, "Why are you eating marshmallows if you are vegetarian? Don't you know they have gelatin?" I hadn't known that gelatin was an animal product! After a call to the Jell-o company, in which they tried to assure me that despite being made from animals, their gelatin was still kosher, I sadly stopped eating Lucky Charms (and any other foods made with gelatin).

When I was about 23, PETA sent me information about the process of making milk from cows. I was disgusted, and stopped drinking it. I continued to eat some other forms of dairy, though, including cheese and ice cream. Part of me would like to go all the way and become vegan, but in general I do enjoy eating some dairy.

About that same time, I started eating a little bit of fish. Today I average 2 fish meals per month. So I know I'm not a complete vegetarian, but I still think of myself as one.

Introductions

2007-08-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

I've been vegetarian since the age of 18. At the time, it seemed like a solid way to do some good in the world. As I went through college and early adulthood, I learned more about factory farming, environmental degradation, animal welfare, health, and nutrition, and felt even happier about my decision. At a certain point, I realized that I wouldn't be able to feed meat to my own children. My husband agreed that we could raise them vegetarian, at least until they are old enough to make their own decisions about such things.
As we moved closer to starting our family, and the topic of vegetarian children came up on occasion with family and friends, I started hearing the same questions over and over. "How will you be sure they get enough protein?" "What will you do if they want to eat meat?" "Don't you think you should allow them to make their own choices?" The questions bugged me, just as I am sure that critical questions bug most parents (or future parents).
I started trying to find information about vegetarian families on the internet, and discovered that it's not so easy. What I was looking for was true stories of real people -- not how-to manuals or heated debates. So, the idea for this blog was born. Long before I became pregnant, I decided I would want to share the experiences of vegetarian motherhood with any others who are interested. I hope this site is helpful for anyone who is looking for information about raising a vegetarian family.