Veggie Teens

Vegetarian School Lunches: Egg Salad

Here's my second post in this series of great vegetarian school lunches based on recipes from the new edition of Veggie Teens Cookbook: A Cookbook and Guide for Teenage Vegetarians.

Egg salad is great for both breakfast and lunch! Try it on bread or salad with your favorite fixings.  

Recipe: Egg Salad 

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients

4 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon minced onions
1 tablespoon of dill pickles, finely diced
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1. Finely chop the hard boiled eggs and put in a bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mash together with the back of a fork.
3. Serve on bread or toast with lettuce and tomato or on a salad.

Vegetarian School Lunches: Desert Dip Wrap and Fruit Kabobs

Back-to-school time! Here's my first post in this series of great vegetarian school lunches based on recipes from the new edition of Veggie Teens Cookbook: A Cookbook and Guide for Teenage Vegetarians.

Our Desert Dip is a great appetizer, snack, or wrap that is perfect for a vegetarian school lunch. Serve with Fresh Fruit Kabobs for dessert. 

Recipe: Desert Dip Wraps 

Makes 12 wraps or 12 servings of dip 

Ingredients

15 ounces black beans, canned, drained and rinsed
15 ounces white corn, drained
2 tomatoes, whole, chopped
1 small can of sliced black olives
½ red onion, diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Wraps

Lard-free flour tortillas 
Shredded or leaf lettuce
Shredded cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients.
2. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving if possible.
3. Assemble wraps and pack for lunch, or pack each of the wrap ingredients separately and assemble at school. 

Recipe: Fresh Fruit Kabobs  

Ingredients

Bite sized chunks of fruit in season:

• Apples - red, yellow, or green 
• Bananas - cut in one-inch chunks
• Berries - strawberries or blueberries
• Grapes - seedless 
• Kiwi - peeled and cut into wedges or slices
• Melon - chunks or balls (see Veggie Teens Cookbook Culinary Techniques for how to make melon balls)
• Nectarines - sliced and cubed
• Oranges - peeled and segmented
• Peaches - sliced and cubed
• Pineapple – fresh or canned

Directions

1. If using apples or bananas, sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning.
2. Thread fruit on to wooden skewers.

Meatless Monday: Veggie Fajitas with Spanish Quinoa

Ingredients

For the Fajitas:

1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp crushed red pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1/2 tbsp granulated garlic
1 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into slices
1 1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into slices
1 red onion, cut in half then sliced
1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can refried black beans
Flour and/or corn tortillas
Optional: Salsa, gaucamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, lettuce

For the Spanish Quinoa:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp soy sauce
2 cups quinoa, rinsed per package directions
1 (8 oz.) can of unsalted tomato sauce
1 (14 oz.) can vegetable broth
Optional: minced cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. 
   Combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, and granulated garlic in a gallon zip lock bag.
2. Add the sliced fajita veggies, shake well, and place in refrigerator while making the quinoa.
3. In a large pan with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat, then sauté the chopped onions and peppers for the quinoa for 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and serrano pepper and continue sautéing for 2 minutes.
5. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and soy sauce. Stir for 1 minute.
6. Add the quinoa and stir continuously for 4 minutes. 
7. Add the tomato sauce and broth. Stir until it reaches a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover for 15 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes
9. While the quinoa is sitting, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat, add fajita veggies, a splash of marinade, and sauté until vegetables are tender.
10. Fluff the quinoa with a fork; add salt to taste.
11. Assemble the fajitas. Fill tortillas with the veggies, beans, and your choice of salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cheese, or lettuce.
12. Serve with the quinoa on the side or add it to your fajitas.

Baby Chick Deviled Eggs for Spring!

Although I love decorating cupcakes, for spring this year, I decorated deviled eggs instead!

First, hard boil eggs according to the Culinary Technique posted yesterday, found on page 25 of Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Teenage Vegetarians. Once they are cool, cut off the top one-third using a small paring knife in a zig-zag pattern. Remove the yolk and make deviled eggs using the recipe on page 26 or follow your favorite recipe. Cover a platter with shredded lettuce to create a nest. Generously fill the bottom of each egg with the mixture and set the tops back on. Cut a thin slice of carrot into a triangle for the nose and use bits of black olives for the eyes.

Cute, right? These are perfect for Easter brunch and a great way to use up all of those colored Easter eggs!

How to Make Ratatouille

Remember the Disney movie Ratatouille, about the rat Remy who wants to become a French chef? Ratatouille is actually a simple, traditional French dish of stewed vegetables. I learned to make it at a cooking class in Paris when our family (three generations!) spent two weeks in Europe this spring to celebrate my brother's college graduation.

This recipe calls for "finely diced" vegetables. What does finely diced mean? Use a sharp knife to slice the vegetables lengthwise 1/4 inch thick, then crosswise into 1/4 inch cubes. I always cut a thin slice off first then lay the vegetable on the flat side. It is a lot easier (and safer!) to cut this way because it doesn't roll. (I put links to more "How to's" in the recipe below.)

This recipe also calls for de-seeded tomatoes. How do you de-seed a tomato? Roma tomatoes are easiest to use for this because you can cut the flesh away from the seeds in the middle. Slice off the top and bottom and lay the tomato on its side. Holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice into the tomato and cut the flesh away from the seeds as you roll the tomato.

Basic Ratatouille recipe

Ingredients

1 eggplant, finely diced
2 zucchini, finely diced
2 yellow peppers, finely diced
6 tomatoes, seeded, and diced
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Basil leaves, chiffonade
Salt to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil and sauté onions, peppers, and eggplant.
2. Season with salt and pepper, continue cooking for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
5. Add basil to taste. (Learn how to chiffonade basil)
6. Serve hot or at room temperature.
7. Great as a side dish or served over pasta lightly tossed with olive oil.

Homemade Healthy Granola

Our family spent a week in London and a week in Paris and the food was great (watch for upcoming posts!). The only foods we really missed were Mexican food and our homemade granola. We make this granola every few weeks to keep it on hand for breakfasts and occasional snacks.

Unless you're baking, don't be afraid to tweak recipes you find in magazines, newspapers, online and in cooking shows to fit your preferences, use what you have on hand, or make them a little healthier. The recipe below is a modified version of Ellie Krieger's Nutty Granola recipe. 

This healthy granola is nutrient rich, full of whole grains, unsaturated fats from the nuts, high in fiber, and a small dose of dried fruit for energy. The ground flax seed adds a little extra Omega 3 fatty acids (walnuts are also high in Omega 3). By the way, your flax seed needs to be ground to release these healthy fats! We don't add any additional fat so it is healthier than store-bought - and tastes WAY better! Make a batch on Sunday and you'll have healthy granola to sprinkle on yogurt and fruit for a delicious, nutritious way to start your days all week!

Homemade Healthy Granola Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of raw chopped nuts and seeds (a combination of three types of 1/2 cup each works well, such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc.)
3 cups of old fashioned oats (not instant; steel cut doesn’t work as well either)
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, berries, etc.)
2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, chopped nuts, seeds, maple syrup, dried fruit, ground flax seed, and salt.
3. Mix well then pour out onto baking sheets and spread into a thin layer for even baking.
4. Bake for 30 minutes (until golden brown), stirring every 10 minutes.
5. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Save the Arctic Cupcakes

Arctic Ocean Cupcake Diorama

This cupcake diorama features all my favorite arctic animals. It was a huge project - you might want to try making just one animal at a time instead!

Walrus looking for his mate

 

Penguins fishing in an ice hole

 

Polar bear lounging in the sun

 

Humpback whales frolicking in the waves

Harp seal playing on the ice

Look out!

 

 

 

Rosemary Focaccia with Red Onion and Olives

This is an easy recipe that is great as an appetizer or with soup or beans. Experiment with other toppings too. For more vegetarian recipes, check out Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen).

Rosemary Focaccia with Red Onion and Olives

Ingredients

1 tube of refrigerated pizza crust
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup green or black olives, sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, removed from stems and chopped (see How to Strip the Leaves from Fresh Rosemary below)
Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

1. Unroll pizza crust on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
2. Poke crust all over with your fingers to make shallow dimples.
3. Brush with olive oil.
4. Top with olives and red onion.
5. Sprinkle with chopped rosemary then salt to taste.
6. Bake according to packaged directions until crust is golden.

Culinary Technique:

How to Strip the Leaves from Fresh Rosemary

Pinch the top of the rosemary stem with one hand and run the fingers of your other hand from top to bottom, pulling the leaves off the woody stem. Use whole leaves or coarsely chop.

Monster Cupcakes

Happy Halloween!

Make Your Own Halloween Treats

For more Kids Cook Monday and vegetarian recipes, check out Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Vegetarian Teenagers by Elyse May (aka Veggie Teen).

These Halloween Treats are unique and fun to make - AND they are crunchy and taste great!

They're meringue cookies made with egg whites so they are for ovo-vegetarians. The recipe also calls for mini-chocolate chips so if you don't do dairy, leave them out or buy chocolate chips that don't have "milk" or "milk fat" on the ingredient label.

To get these cool halloween colors, look for "neon" food coloring. If you don't want to use food coloring, leave them white and make ghosts with chocolate chips for eyes.

You'll find the recipe on page 100 of your Veggie Teens Cookbook or download the complete recipe for these Halloween Treats (aka Meringue Cloud Cookies) from the link below.

Download www.VeggieTeensCookbook.com_Halloween_Cookies.pdf