Joyful Vegan Family

Vegan Goodness:

Today we ate:

• Breakfast: Blueberry smoothies for Dad and LP and then lots of toast with butter for everyone as we geared up for the hurricane
  
• Mom made some muffins for a snack.  Everyone enjoyed them, especially LP who got to help!  Although he chose to make them coconut mango muffins instead of chocolate chip muffins.  Sometimes I wonder if he is my son.
• Lunch: Leftover pasta with cabbage and pasta with peanut/tempeh sauce
• Mom ate chocolate while she rocked IP for an hour or so.  Poor little baby had an off day – must be the weather!
• Dinner: Orange Spinach and Rice Pilaf
• Mom made some chocolate chip shortbread cookies to enjoy while the storm rages around us!

Money Matters:

When the governor tells you to stay home, you stay home!  No money spent.

Monday Munchies: Recipe of the Week

I have a massive list of recipes to try from Vegan Mofo.  Tonight I got to try the first one using the bunch of spinach that came with our last CSA box.  Thanks to both Cadry’s Kitchen for the inspiration and Vegan Eats and Treats for the Orange Spinach recipe!  I tweaked the spinach recipe a bit to match the amount I had, and the beans to greens ration we prefer, and then whipped up a rice pilaf.  Yum (or, “extra yum” as LP would say!)

Orange Spinach and Rice Pilaf

Ingredients: Orange Spinach

• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 cups of chickpeas
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 bunch (2/3-1 pound) of spinach, chopped and washed
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1/2 TB flour

Ingredients: Rice Pilaf

• 1 TB olive oil
• 1/4 cup onion, minced
• 2 cups long grain brown rice
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 3 cups of veggie broth (or 3 cups of water and one veggie bullion cube)

Directions:

1) Chop/mince all the veggies first.  That will make putting this together a breeze and give you plenty of downtime to either clean up the kitchen or, in my case, feed a baby before dinner.

2) Start with the pilaf: In a saucepan, heat the oil on medium heat and saute the onion for 3-5 minutes.  Then, stir in the rice, coriander, cumin and allspice and saute for 2 more minutes.  Finally, add the broth/water and bring to a boil.

3) While you are waiting for the rice to boil, start the spinach.  Heat the oil in a saute pan on medium heat.  Saute the onion for 5 minutes.

4) About this point the rice should be at a boil.  Cover and turn to low/simmer.  Set a timer for 40 minutes.

5) Go back to the saute pan and turn it up to medium-high.  Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add the cinnamon, salt, pepper and chickpeas.  Saute until the chickpeas start to brown (about 5-10 minutes)

6) Put the spinach in the pan and stir.  It might take two batches to get it all in there, but it will cook down and fit.  Stir it up and then cover and turn the heat down to medium low.  Let it cook for 5 minutes.  While it is cooking, mix the orange juice, lemon juice and flour together in a cup.

7) Take the cover off and turn the heat back up to medium.  Let it cook until most of the liquid is gone (about 5 minutes, depending on how damp the spinach was when you put it in).  Pour in the orange juice mixture, stir it up, cover and turn the heat down to low.  Let it cook at least 15 minutes, or until the rice is done.

8) When the rice is done, fluff it with a fork, put some on a plate and top with the spinach mix.  Enjoy!