I filled my car up with gas today. 

Shut the front door!  I can't believe the price of gas. 

Well, actually, I can't believe the price of most things these days. 

At the risk of sounding like my parents, I remember when I could ride the ferry for a dime.  Yes, a dime.  And I remember walking down to the 7-Eleven with my mom's 5 dollar bill in hand to buy milk, coffee cream, a bag of potato chips and some licorice.  I also remember walking to school in snow up to my waist.  In the middle of a snowstorm.  Five miles.  Both ways.  All uphill.  Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

Gas, food, clothes.  Everything costs more these days.  

Especially food. 

And it's a challenge.  Eating healthy on a tight budget. 

A definite challenge. 

But, you know, my health and the health of my family is one thing I am not willing to sacrifice.  Certainly, healthy food can be expensive.  Raw nuts and seeds, soy milk, organic anything.  And a lot of the time these cost more than their less-than-healthy counterparts.

But healthy food can also be cheap.  Take lentils, for instance.  A bag of organic red lentils costs a couple of bucks.  Throw them in a pot with some water, a few veggies and some herbs.  A couple of hours later, you have a healthy dinner.  And the pennies you've saved can be spent on something else, like gas or a new pair of shoes. 

In this house, they are more likely to be spent on a bag of hemp seeds or a bottle of coconut oil.   In these days of increasing costs and tighter budgets, we all have choices to make.  I've chosen health. 

Oh, and I also have a soft spot for Harry Potter t-shirts... 
   
Red Lentil Soup
Serves 4

1 cup red lentils
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 ½ cups water
¼ teaspoon basil
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Put everything except the vinegar in a large pot.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 ½ hours.  Remove the bay leaf and add the vinegar.  Adjust the seasoning and serve.  

It never fails. 

My kids could be absorbed for hours in one of their little games that only they can understand. 

They could be quietly reading or drawing in their rooms.

They could be recreating the battle of Hogwarts in the upstairs hallway.  

One minute you could hear a pin drop in the house. 

And then I start making supper.  Suddenly you wouldn't be able to hear an elephant stomping through the living room.

Cate is screeching at the top of her lungs. 

The cat comes tearing down the stairs, knocking over a lamp.   

(I turn the stereo up.)

“You are the most worst-est sister in the whole entire worldly universe!”  Not the best English in the world, but effective. 

“I never ever ever never never want to play with you again.”  Apparently using multiple nevers and evers gets her point across more effectively. 

A door slams. 

(I turn the stereo up a little bit more.)

“Fine with me!”

Another door slams.   

Two minutes later. 

“Mommy, Finn won't play with me.”

(I crank the music. )

Two minutes later. 

“Mommy, I know this toy has been broken for three months now, but you need to fix it right this very minute or my life will be over.”

“Mommy, I was giving my Squinkies a bath in my room and I accidentally on purpose dumped a whole bucket of water all over my carpet.” 

Yes, accidentally on purpose.  Seriously not really. 

Sigh.    

It never fails. 

Now you know why I am a fan of quick, easy meals.  Otherwise, we simply wouldn't eat in this house. 

This pizza crust is super fast and super easy.  No yeast.  No kneading.  No kidding around.  I admit that it can be a bit tricky to spread out in the pizza pan, but wet your fingers and keep at it.  It will be worth it.  Top it with your favourite pizza sauce, veggies and cheese.  In 20 minutes, supper will be in the oven.  And then you will be free to – well, I don't know, put the door back on its hinges, fix the lamp, find the cat... 

Pizza Crust
Serves 4

1 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
¼ cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon agave or honey
½ cup soy milk
1 tablespoon olive oil

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, xanthan gum and sea salt in a bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the flax seeds and water.  Set aside for a minute or until the mixture thickens slightly.  Add the agave, soy milk and olive oil to the thickened flax seed mixture.  Stir well and then add to the dry ingredients.  Mix well.  Flatten the dough onto a non-stick pizza pan until it is evenly spread out.  Top with your favourite pizza sauce, vegetables and cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until the crust is brown and crisp and the sauce is heated through.  

Note to self.  Chili does not photograph well.  

It doesn't matter how delicious said bowl of chili is.  

It doesn't even matter if you stick it in a cute bowl and put a flax cracker in it.  

No, chili does not photograph well.  

Okay, now that that's out of the way, this is one of my family's favourite meals.  My kids, though, are not the adventurous type when it comes to spicy, so it's a pretty mild chili.  If you like more heat, add another tablespoon of chili powder.  Or you can add a teaspoon or two of hot sauce when you add the edamame.   

Three Bean Chili
Serves 8

1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
pinch cloves
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 can (28 ounce) diced tomatoes
1 can (5.5 ounce) tomato paste
1 can (14 ounce/398 ml) coconut milk
1 can (19 ounce) black beans
1 can (19 ounce) kidney beans
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed

Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, celery and red pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the chili powder, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cocoa powder.  Continue to cook for another minute.  Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, coconut milk and beans.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the  vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.  Add the edamame and cook another 5 minutes to heat through.    

It's 2:30 and the kids have already decorated the cat with stickers, decapitated all the My Little Pony's and clogged the upstairs toilet by trying to flush Beach Time Barbie.  Apparently she wanted to go for a swim in the ocean.

And you know what the worst part is?  I only picked them up from the bus stop at 2:13. 

If these two can wreak this much havoc in 17 minutes, imagine what they can do before bedtime.  Unfortunately, I can't lock myself in the bathroom like I usually do.  I haven't yet fished Barbie out of the toilet and the floor in the upstairs bathroom is covered in water.  And the cat threw up in the downstairs bathroom not just once, but three times. 

Brilliant. 

So what's a girl to do?

Well, the next best thing to my bathroom refuge is a big bowl full of chocolate.  And I don't mean an hour from now.  I mean right now.  This pudding takes minutes to whip up and you can eat it straight from the bowl of the food processor.   If you are so inclined, that is. 

I, of course, would never do such a thing. 

Today I think I'll share the pudding with my kids.  It might just give me enough time to clean the kitty deposits off the floor. 

And then I can lock myself in the bathroom until supper time.
 

Chocolate Pudding
Serves 4

12.3 ounces silken tofu (extra firm)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons maple syrup
pinch sea salt

Pop everything into your food processor and blend until smooth.  Serve immediately or place in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up.  

“Whose house was that?  Papa Smurf's?” 

My daughter's reaction as she watches me slice mushrooms. 

Brilliant. 

Perhaps that's the reason why my kids hate mushrooms.  They think I've gone and left some poor little Smurf homeless or something.

I believe Smurfs live in Belgium, though, so I really don't think I have anything to worry about.

I usually use button mushrooms for this soup because, well, they are easier to find around here, but cremini would work just as well.  And I use a red miso made from brown rice, but a milder white miso would also work.  Whichever miso you use, make sure it's gluten-free.  Not all of them are.  Oh, one more thing, don't boil the soup after you add the miso or you'll destroy all those lovely little buggies in there. 

By the way, I'm referring to the bacteria in the miso, not the Smurfs that used to live in the mushrooms...   

Miso Mushroom Soup
Serves 6

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
4 cups water
¼ cup miso

Melt the coconut oil in a large pot.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms break down and start to release that weird brown liquid.  Add the salt, pepper, walnuts and water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the mushrooms and walnuts are soft, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and puree with a hand-held blender until smooth.  Or pour into a food processor or blend, process until smooth and return to the pot.  Allow the soup to cool slightly.  In a small bowl, dissolve the miso in a ¼ cup of water.  Stir the miso into the soup, adjust seasoning and serve.   

For some reason, Jeff thinks it's funny when I try to recreate decidedly non-vegan things.  I didn't hear him complain, though, when I made that tempeh bacon.  And I say what's life without macaroni and cheese?  Some days you just need to ditch the vegetables and greens and sit down with a big starchy bowl of cheesy goodness. 

Now, I know there are many a macaroni and cheese recipe out there.  Most have nut-based sauces, and some throw a little squash or pumpkin into the mix.  Yummy, yes, but they don't take me back to my childhood macaroni and cheese. 

Growing up, my mom made the best macaroni and cheese.  And when I would join her in the kitchen to help, we didn't have a cookbook in front of us... she made it so often, she knew the recipe by heart.  And that's how she passed it down to me.

So this is essentially my mom's macaroni and cheese with a vegan and gluten-free twist.  I don't know if she would have liked it as much as hers, but I do know that it reminds me of her when I eat it.  And I do know that my kids beg me to make if for dinner, just as my brother and I used to beg her. 

Just a little word on cheese.  I use Daiya.  It's gluten-free, vegan, melts like cheese and, most importantly, doesn't taste like cardboard.  If you want to use a brand of cheese other than Daiya, I can't guarantee the results, but you'll need about 4 cups.     


Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 8 to 10

16 ounces gluten-free pasta
3 tablespoons coconut oil or vegan margarine
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups soy milk
1 bag of Daiya cheddar style shreds
1 bag of Daiya mozzarella style shreds
½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  While the pasta is cooking, melt the coconut oil or margarine in a small pot over medium heat.  Stir in the nutritional yeast and pepper.  Add the milk and continue to cook until the milk is heated, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Do not boil.  When the milk is heated, stir in the cheese.  Continue cooking until the cheese is almost melted, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the pasta is cooked, drain and transfer to a 9x13 inch casserole dish.  Add the cheese sauce, stirring well.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, and then lick the pot.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until bubbly around the edges.    

Follow @kindcookie

I think we all know by now that I love to juice.  And while I love to experiment with different combinations of greens, herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits, truth be told that, more often than not, I simply juice whatever is about to rot in the bottom of the fridge.  I know, the juicing police would probably faint in horror.  But, hey, I'm a mom on a budget and you do what you got to do. 

So here's one such juice.  For some reason, I always have these five things in my fridge.  Why?  Seriously, no idea. 

This juice is a great one for those who are still a little green juice shy.  And it looks like orange juice, so you just might be able to trick a couple of people in your family into drinking it.  Not that I would ever do such a thing, mind you. 

And it's great on a day when you just want a refreshing drink or a quick pick-me-up instead of that second (or third... or fourth) cup of coffee.    

Not Entirely Orange Juice
Serves 1

1-inch piece of ginger
4 carrots
1 pear
2 apples
1 orange

Juice the ginger and the carrots first.  Follow with the apples and pear.  Finish with the orange.  Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Robins on the front lawn. 

A fly on the window outside. 

The last box delivered from our winter CSA. 

Sure signs that spring is on its way. 

The turnips, parsnips and winter squashes will soon be replaced with beans, peas, zucchini and asparagus. 

Soon we will be planting seedlings and harvesting vegetables from our own garden.

But today, it's still winter.  And I have root vegetables on my mind.  And curry.    

I love spring. 

But I love winter too. 


Curried Root Vegetable Stew
Serves 6

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
2 parsnips, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 cups water
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 medium turnip, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch
2 teaspoons agave or honey
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the curry powder and stir for 30 seconds.  Add the carrots, parsnips and water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the potatoes and turnip and simmer for another 20 minutes.  In a small bowl, combine the arrowroot powder and about ¼ cup of the liquid from the pot.  Stir until the arrowroot powder is completely dissolved.  Add it to the pot, along with the agave, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking until the vegetables are soft and the stew has thickened, about 5 minutes.  

I love pancakes. 

I also love Pancake Day.  What?  I can eat breakfast for supper?  I'm so there! 

I mean, when else is eating only cake for supper socially acceptable? 

And not only cake, but cake drenched in maple syrup.  Oh, yeah. 

And some blueberries perhaps?  Yes, please. 

Chocolate Chips?  Why not?  

I'm getting hungry. 

You know what else I love about Pancake Day?  Leftover pancakes.  Excuse me...

Blueberry Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Makes about 12 pancakes

1 cup sorghum flour
¼ cup teff flour
¼ cup tapioca flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 ¼ cups non-dairy milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup gluten-free, vegan chocolate chips
¾ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and ground flax seeds.    In a separate bowl, whisk together the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar.  Set aside for a minute or two, until the milk curdles.  Add the maple syrup and vanilla and whisk briefly to combine.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until blended.  Fold in the chocolate chips and blueberries.  Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat.  Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop batter into the pan.  Cook until the pancakes are dry around the edges.  Flip and continue cooking until golden brown.

Okay, so let's be honest here.  I had four pounds of beets in my fridge and I really wanted to make something red for Valentine's Day.  But not just any old red thing.  I wanted to make red velvet cupcakes.  And not just any old red velvet cupcakes, but cupcakes without all that horrible artificial red food colouring.  I wanted to make cupcakes coloured with beets. 

So into the kitchen I went to experiment. 

Into the oven went gorgeous ruby red cupcakes. 

And out of the oven came cupcakes that more than slightly resembled the colour of baby puke. 

And you know what?  This happened not once, not twice, but three times.  And so, I gave up. 

And you know something else?  I'm happy I have three dozen cupcakes the colour of baby puke in my freezer.  No, really, I am.  Because instead of making red cupcakes, I made red soup.  And my, do I love this soup. 

I still have a pound of beets in my fridge, though.  Anyone having a baby shower?  I can give you a good deal on baby puke cupcakes...


Maple, Coconut and Beet Soup with Cashew Cream
Serves 6

2 lbs beets, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
½ cup pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon sea salt
dash freshly ground pepper
4 ½ cups water
1 cup coconut milk
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Cashew Cream

½ cup cashews (cover with warm water and soak for about 3 hours)
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon maple syrup
pinch sea salt


Preheat oven to 450°F.  Toss beets, carrots, onion and garlic with the maple syrup and season with salt and pepper.  Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until the garlic and onions are golden brown and the carrots and beets are tender, around 25-30 minutes.  While the vegetables are roasting, make the cashew cream.  Put the cashews, water, maple syrup and sea salt into a blender and process until smooth and creamy.  Scrape the vegetables, along with all the beet juice, into a large pot.  Add the water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the vegetables are completely tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and puree with a hand-held blender until smooth.  Or allow to cool slightly, pour into a food processor or blender, process until smooth and return to the pot.  Stir in the coconut milk and sea salt.  Ladle into bowls, adding a dollop of cashew cream to each serving.