Lean and Green: Vegetarian Parenting
Follow me as I learn the ins and outs of raising a vegetarian preschooler and environmentalist.

Archive for February, 2008

Just Like Mom

Friday, February 29th, 2008

Growing up, I remember the clothesline being a standard feature of our landscape. Seeing our underwear stretched across the backyard from house corner to fence post was, well, normal. At least in our neck of the back woods. Fortunately, by my teen years, my mother purchased one of the more attractive square jobies that allowed for unmentionables to be discreetly hidden by other clothing.

But by the late 80’s, clotheslines were soooo yesterday, and I was thrilled when I went to college and was able to dry my clothes like the cool people, in a dryer. It was there I learned one of the most important lessons- that towels aren’t supposed to feel like sandpaper!

And that is how I’ve been drying my clothes ever since. Until this past summer.

Having a child has really impacted the way I look at the world. I had some wonderful times as a child that my son will never be able to experience if, say, the ozone levels are so high most summer days that we have to stay inside. And what about grandchildren? Will there be any more beaches to traipse around by the time they come along? Experts say no if change isn’t made soon.

So I’m trying my best to do my part. One way was installing a clothesline last summer. I knew my neighbors would not be thrilled seeing the intimates of a middle-aged couple and their young child spread across our back lawn, so I installed a five-rope t-bar clothesline behind our deck. It pulls out when I need it and retracts when I don’t.

The dryer is the 3rd most energy-sapping appliance in the home, behind the refrigerator and washing machine. Using a clothesline for even half of the family’s laundry can mean a savings of over $60 per year. According to Project Laundry List, you will also save the atmosphere 1,016 pounds of carbon dioxide.

So here I am today- hanging laundry- just like Mom. Only this time, doing things to help out the environment is cool!

With March right around the corner, I am hopeful that I’ll be able to pull out that clothesline again soon. For now, I use a drying rack for some of our laundry… but the towels go in the dryer!

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BEST Macaroni and Cheese- Hold The Cheese!

Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

By now, I imagine many of you have seen the video footage of the abuses filmed at the slaughterhouse in southern California. It’s been covered by a number of mainstream media outlets and the USDA is finally being held accountable for at least some of what it has failed to do for many years now. If you are interested in seeing the footage, do not do so just before you sit down to dinner.

Thing is, these were dairy cows- not feedlot cattle. If dairy cows can look so diseased and malnourished, just how safe is the milk they produced in their final days?

So, I present to you perhaps the creamiest, tastiest, and safest macaroni and cheese recipe you’ve ever had. Safest because there are no dairy products in this recipe.

 

A good macaroni and cheese recipe has been REALLY difficult to come by. Vegan cheese really isn’t much of a substitute, but I was intrigued when I found this recipe in Veg News Magazine , because it was so different. What the heck?

 

Veg or not, this is a recipe you will absolutely feel good about serving to your children. It provides so many more nutrients than your standard mac and cheese does. That said, it does contain nuts, so that might leave a few people out. I would love to know, though, if leaving out the nuts would be okay. Raw cashew nuts, when blended with water, make a tasty cream. But an extra potato might do okay, too. If someone does try this, please let me know so I can tell others!

 

Baked Macaroni and “Cheese”

 

 

16 oz. macaroni
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 c. non-hydrogenated margarine
¼ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons shallots (or scallions)
1 cup red or yellow potatoes, peeled and chopped
¼ cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup onion, peeled and chopped
1-2 cups water
¼ cup raw cashews
2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon garlic, minced

In a large pot, cook pasta and drain. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, add shallots, potatoes, carrots, onion, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft.

In a blender, process the cashews, salt, garlic, 1/3 cup margarine (melted), mustard, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne. Add softened vegetables and cooking water to the blender and process until perfectly smooth.

 

Pour sauce over prepared macaroni and stir until well blended. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until “cheese” sauce is bubbling and the top has turned golden brown.

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Is That Real Meat?

Friday, February 15th, 2008

With my husband away on business for the night, it was time for one of our special Max and Mommy dinners out. Our small town is not fortunate enough to have its own vegetarian restaurant, so we ended up at a standard American fare, chain restaurant with a great salad bar and decent veggie burgers.

At three and a half, Max is showing awareness of the food on his plate and the plates of others. “Is that REAL meat?” he will often ask while we are in restaurants or at the grocery store.

He is also somewhat aware of death, as most vegetarian children probably are. Of course, there is only so much a preschooler can handle, so graphic slaughterhouse details become, “The cow gets a boo-boo and then dies.” Not a lot of information, but enough that he feels the need to cross off all the meat offerings on his kids’ menu whenever we eat out.

I think this is where things will get tricky for me. For now, Max believes his friends eat meat because, as I explain, they “do not know they are eating animals”. True, right? Maybe I was especially naïve, but I lived most of my childhood oblivious to the fact that the chicken on my plate was related to the chicken I saw that day at the petting farm. But it’s more difficult to explain the eating habits of grown-ups.

I know that I do not want my son growing up making the end-all judgments of what people are eating for lunch. Gosh, how annoying would that be? There are so many incredible people in this world- some of whom I am lucky enough to call “friends”- and many of them eat meat. It’s the way it is, for now at least.

But how do I explain to a young brain how it is that some grown-ups don’t know what they are eating? Aren’t grown-ups supposed to know stuff like that? Hmmm…for now I am stumped, but I hope to hear from others who have been down this road already.

Until then, I will take my queues from Max, who seems to have things under control. He is saving the animals by crossing them off his menu.

Posted in Vegetarian Preschooler | 1 Comment »

Comfort Food For Frigid Families

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

And of course, by “frigid”, I mean COLD. REALLY COLD.

While there’s still time to indulge in a warm, not-so-light, full-of-taste kind of meal, I present to you the vegan “chicken pot pie”. This is actually a derivative of a pot pie recipe I found in a magazine. I like the challenge of veganizing a recipe. Sometimes the results are not so great, but rest assured that this recipe was one of the successes.

Everyone who has tried this pot pie has really liked it, even my non-veg friends, and especially my little guy. The chicken-flavored seitan is not a necessity; I keep it in to satisfy my part-time carnivore husband.

I make my own crust, but there are a number of yummy pre-made crusts out there. I even hear there are vegan frozen crusts!

So, on this blustery and frigid February evening, I wish you warmth… and lots of comfort!

Old-Fashioned “Chicken” Pot Pie

6 tablespoons non-dairy margarine (Earth Balance)
½ cup onion, chopped
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
3 cups vegetable broth
1 16 oz. pkg. chicken-flavored seitan, cubed
2 cups potatoes, cooked, cubed
10 oz. package frozen peas and carrots, thawed and drained
Double-pie pastry

Heat margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onion until tender and golden. Blend in flour, salt and pepper; add broth and whisk well. Cook until thick and bubbly; add remaining ingredients except pastry. Place into pie shell and cover with remaining pie shell. Cut steam vent into center. Set plate on baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees, 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is golden.

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Seeing the Sites of Medfield

Saturday, February 9th, 2008

We all have them. Those days when we just feel like tearing our hair out. No matter what you ask your child to do, he will do the opposite. “Can you please put on your shoes?” you ask as he runs down the hall in the opposite direction. “Please don’t throw that baseball in the house,” you say, as you hear CRASH! and wonder exactly what it is you’ll be sweeping up this time.

But then there are those days that go…well, pretty perfectly. Today was one of those days. I needed to pick up a book at the Medfield Public Library. The town is a bit of a hike for us, so we made a little day of it.

For anyone looking for a library with a great children’s section, Medfield is probably near the top of the list. The room is large, bright, and there are some really neat children’s toys, a kitchen, train table, and a great selection of books. There’s even an elevator. For young children just learning about elevators… ‘nough said!

After the library, we drove a little further east on Rte. 109 to stop at one of my favorite lunch (and breakfast) places- the Blue Moon Bagel Café. Max had some fabulous eggplant and tomato soup, while I gorged on a black bean burger. I was tempted to try one of their vegan desserts, but we were both pretty filled up. (Another reason to go back!) How great that they also now have Tofutti cream cheese mixes for their bagels. Yum!

After lunch we headed back and on the way I pointed out the Peak House. It’s a tiny, wood-shingled home that is one of the originals- built in the 1600’s- and a survivor of the King Philip’s War, which left half of the homes in town burned to the ground. How much public land we’d still have today if we were able to live in homes like that…and how much cheaper our oil bills!

It was a clear day and Max was smiling, so I figured we could make one final stop- at the town cemetery.

I know, EEEEWWWW!!! What are you doing stopping at a cemetery??

Actually, cemeteries are pretty terrific. Think about it…they’re peaceful- not too many people chatting there- and the history is amazing! I like to see how long people lived and create stories about their lives, and their deaths. I also find it interesting that so many people lived to a ripe old age, even before aerobics classes and bottled vitamins. Imagine that!

As expected, my son fell asleep right away tonight. Not a headstone in sight right now, but still peaceful. Ahhhh… the perfect ending to the perfect day.

Posted in Vegetarian Preschooler | 1 Comment »

Dairy Allergies

Thursday, February 7th, 2008

Many thanks to the mom who wrote in to say she was looking forward to my blog because her children have dairy allergies, so much of their diet is composed of vegetarian dishes. I hope to hear from many more parents out there, vegetarian or not.

As a former teacher and now mom to a preschooler, I know that allergies are prevalent among children today. The reasons theorized for these allergies are almost as prevalent- from the chemicals and preservatives in our foods, to gmo’s, to pesticides, to even air pollution. As a child, I could not eat anything with wheat flour- which was included in nearly every food back then. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones who grew out of my allergy.

But I’d like to focus on dairy allergies, since dairy consumption is a topic of which I’ve learned a great deal over the past couple years.

Although we’ve been told otherwise for the past sixty or so years, human babies were not meant to drink cow’s milk. We were not meant to drink the milk of another species any more than a zebra is meant to drink cat’s milk.

As babies, we have an enzyme in our bodies called lactase, which is responsible for breaking down the lactose in our mother’s milk. By the age of 5 or 6, many of us lose this enzyme- because children are meant to be weaned by that time. Humans are the only members of the animal kingdom who continue to drink milk after infancy, and this is why we begin to see many of our children develop lactose intolerance.

Calcium is really important, and cow’s milk is a source of it, but it is not the only source. In fact, it is not a very good source because milk contains the wrong kinds of fats for healthy development. Better sources include broccoli, collards, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, legumes, and calcium-fortified soy or rice beverages, orange juice, and cereals.

For more information about this topic, visit one of my favorite sites for nutrition information- the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine .

And stay tuned for some fantastic recipes that will include non-dairy milks!

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Sneaky Momma

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008

My son is generally good about eating his veggies. Thank goodness, because these make up a large part of his diet. But although I can serve him peas, cauliflower, and broccoli with no troubles, he is not crazy about other nutrient-rich veggies like carrots and butternut squash.
Enter Jessica Seinfeld. Her book, Deceptively Delicious , has sold millions of copies and is now in its third printing. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a last name that is associated with TV history, and connections like, oh….OPRAH! I glanced through the book while visiting my sister-in-law, and though it is loaded with meaty recipes, I was still able to come away with a couple meal ideas that have worked really well in our home.
The idea behind Seinfeld’s book is that it can be easy to get your kids to eat veggies…you just have to be a little sneaky about it. I know, we’re not supposed to lie to our children. But hey, how many of us grew up eating “baby trees” and “baby cabbage”? Had we known it was really broccoli and Brussels sprouts we were chowing down, might those side dishes have ended up under the table, somewhere in the vicinity of the family dog?
The only caveat to this book, and Seinfeld does mention this, is that you need to do a little planning. Puree some squash, or other veggie, ahead of time and store some in the freezer so it’s ready when you need it.

So the two recipes that have worked for us fabulously, and I apologize that they are not REALLY recipes, are for Black Bean Quesadillas and Pasta with Spaghetteeo Sauce.

The quesadillas are easy. You smoosh some cooked or canned black beans in a bowl, then mix in a little pureed butternut squash. Pour a little extra virgin olive oil in a warm skillet (medium-low heat), followed by a small flour tortilla. On top of one half of the tortilla, add the bean-squash mix, then avocado, onion, tomatoes, and (vegan) cheese. Allow the tortilla to brown slightly on the bottom, then flip the empty side of the tortilla over the full side. Cook for a few more seconds, flip the whole quesadilla, and cook again for a few more seconds. Voila! A Spanish-inspired delicacy that your kids should love and you will love seeing them eat.

The pasta is great because it’s really quick! My son really likes when I use alphabet pasta, which I boil and then drain. In a food processor or blender, mix tomato sauce with chopped carrots, pureed squash, and (optional) raw cashew nuts. Blend till smooth, then mix into or pour over the prepared pasta. My three-year old son ate two bowls!

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Posted in Recipes, Vegetarian Preschooler | 2 Comments »