Yummy Yummy in My Expanding Tummy

We took the kittens back to the vets last night to have their little stitches taken out (well, Eliot had her stitches taken out by the vet, Sylvia, in her infinite craziness, decided to take her's out on her own). They were rewarded with their favourite treats and some wacky cat nip. After the vet and some wretched Brussels' traffic, we headed home for dinner. We had goodies in for Italian (I just bought some really greenish looking spelt and spirilina pasta), and Thai - and we went for the Thai.

Now any long time readers will know that I don't toot my own horn when it comes to my cooking. I am just not the kind of lady. Especially not when I see the likes of River, Shellyfish, Celeste and other vegan bloggers who are consistently crafting beautiful and interesting food. BUT....last night's curry was the dish to end all dishes. So if you only ever try one of the the vegancowgirl's recipes...this is it!

I am not sure if it is some newly developed baby growing super power, or if it was the never-before-used Lime Leaves, but the curry was so tasty I wanted to cry (and lick the bowl) - I actually did both...but the tears were from an episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie.

All other ingredients were pretty generic Thai curry ingredients (though I did serve the curry on a bed of Japanese Soba noodles), so I am pretty sure it was the fresh and authentic tasting Lime Leaves that did the trick. Yum Yum!

Lick The Bowl Curry and Soba Noodles

200ml organic coconut milk
200ml tomato puree
2 tsp olive oil
5 spring onions - diced
1 big thumb of ginger - diced
1 slab of extra firm tofu - diced
2 sweet potatoes - sliced
1 aubergine - sliced and diced
1 handful of frozen Lime Leaves - I picked these up from our Asian grocery shop
your every day average thai curry paste (I used red)

1 packet of organic soba noodles.

In other news...(how did I manage to not blurt this out at the top of the post?) It's a Girl!!!! Is it selfish (or maybe weird) to be excited about the idea of making a mini feminist inside by belly right now? Well, too bad!

I am off to Dublin tonight with Kim - girl's weekend away. We spent last week in Nice, which was...ok. The conference was great, but the city was actually...not very nice. A little on the sleazy side. And the food was less than impressive. Ah well, you win some, you lose some. I am not going to start complaining about the wonderful travel opportunities I have. We are off to Budapest next weekend - to visit friends. It will be interesting what happens to this vegancowgirl in the land of the goulash (to quote kevin).

I also have to share a picture that Kevin took of me when we traveled to Ypres for Armistice Day.....we pulled over when we saw this pile of carrots on the side of the road. Both Kim and Kevin thought it was a vegan's dream to be atop a bed of carrots. Have they never tasted vegan brownies? Now THAT would be a vegan's dream.

Coconut Date Oval, Pumpkin Bread & Puffies

The week is wrapping up and I can't believe that I haven't found time to post! But I have lots of yummy offerings to say I am sorry. A little something sweet, and a little something savory! We ate lots of good food this week, including pizza, some great granola, sweet potato and bean burritos (thanks kevin) and some great sketti sauce - none of which was captured on film. Rather, I have the goodlets of today!!!

I had planned on baking yesterday afternoon and taking some vegan goodness over to a friend's mexican-soiree, but, alas, following a light lunch and a morning of new duvet shopping, the walnut wasn't so happy, cutting me down at the knees and leaving me a nauseated mess atop the new duvet (and new duvet cover that I just love). Kevin took care of dinner - turning out a pretty good rendition of Lynnie's Sweet Potato and Refried Beans Burritos AND guacamole!

After a nice morning at the market I came home and got straight to work making Fat Free Pumpkin Bread, Coconut and Date Squares and prepping tonight's dinner - Aubergine, Tomato and Chickpea Puffies. Yum Yum. Of course these dishes were all excuses to play with our sexy new kitchen toy....no not a mixer, not a bread machine, not even a waffle iron. We picked up an amazingly wonderful new Nikon D90! Wow. By far the most darling camera I have ever owned. And, I figure by 2010 I might know what to do with it?

Coconut and Date Oval

Crust:
4 cups of oats
2 cups of w.w. flour
2TSP apple sauce
3/4 cup of maple syrup

Innards:
4 cups of dates (pitted)
1 cup of water
1 cup of coconut milk

I boiled the water and added the pitted dates, stirring them a couple of time before leaving them to simmer whilst I cobbled together the crust. I wanted fattie/sugar free date squares, so I decided to go the apple sauce and maple syrup route - which produced a stickier crust, but one that proved to be as crispy post-oven as its' higher calorie cousins. I threw all the crust ingredients together in a bowl, gave them a mix and then pressed half of the lot into a spring form pan (no square pan for me!). The dates were done warming up and squishing down, having soaked up all the water. I added the cup of coconut milk to the date-goo, mixed it in and added the pot full to the top of the crust. I whipped out my trusty purple spatula and lovingly moved my date-goo all about the crust. Once I was happy with the date goodness, I crumbled the remaining crust atop. Having already preheated my oven to 350, I popped the date squares in the oven and turned the timer to 40 minutes.

They are delicious. Seriously...I could eat the whole plate up in one go.

Not one of the Puffies were the same. I decided to be silly and play with my dinner tonight. Since Kevin was out at a late Sunday (!!!!) work meeting, I had free-reign in the kitchen and made a selection of puffies using the (yes, shock, horror) pre-prepared pastry I found yesterday at the shop. Earlier today I had sliced and baked a whole eggplant - so those slices were going in for sure. BUT - I also wanted to get rid of some of the other stuff kicking around the fridge in an attempt to clean out the fridge before heading off to Nice on Tuesday night (yes, the sunshine of Nice awaits me). The Puffies were all super yummy - I was happy with every single little version that I made....and I think Kevin was too - I even made him a cheesy non-vegan version.


Here are a couple of the insides -
- tomato puree, spring onion, green tomatoes, eggplant, and hummus
- black olive tapenade, spring onion, tomatoes, eggplant and chickpeas
-tomato puree, chickpeas, basil, eggplant and tomato

Super yummy!

Baby Update:

We had the first ultrasound on Friday. Wow. I wasn't ready for the uber-strong emotions that hit me the second the doctor fired up the screen that faced me. But there in front of my eyes was our little baby in all its tiny tiny glory. I was dying to hear the heart beat and I didn't have to wait long because the doctor cranked up the volume and for the first time I heard the sound of my littlest vegan. The baby entertained us for a good long while - moving around, kicking its little legs and turned around. Kevin and I both were a bit of a soggy, teary mess when we left the hospital. And of course we scanned and emailed the ultrasound photos to both Canada and the U.K. We want the grandparents, aunties and uncles to be involved as much as they can be - even if they are a plane ride away. Thanks so much to all the great comments, info and support. I love it!

Introducing...the Littlest Vegan

It has been ages since I wrote...and I am sorry. But my life has been turned upside down in the last month and we only now feel like this is VeganCowGirl-ready news.

Introducing.....the Littlest Vegan!!!!!!!!

Being responsible adults, Kevin and I weren't quite ready for the positive pregnancy test that we found ourselves staring at in the company of a friend! (that's how much I didn't think I was pregnant, but wanting to put a colleague's comments about my insomnia and nightsweats to rest, I took the test).

We knew that we wanted to have a little tribe of geeky, music loving, stripey sweater wearing, world travelling vegan kids - but we were thinking that there would be a few more mother's days with cards made from the paws of Sylvia and Eliot before we got around to the job of having to pick a midwife, come up with a birth plan and try to estimate the reality of having a home birth in our apartment herein Brussels. But.....this is it. We are in the zone and have managed to transfer ourselves from the all-encompassing thoughts of "oh my god, we are having a baby" to "yahhhhh we are having a baby".

I have already taken a few verbal shots (from family members no less) on my choice to be a vegan mom-to-be and subsequently raise vegan children. But, I couldn't really care less, I know I have done the research, I know I am healthy, I know that I get enough folic acid, iron, vitamin B12 and I know that our baby is as well. My midwife supports me 100%, and Kevin is behind me all of the way.

I admit to have been knocked down by all of the nausea, stomach upset and fatigue the last month has thrown at me. I also admit to developing an obsession with peanut butter and toast, but I am ok with that. The last few days have been toilet-hugging-free, so I think I might be out of the yuckiest bit (webbed fetus fingers crossed) of the morning/all-day-long sickness.

Needless to say we have had to bump up the wedding, from April to February 14th (come on, you didn't think I would miss a day to be fancy and uber-pretty, just because I have a little bit of a tummy???).

My mom has become the ultimate grandbaby-crazy woman. You mention the word baby and she loses her mind. Good. She deserves to be this excited, and I am glad that my body can do something that seems to be making so many people happy (despite the horrors it is raining down on me over the next 6 months or so).

Today was the first day that I really felt myself - was able to get to the market, clean the house, and I even made soup! I used a Rodrigo Squash (i had never seen this variety before) and some potatoes as the base. I enjoyed ever moment of making this soup. I have missed the chopping, peeling and guesstimation that is my time in the kitchen.

I welcome any/all comments from vegan parents/moms to be. I believe in the power of sharing personal stories more than all the books written on any subject - so if you have anything you want to share, tell, whisper, scream - send it my way. I will be more than honoured to add your experiences to my growing understanding of this total life change.

I also have to add - (shout out to the world) a huge thank you to the most amazing partner a woman could ask for! Kevin has been wonderful. Right from the first moment when he put his arms around me and whispered "you are going to be a great mom" to the endless glasses of juice he has gotten me. He has picked up the slack around the house on the days where I have just about enough energy to tie my shoes. I love this daddy-to-be more than I ever thought possible. Mwahhh!

Here is my dead simple squash soup from tonight:

She's Having A Baby Squash Soup

1 Roderigo squash - peeled and cubed
4 cups of water (or more depending on how thick/watery you want it)
spices - I used: turmeric, cumin, pepper and chili flakes
I cooked the squash in the water for about 1 hour and then blitzed it. The smooth, creamy soup was the perfect receptor for the spices.

1 baguette from your favourite dog man at the market
1 tsp of olive oil
1 clove of garlic
I smashed the garlic and oil together and spread it all over the fresh bread before popping it under the grill for 5 minutes.
The bread was a perfect side kick to this mildly spicy and all-the-way tasty soup.

Three Canadian Tofurkies.....

That was the small number of Canucks that were representing at our triple-hosted get-together yesterday. Despite the small number of Canadians (with Australia and the United States being well represented), we had a typical Canadian Thanksgiving Feast (Mostly) Vegan Style!


The kitchen fun started on Saturday night, when, after a long day of hunting around Brussels looking for canned pumpkin (and then paying a painful 3 euros per 250gram can) I got to work on a couple of the recipes that I knew could handle the overnight wait for visitors. I am so glad I started on Saturday night because the wrestling match I had with Vegan Planet's homemade raw setian recipe was both hilarious and messy - I covered my kitchen in flour - it was everywhere......wow....hats off to clear instructions. Not until I was elbow deep in a sloppy 9lb mess of soaking wet flour did I realize how essential clarity in cook books really is. In the end, I ended up with more of a baked bread roll (stuffed with uber delicious stuffing), but was pretty disappointed with the non-seitan results....even after the third attempt :)

I went with pretty classic fare, honouring my Canadian mom, who was enjoying her Thanksgiving with my brother, his partner, my sister and my dad in Ottawa. I went with my mom's delicious Carrots, Garlic and Rosemary dish, Green Beans and Tomatoes sauteed in garlic, Roasted and Mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. The three dishes I am most proud of though are: Chestnut, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing, Vegan Mushroom Gravy & the Pumpkin Pie.



Kim, K and I went to Flagey Market uber early on Sunday morning and then we all rushed back to attack the rest of the cooking and cleaning. A fellow Canuck came over around three and de-veganized my oven, but he redeemed himself by getting the Gravy started.


It was an amazing night that made me realize how much work it must be for parents (especially single ones) who go all out for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Between the shopping, house cleaning, cooking/baking and hosting it is exhausting. I can not imagine adding three kids to the total! Mom - you are my hero for yet another reason.

I Heart Foodie Bloggers

I had the great pleasure of making dinner, not for two yesterday, but for three. My amazing and wonderful teacher-partner, turned, wicked, cool friend - Kim, came round for dinner last night. Of course we got in some good old fashioned rubric making, but, the best part was being able to feed a non-veg*n a meal that she was happy with!

I was in a heartfilled mood, still carried by the love I have for my foodie bloggers, so I decided to make a dish that I could metaphorically give to everyone of you wonderful readers out there. My Chickpea Heart Patties weren't just for Kim, they were for all of you too!!!

These were dead simple, and the whole meal was quick, easy and very satisfying.

Chickpea Heart Patties

(they don't have to be done in the shape of hearts....but......)

1 can of chickpeas (I used the really good ones from Spain)
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tsp of olive oil
any herbies or spicies that you want to put in your hearts
some elbow greese (take OFF your engagement rings) to mush it all together by hand.
1 super duper cute heart shaped cookie cuter

I mushed all of the ingredients together (after Sylvia did her typical trick of stealing at least five chickpeas) and formed little patties on the cutting board, which I then cut out with the heart shape. I added the little hearts to the cookie sheet and placed the pan to a nicely pre-heated 350 oven. I let each side cook for about 10 minutes. They were amazingly crispy on the outside, and the perfect texture on the inside. Yum Yum!


Kim and I got a lot of work done, helped Kevin finish a bottle of wine, and made plans for our upcoming Canadian Thanksgiving dinner (which we are hosting at my place this coming Sunday!!!)

With last week's tragedy, I didn't get a chance to post my 'new' tasty treat: Seaseme Spread on Rice Cakes with cute little cranberries. Delicious.



Really looking forward to catching up on everyone's wonderful blogs!

Pure Pet Post

Since Thursday morning, when my mom's sad voice shared the loss of Riley, I have been bounced back and forth between sadness in the knowledge of knowing that I will never snuggle Riggles again, silliness in recalling the mountains of Riley-memoires that I have saved up over the last six years, and sheer thankfulness for all the love, support and kind words that have come, literally, from all over the globe.

As a tech-loving teacher, you are often treated to tales of how technology is de-humanizing the world, and how youth will never learn emotions and know human realities from their constant interactions on the internet. It has been through this sad loss of a member of my family, that I have had proven right my convinctions about the internet's positive potentional. While I was sitting at my desk, drenched in tears and unable to make a conherent thought, I blogged a simple post to tell all of the veganfoodie world, who I admire, read, love and feel inspired by every day, that something horrible had happened. And quicker than the baking time for Vcon's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies, so many of you responded - with kind words, with virtual hugs, with beautiful cultural traditions, and with stories of connections and understanding. I can't thank you enough. You helped me get through that tough few hours and over the weekend. I also feel that the little bits of Riley that I share with you will be transmitted and remembered by people other than me and my family. I will always be impacted by the support of this blogging world when I think of this very sad loss. Thank you - all of you.

Let me tell you just a little bit about Riley. After four years of university, the end was in sight and the end happened to coincide with my sister's 13th birthday. Her present was a furry, show dog parented, papers filled-out and filed, Golden Retriever. I was lucky enough to have given myself a repreive from working that summer - as I readied myself for my Master's year in English. I did nothing more that summer than play with Riley and hang out with my mom and sister.

Riley was a perfect puppy right from the start. I can't think of one moment, or one story where he was naughty or snarled or bit or snapped. He was a perfect companion to all of us - each of us getting the love and treatment from Riley that he thought was the best for us. Even when I moved away from my parent's animal loving home, Riley always treated me the same, always came and cuddled, always let me chase him around the living room, always rested his little (ok, big) head on my knee while I was eating ANYTHING. He was a wonderfully fluffy and funny dog who always, always said 'yes' to ice cream, and no matter how much he hated tofu, he would always taste a little before returning it back to the floor from where he had picked it up from.
It is my parents and my little sister who I feel most keenly for right now, as I know that Riley isn't suffering and likely carrying around all the shoes he can find in doggie heaven. He was such a massive physical and spiritual presence in their now too-big house. And, the sad fact is that Riley isn't the only pet they have lost this year - three months ago, their long time kitty friend Jake also died. The seven hour flight home has never felt so long, and the prospect of three more weeks here in Belgium has never felt quite so frustrating - all I want is to be home with my family and give them a big fat hug.

Kevin was busy all day Saturday trying to keep a smile on my face - something which he did quite well. We FINALLY bought a dining room table (upon which we ate a great meal last night), we also picked up a desk, a laundry room organizer that we couldn't put together, and bookshelf doors. The other two little creatures who were big and wonderful helpers this weekend in making me smile were Sylvia and Eliot - my own little precious packages of fuzzy love. They did lots of silly things this weekend to make me laugh and remember all the reasons why having pets in your life is well worth the sadness we feel when it is time to say goodbye.

A Broken Heart

I have nothing to post. I know it is VEGANMOFO, but my family dog died unexpectedly last night and I am a mess with nothing but sadness for my family and that dear dog in my heart.

Sorry.

I actually have to go to a damn work retreat right now. I really just want to be home with Kevin. Hopefully, by the weekend I will feel more in the frame of mind to get back to VEGANMOFO. Until then, please send little doggie love thoughts to my family.

I am a VEGANMOFO

I can't not participate in something with such a fantastic name. But, since every month is a Vegan Month of Food, I decided that I would add my own little spin to this month of Daily Vegan Food Blogging. My plan is to centre my posts, and therefore my cooking, around new experiences, tastes, products and recipes.

To start this off I have two new tastes that I wanted to share. One with a recipe and one without.

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Doesn't that sound delicious? At school, I run the regular old Literature Circle in a bit of a different way. Rather than having kids take on the usually boring-by-November roles of Literary Luminary, Word Finder, Illustrator etc, I try to treat their conversations/activities about literature in a more adult way - hence the grown up name of Book Club. Like most adult book clubs these kidlets also have snacks when they meet - with each group responsible for sharing the load and breaking up the responsibility. This year, some of my high flyers are reading Wuthering Heights, and I decided that rather than let the two of them teach themselves first year university English, I would jump in and share in their literary discussions. Last week, I brought in some vegan ginger snaps for us to share....but to be honest - they were out of a box....shame, shame. One of the girls was responsible for snack this week and her and her mom actually made VEGAN CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN CAKE! It was decadent and well worth the extra 20 minutes I spent spinning on the bike at lunch time. My first time indulging in that combo of flavours. Yum Yum!

Celery Root Mash

Kevin's action shot which he insisted I use for this post

This idea came from the brain of my British boy, who spent his early years knee deep in root vegetables and other northern England comfort foods. We picked up a massive celery root from the market on Sunday, and I got around to playing with it last night. After peeling the big dirty sucker, I found the intense aroma of celery not all that appealing. So, I nixed my first idea of making celery root fries, and grabbed some carrots from the fridge. I boiled the carrots and celery root in about 3 cups of water. After the boil down, I added a clove of roasted garlic, a little bit of almond milk and a whole lot of pepper; I started the mass up with my electric mixer and finally moved to the old school potato masher. It was actually really good! I would be happy to turn it into something a little more stewish - with perhaps a mushroom gravy or something of the kind atop.

In vegan wedding news - I finally placed the order for my invites last night. We decided to go with InviteSite, and selected the Seedling Design. We are trying hard to keep this wedding as Eco as possible and went with this company for their commitment to recycling and for being cool and allowing us to say NO to RSVP cards (since it will save paper by having people reply by email) and by having cards that are not only made out of recycled paper, but having cards that can be planted in our guests gardens. Cool stuff.

Ok - I am off to my early morning Environmental Committee meeting - my first one since taking on this new role at the school. Should be interesting.

Oh - and to Becks et al - I promise to include a Rabbit Sock Shot as soon as they come out of the wash. :)

Perfect Pot Pie!

I had a great weekend that started with my very first sleepover at school! I volunteered to be the female chaperon for the high school's 24 Hour Theatre weekend, where the 2nd year IB students take the 1st year IB students through a whole production that they wrote, crafted and casted. Although I didn't relish sleeping on the theatre floor, I did enjoy being a part of something from a different division.

Kevin was amazingly wonderful and brought me a great vegan Chinese take out meal from one of our favourite restaurants. It was great, and hugely appreciated. Saturday, under the cloud of Ms. Cranky-pants (lack of sleep & hard floor = super crank fest), we went scouring the city for a new dining room table. We found a perfect specimen in an antique shop, but decided to wait a couple of days before putting the money down (I don't recommend making big purchases when sleepy), and hope to pick it up this week sometime.


We hit my favourite house shop afterward, where I cheered up while picking out new tea canisters, magnets and cookie cutters. I even kept my mood up long enough to pick up the world's cutest bunny rabbit socks! We capped the night off with one of my guilty pleasures (a new episode of House), and some hummus and rice cakes. Perfect pre-bed combo. Kevin was a great guy and took all the grumping with a grain of salt..thanks Kev!


Sunday, with sun in the skies, and the sleep no longer in my eyes, we hung around the house, went to the Flagey market and made some of the best treats I have yet to concoct. I am so very proud of my Vegan Blog Inspired Vegan Pot Pie! It was amazingly glorious and I am so excited to make it over, and over again. I was also really happy with the stewed Plum/Apple gloop that made for the greatest breakie this morning.
And the Pearl Barley and Leek Soup that I made with the leeks we had left over after our pot pie production looks and smells delish! Can't wait for my post-work out lunch!


I also had some time to putter around in the much neglected garden. I moved the sage that was growing, growing and growing in our window box to a pot that would allow it to spread its roots a little more. I also checked on our bulbs, and cut back some of the rosemary (the sprigs were a part of the pot pie).

I almost forgot to share the wicked Parsnips Mash I made on Thursday night of last week! It was amazing, amazing, amazing! I had a pumpkin burger and some market corn with it. Look at the fresh herbs I mixed with some market garlic - I threw this in with the parsnips mash right at the end.

We have a three day week of school, with accreditation work on the Thursday and a retreat on the Friday. The one frustrating part of this job is that I feel that between holidays, my conferences, P.D. days and any of the other various reasons for not being at school, that I see too little of these great kids I get to work with.....hmmmm.

Please Eat This Pot Pie

Crust
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/3 cup of cold water
2/3 cup of olive oil
dried or fresh herbs as you wish

Filling
4 leeks - white bottoms cut into coins and then diced up
2 cups of brown mushrooms - sliced
1 block Extra Firm Tofu - pressed and sliced/slivered
2 tablespoons of olive oil
sage, rosemary, pepper, yellow mustard, black mustard

Sauce
2 tablespoons of vegan
1/3 cup of chickpea flour
1 1/2 cup of soy milk
water as needed


I prepared my pastry first. I decided before hand, on the advice of K, that the best way to make a lighter version of the pot pie (not that I don't dig the full on version) was to just make a cap for the pie, rather than a bottom as well.

This pastry was super insanely easier. I just put my flour in my bowl, added the water and then added the oil. I mixed it all up with my hands (any excuse to get dirty), and eventually broke it into two chunks, throwing one in the freezer for future creations. I rolled it out with my rolling pin and set it aside.

I will admit that I was stressed while making the filling and the saucy running bit. I was trying to make this, using the basic concept from a V-con recipe, while skyping with the nurse-mom and the uni-sister. They got to watch their own little version of the VeganCowGirl Cooking Show!!!

I made the innards of the pie by browning the fu first, and setting it aside. I used a smidgen of oil to heat up the dual mustard seed party, before adding the leeks and shrooms. The shrooms gave off quite a bit of liquid, which was great for keeping the contents from sticking (without the need of any additional oil). I added some more spices and let her simmer, while I prepped the sauce.

The sauce was a newbie for me. The whole pot pie idea was new, but in their own parts, the pastry and filling wasn't all that new - but a creamy inside....yikes...it was a part v-con and part guessing, but in the end I like what I ended up with. I started with melting the marg, added the soy milk, slowly added the flour and kept my eye on it while whisking away. I eventually added some more water, as I wasn't initially pleased with the consistency. In the end, I added the whole thing to the tofu/leek and mushroom madness, allowing that to simmer for about 10 minutes.

I used an oval shaped casserole dish, and added the inside, filling it almost to the top, before capping it off with the pastry. I was cheesy and added two cut out hearts to the top.

Kevin, on my orders, whipped up a pretty kicking Mushroom & Onion Gravy. He pulled the whole notion out of that brilliant bearded head of his and created something that totally topped off the pie leaving it in a state of perfection. I can not express enough how much I want you to get in that kitchen and give this one a try. It was amazing!!!!

Vegan Bonding

Just wanted to give you an update on the student lunch I had yesterday!

It was great! Not only did my student willingly try the Chocolate Avocado Pudding I made for her, she gobbled it up! And...what she didn't finish, she took home as 'Homework' - how cute? We laid out our goodies on one of the blankets I brought back from my travels in China and got straight to work at the yummy food.

Her mom is super cool and actually made the Banana Bread Muffins from V-con!! The fact that, here in Brussels, this mom actually owns V-con is totally wicked. But making the muffins and sending them with her daughter for our lunch was fantastic. To be honest, and I think I have written about this issue here, and in comments on other veg blogs - I can NOT for the life of me, bake vegan banana bread. It was the forte of my momma, who used cream cheese and sour cream to moisten them up....and I have failed horribly with every attempt. But this mom tackled these bad boys in a most fantastic way. I am going to have to try the V-con recipe for myself!!!




It was a really nice lunch, and I feel that it will help that student feel more connected to this new environment. Thanks to everyone who said such nice things yesterday!

In other school-vegan related news: yesterday was picture day, and I bucked the system with my "Vegan Cheese" screams to the photographer who was encouraging us to utter dairy embedded obscenities!!! One school photo at a time.

Cinnamon and Spice and Everything Nice......

Last night, while K was kept busy with a meeting at school, and after I hit the gym, I came home to cook up some of the tasty & organic veg we found at the St. Gilles market Monday night.

I made a big batch of apple sauce, which I actually decided to leave a little chunkier than the last time I made it. I threw in two big sticks of Cinnamon and added the juice of half a lemon. I piled fresh strawberries on top of about 1 cup of the apple sauce for a quick breakie this morning.

Apple Sauce

I also gave it my best in recreating a couple of K's signature dishes. They, of course, didn't end up tasting much like his, but their flavours were just what I wanted after a bland-ish stirfry on Monday night. The Aubergine Dip was deep and smoky, while the Chickpea/Spinach dish was hot and spicy.

Tabbouleh Salad

I have invited one of my new students to have lunch with me today. She is new to our school environment, so I thought a little bonding session over vegan food might be fun for her. In addition to some hummus, apples and rice cakes, I made a tabbouleh salad with couscous and....an avocado chocolate pudding! I can't wait to see if she likes the treats.

Thanks everyone for their comments about my future wedding dress....I promise to post photos and let you have a say in what looks best on this vegancowgirl.

Weekend Assortment

I adore Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, and it was spectactulalry worth the wait for Amazon France to get me my little copy (I do love how very little it is.....super cute format).

Kevin and I hiked over to our friend Jimmy's house yesterday to share in the sunshiney goodness of Sunday brunch. The weather couldn't have been better for Car Free Day in Brussels. This yearly abandoning of all things auto is a dynamite, if under-executed, plan. There were little and big people everywhere! Bikes, feet, blades, horses (!) and public transit. A lovely way to see Brussels, which is usually a car soaked parking nightmare.

The weekend, despite the busybeeness, gave me the much desired time to play in the kitchen. Although nothing worth of a Domesetic Goddess award, I did make....


Rhubarb & Strawberry Crumble for Kevin
Vegan Sausages
VCTOTW Rosewater Cupcakes (minus the pistachios)
my very first ever Buttercream Frosting
A big pot of Root Veg Soup



I am getting really excited about my upcoming trip home to Canada, where, amoungst otherthings, I will be trying on wedding dresses with my mom!!! I can't wait. We are anxious to get our invites in the mail....these fabulous little things are recyclable, and come embedded with their own seed packets for easy backyard planting!!!

Paris When It Sizzles

Paris was fantastic! The weather, despite threatening reports, was amazing and the company couldn't have been better.

Some of the vegan highlights included:

1. finding a great bio shop, Bio Coop Lemo, where I bought a selection of dried goods to keep me going throughout the three days. They are attempting to start a chain of bio-shops in Paris, and I say go for it! The selection was great in both the veg/fruit aisle and they had some wonderful looking sundries that I unfortunately had no room for. The three locations can be found here - if you are in Paris for holiday I recommend checking it out! The only down side of this little grocery stop was buying a package of quince spread and keeping it in my purse all day to only discover (after wondering why on earth my leg was so sticky) that it had exploded.

2. a great veg*n dinner on Saturday night with the Ladies and Kevin. We ate at a little vegetarian (with loads of vegan options) place close to Notre Dame. It was heaving! Totally packed. Although I had a spectacular time with my friends (who were horrible to me and kept topping up a wine glass that seemed to be drinking itself), the food really wasn't that great. My avocado appetizer was tasteless, and the main was just a whack of couscous and a seitan log. They also disappointed me by promising vegan sorbet and not being able to deliver...they did manage to cut up a mango, pour some raspberries on it and deliver it to my table..... But, no worries, that is what exploring is all about. :) Please note the Sad Vegan Face ("Sorry Madame, but there is no vegan sorbet tonight") and then Happy Vegan Face ("Here is a mango")













3. sushi!!! I think I have mentioned my pension for vegan Japanese treats before. When I lived in Toronto it was a weekly treat to head down to college street and devour a plate of maki. But, here in the rainy land of Belgium, it is hard hard hard to find maki that isn't under 8 euros for a cucumber roll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't mind paying big bucks if it makes sense...but COME ON. So, it has become tradition for K and I to head straight for any/all sushi options when ever on holiday. This trip didn't disappoint me - lots of avocado rolls and some great miso soup. And K is just about the coolest guy to sit down quietly with for lunch in the middle of a busy city.

I admit to having zero new recipes of at-home recipes to share.....due to this unrelenting tummy ache that seems to come and go. But - I have a whole weekend ahead of me and I have plans to use my newest cookbook......VEGAN CUPCAKES TAKE OVER THE WORLD! Can't wait.

Baby's Babbaganoush

I have had one of those weeks that was filled with productive and interesting moments. I felt exhuasted on Friday night as I climbed into bed, but I felt fuzzy and good about all the energy that came out of my classroom this week. Just one week with them reminds me of what a good decision it was (for me) to leave behind post secondary teaching to work with kids. They are amazing.

Vegan Kid Moment -
One of my kidlets, who was with me last year, had his birthday yesterday. His mom made this totally decadent chocolate cake, which the entire class wolfed down in about two seconds. Great. But! The little dude came up to me and said "hey ms. Kirkham, since you can't have the cake, I brought you this vegan chocolate bar". It was HIS birthday and he is bring ME vegan treats??? Crazy.

So, back to the title of this post. Last weekend, while shopping for a new hand mixer, I found a silly little treat that I just had to pick up. It went against all of my Feminist fortitude to pick up a PINK movie from the 'chick flick' section of Media Markt (come ON! - the jacket was actually pink as were all the others in that section), but it was...get ready....Dirty Dancing. I hope I am not the only vegan blogger out there who spent many an evening way back in the eighties lusting over 'Johnny' and feeling 'Baby''s pain as she struggled with the eternal daddy-daughter delima??

I decided to take advantage of K's two day trip to the coast as a chance to have a whole bunch of women over on Thursday night to help me enjoy the dramatic stylings of Patrick and Jennifer. It was quite hilarious - one of my friends showed up in cutoffs and tennis shoes, carrying a watermelon (which, if you saw the movie, makes sense).

I concocted a little dip for the get together, which I served with crisp bread, wasabi peas and some whole wheat pita. The dip was just so delicious I have been snacking on it ever since the ladies went home. So sorry for the dark photo.

Baby's Babbaganoush Dip

-2 eggplants
-1 can of chickpeas
-4 tbsp of tahini
-2 tsp of olive oil
-cumin seeds to taste
Assembling this little dip was super easy. I baked the eggplant the evening before, and put it all in a mixing bowl and hour before everyone arrived, turned on my new super duper mixer and tahhhh dahhhh....a great dip.


Friday afternoon, for lunch, I had a simple little salad with some great avocado and OF course, the dirty dancing watermelon, covered with fig infused balsamic vinegar made a super desert.



Tonight, for dinner, we just had something quick and simple, and fridge emptying - resulting in a couple of different flavours that wouldn't make it on any Top Chef's table, but, for us, worked just fine. The polenta covered butterfly tofu 'chops' had a smokey paprika flavour to them, while the mini-stir fry had a nice mushroom and sesame flavour....we know, we know - not the first combo of flavours that you would find paired together. But, never mind the flavours - don't you just LOVE using cookie cuters to make your tofu fun and cute shapes???



We are just in the throws of planning our next weekend trip to Paris...one thing for sure - MAKI!!! I love Maki in Paris. Any recommendations for a vegan weekend in Paris?

Wishing everyone a wonderful week at school, work, holiday.....may whatever you do be happy and fun.

Look at the Elephant in the Room!

First off...meet my new lunch box!!! Isn't he fantastic???!!!

Had a busy Sunday!

While I was planning up a storm at my local cafe, K was cool enough to hit our organic/local market stands all on his own. Not only did he manage to snag everything that was on our market list, but he got me a little treat - a whole bunch of wild blueberries! I could hardly let them stain my fridge, so I got to work as soon as I could strap myself into my apron and whipped up a batch of Wild Blueberry & Whole Wheat Muffins. A couple of my team members might become vegan by the end of tomorrow's meeting when I unveil these tasty (and very colourful) lovelies. Are you loving the elephant tray I picked up on Saturday morning? I am!



I also managed to boil down about 6 cups of black beans with the hope of them keeping me well supplied in quick and tasty protein sources for the week to follow.



I was craving some root veggies last night and I had a pumpkin burger and a hazelnut burger in the fridge that needed eating so I threw together some organic carrots, an organic sweet potato and garlic cloves before closing them up in the 400 degree oven for about 2 hours. To this I added some farm fresh/local corn cobs (the rest I enjoyed with some black beans for lunch today). I have to say, even with my childhood exposure to the succulence of Ontario peaches and cream corn, - this was amazingly tasty corn! Yummmy!


I also put together a dish for tomorrow night's dinner - eggplant, sesame paste and chickpeas. Ready for a tomorrow night reheat.

Wishing everyone a great day full of veggies and sunshine!

Wrap Me Up in the Tastes of Autumn

While we were in Italy, I picked up a bag of red and wheat coloured Organic Kamut Flakes. The bag has been taunting me from behind the cupboard door since I got home and unpacked my bags. Tonight, I took it on, and I think I gave it a pretty fair run for its money. I was totally impressed with this off the cuff meal. It wins for flavour, presentation and healthy ingredients. By far my favourite goodness of August. Sadly, the end of August in Belgium also means the beginning of Autumn, hence a recipe filled with the warmth supplying foods of squash, dried fruit and wheat - I have worn a sweater and a jacket to every day of week this week.

Wrapped Up Kamut, Squash and Adzuki Beans

Ingredients
1 can of adzuki beans - rinsed
1 small pumpkin - washed, peeled, cored and diced
1 1/2 cups of Kamut Flakes (but you could use any grain, pulse)
1/2 yellow onion - diced
1/2 cup of raisins
1 small red pepper - diced
2 cloves of garlic - peeled, diced
1 medium sized zucchini
cumin seeds
mustard seeds


I started tonight's festival of fall flavours by cutting up my squash into cm squares and adding them to a pot of boiling water. I let the little squares simmer for about 15 minutes, while I sliced the zucchini and threw it under the grill for 10 minutes, with a washed red pepper (for the Red Pepper Sauce). I set to dicing my onion and garlic, adding them to my favourite green cast iron pan. I gave the onion and garlic five minutes on their own and then added the cumin and mustard seeds. Next, after dicing the second pepper quite tiny I added it to the pan, with a little bit of water. When my squash was finished, I drained it and threw it in with the onion party. I set my Kamut water boiling at this point - it only needed 6 minutes of boil. It was also at this point that I cracked the can on the adzuki beans, gave them a drain and added them to the crock pot. I pulled the zucchini strips out of the oven, and let them cool. I drained the Kamut, gazed at the pretty pink and wheat colours, and plated them where they acted like a base for the squash component of the dish. I pulled the zucchini strips tight around the kamut, making a bowl for the rest of the ingredients. Once I had blitzed all of the red pepper sauce ingredients I added it and some cilantro to top it off.

Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients
1 small red pepper - roasted, and seeds taken out
1 tbsp of flax seed oil
1 tbsp of fig infused balsamic vinegar

It was a great meal!!! I could have happily eaten it all night.

The last two days of work have been remarkable. I am so happy to be back at work and be working with some of my very favourite people. The small team of teachers who work in my grade alongside me are wonderful, and the woman who has moved into the room across the hall from me is dynamite! It was great seeing all of the kids from last year, but a little depressing to see that almost every one of them has surpassed my last notch on my height chart. Argh.