If babies aren't your thing...

Here's for those of you who didn't find my baby stew that appetizing!

 

Cajun Night!

 

Chickpea Jambalaya
Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

- 2 large yellow onions, chopped

- 1 green pepper, chopped

- 2 celery stalks, chopped

- 2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp chili powder

- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed

- 2 bay leaves

- 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

- 3 cups uncooked white rice

- 6 cups water

- 4 green onions, sliced

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a stockpot. Add in onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, and cayenne. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring often, until veggies are a deep golden brown.

2. Add in chickpeas, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, and rice. Stir until rice is coated.

3. Add in water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat, covered, for about 30 mins until rice is soft and liquid is absorbed.

4. Remove bay leaves and stir in green onions. Serve.

5. Nom nom nom! 

Cajun Carrots

Ingredients: 

- 6 large carrots, thickly sliced

- 1 Tbsp. olive oil

- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup

- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- pinch of cayenne

- 1/4 C. chopped pecans

1. Steam or boil carrots until soft.

2. Add to remaining ingredients, mix together!

3. Nom nom nom! 

Cornbread

Ingredients: 
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 cups soymilk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350° F, line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or spray the bottom lightly with non-stick cooking spray. (I didn't, because I can't use cooking spray...and my cornbread stuck to the bottom of the pan.)
2. In a medium bowl, wisk together the soymilk and the vinegar and set aside.
3.In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt).
Add the oil and maple syrup to the soymilk mixture. Wisk with a wire wisk or a fork until it is foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix together using a large wooden spoon or a firm spatula. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Slice into squares and serve warm or store in an airtight container. 

5. Nom nom nom! 

These recipes are from http://vegandad.blogspot.com ! Wonderful inspiration. I edited them a bit, because I like spicy, and I can't have soy! 

I think the jambalaya turned out pretty good. If I were to make it again, I would probably add more vegetables to give it more... substance. Or try making some fake sausage... The recipe also made a HUGE amount of food. Enough for dinner, and two lunches after! 

 In other news, Rowan cut his first tooth today!  He doesn't really want to show it off quite yet, but it's there and it's sharp!

Vegan Babies

 

I think I need a bigger pot. 

Step 1: Get pregnant. Keep in the bun in the oven for approx. 40 weeks.
Step 2: (And this is the tricky part!) Give birth.
Step 3: Fatten up your baby, until he/she reaches around 20 lbs. (Depending on how many mouths you have to feed!)
Step 4: Place baby in large pot with assorted veggies and spices. Don't be afraid to experiment!
Step 5: Nom nom nom.

No babies were harmed in the makings of this post.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Ingredients:

-1 red pepper
-1 orange pepper
-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp basil
- 1 C. raw cashews
- 1 1/2 C. water
- 1/2 C veggie broth
- salt and pepper

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450° F. Cut peppers in half, core and seed them. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes.
Step 2: Meanwhile! Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft and translucent. (About 10 minutes)
(Also, you should probably start cooking your pasta around this time. We used rotini.)
Step 3: Meanwhile! Blend cashews and water in blender until smooth. Once your peppers are roasted (and chopped), and your onion/garlic is ready, add to blender. Add basil, broth, and blend until smooth.
Step 4: Heat in a saucepan and season to taste!
Step 5: Nom nom nom.

This sauce would also make a great alternative to regular tomato sauce on a pizza, or as a spread for grilled sandwiches!

On an unrelated note, we took Rowan to the Muttart Conservatory the other day. He was generally unenthused, but he woke up right before we left, so we got a few cute photos of him. This particular face is the precursor to the single eyebrow raise.