Another argument I have with serious food people is that they’re always talking about how creative cooking is. ”Cooking is very creative” is how they put it. Now, there’s no question that there are a handful of people doing genuinely creative things with food–although a lot of it, if you ask me, seems to consist of heating up goat cheese or throwing strawberry vinegar onto calves’ liver or relying excessively on the kiwi. But most cooking is based on elementary, long-standing principles, and to say that cooking is creative not only misses the point of creativity–which is that it is painful and difficult & quite unrelated to whether it is possible to come up with yet another way to cook a pork chop–but also misses the whole point of cooking, which is that it is totally mindless. What I love about cooking is that after a hard day, there is something comforting about the fact that if you melt butter & add flour & then hot stock, it will get thick! It’s a sure thing! It’s sure thing in a world where nothing is sure; it has a mathematical certainty in a world where those of us who long for some kind of certainty are forced to settle for crossword puzzles.
–Nora Ephron, Heartburn, pages 132-133
I like simplicity in the kitchen (which is one of the reasons I’m a big fan of Sprouted Kitchen). It’s the one thing I know how to do with consistent results.
Our eating of late is predictable & uncomplicated, meals made up of comfort foods the kids know. They, I, need that reliability right now.
breakfast // oatmeal or smoothies with toast
lunch // sandwiches–
tofurky, lettuce & tomato,
PB&J,
or
grilled Daiya cheese
with a side of sliced apples, peaches, or melon
dinner // usually looks something like this:
late summer corn on the cob // tofu sour cream // grilled corn tortillas // black bean peasant stew
Quick & easy stew. Use as a taco filling in corn or flour tortillas.
Ingredients
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed (3 c. cooked beans)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 TBS. organic no-salt seasoning
- 1 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 c. finely chopped raw cabbage
Instructions
- On medium/high heat, saute onions in 1 TBS. water, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.
- After 2-3 minutes, add pepper.
- Saute for additional 2-3 minutes.
- Add beans & seasoning.
- Lower heat to medium & simmer for 10 minutes so beans can warm & flavors can incorporate.
- Add chopped cabbage & cook for additional 1-2 minutes.
Notes
Additional nutritional info: Per serving: 9 g protein, 27 g carbs, 11 g fiber
Tofu Sour Cream
Have you ever tried tofu sour cream?
It’s been awhile since I’ve eaten cow’s milk sour cream. I don’t remember if I liked it or ate it much in those days. But I can tell you, with certainty, tofu sour cream transforms a meal. If you’re a sour cream person (it seems most people either are for the stuff, or against), tofu sour cream is a non-dairy option that has the potential to rock your dish.
Added to a corn tortilla taco, it’s cool creaminess compliments the savory black beans. Makes the taco robust & three-dimensional.
I also can’t help myself & top it all with saracha–a little heat always makes things more interesting.
A non-dairy version of plain sour cream.
Ingredients
- 1/4 block of 14 oz. extra firm tofu (I used "lite" tofu)
- 1/4 c. cashews
- 1/4 c. water
- juice of one lemon
- 2 large pinches sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or 3 pinches evaporated cane juice
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
Instructions
- Soak cashews in water for 30 minutes or more. This step is optional. Soaking nuts makes them easier to digest, & easier to blend.
- Blend all ingredients.
- For best taste, refridgerate for 1 hour or more, before serving.
- Keeps for 2 days in fridge.
Notes
Additional Nutrition Info: Per serving: 1 g protein, 1.4 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 50 mg sodium
For dessert: Cashew Corn Squares
I was inspired by Dreena’s “nicer” rice krispie squares (she has a how-to video–you’ve got to check it out & see just how cute she is in front of the camera!).
I wanted to make her recipe as soon as I saw it (she’s kind of like, the queen of delicious vegan desserts), but on further inspection of my (mother’s) kitchen, I was sorely disapppointed. I lacked. No agar powder. No brown rice syrup. No macadamia nut butter. And most importantly, no rice cereal. (I did have vanilla & evaporated cane juice though!)
So I did what I do when in dire straits. I improvised.
I did have a box of Kix cereal. For those of you not from the U.S., this is a corn cereal, not specifically labeled gluten-free (because of possibility of cross-contamination), but there is no gluten in the ingredient list.
I did have some cashew butter & peanut butter.
I did have xanthan gum & agave.
It was sort of a great experiment, one that I was not entirely convinced would work.
But, by jove, it did!
I know it’s not kosher to brag about your own recipes (I think it destroys credibility), but I’m going to take the liberty of side-stepping that rule today to say: these treats are freakin’ awesome.
My kids gobbled them up. I gobbled them up.
After dinner & treats, we watched Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken. Joseph, I would venture, is more of the romantic in our marriage (he’s always up for watching a rom-com, it’s true) but with certain movies I’ve been known to turn into a weepy sap. I don’t know exactly what it is about this movie that gets me, but it’s moving. I cry. A subtle, sweet romance & a triumphant, inspiring story will do it for me. And this manages to be touching without being overly-sentimental (quite a feat for a horse movie).
Oh, sorry. As I was blathering, I just realized you may want the recipe for those freakin’ awesome kix treats.
Here you go.
A sweet & savory treat made from two different nut butters & corn cereal. Vegan & gluten-free (if you use certified gf corn cereal).
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. cashew butter
- 1/2 c. natural peanut butter (or additional cashew butter)
- 1 c. agave nectar
- 6 TBS. evaporated cane juice
- 1/3 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla
- 1 tsp. butter extract (optional--it's vegan)
- 8 c. Kix or natural corn puffs
Instructions
- Spray a 9" X 13" glass casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place cereal in large bowl.
- In a medium saucepan, combine agave, nut butters, sugar & salt.
- Sprinkle xantham gum over mixture, then stir to combine.
- On medium heat, stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes until the mixture dissolves & thickens into heavy syrup.
- Once syrup starts to bubble, remove from heat.
- You may want to run mixture through the blender (if mixture isn't completely uniform) for 30-60 seconds.
- Pour mixture over cereal & stir to combine. Don't be afraid to use your hands to mix.
- Press mixture into glass dish & allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Cut into 24 squares.
Notes
Additional nutrition info: 3 g protein, 25 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 117 mg sodium
Recipes submitted to Diet, Dessert, & Dogs Wellness Weekend–check it out for more vegan (& gluten-free) recipes!
♥♥♥
What movie(s) touch you? Any good tear jerkers to recommend?
What are your fave predictable, uncomplicated go-to meals?
I would love to have dinner at your house anytime…predictable and comforting is the way to go. I was never a sour cream lover, in my life with dairy, but I like the looks of yours and look forward to springing it on my omnivore husband.
I watched Dreena’s video as well…so cute, but I didn’t have the stuff and kind of wrote off the recipe for now (or until I go to the store), alas do don’t even have kix’s in the house (sad state of affairs).
I hope you are having a lovely Thursday and that the weather is enjoyable on your side of the US.
Looks great! I always love peasant foods.
can’t wait to try it out.
Oh m’gosh! That stew looks fabulous- and it’s what, 6 ingredients?! I also wish I could just reach into my computer and grab one of those corn squares. *sigh* Maybe someday.
Cute apron, by the way!
Perfect timing, Janae! I have been eye-balling Dreena’s recipe for those yummo looking Krispies, but can’t find puffed brown rice cereal around here. No agar or macademia nut butter either. But, Kix- oh yes- we can get them. I’ve never even thought of buying them before which is an oversight since they have little (no?) sugar, right? I do have the brown rice syrup but not the cane juice, so I’ll sub your sub… Can’t wait to try them. I bet the boys will have a lot of fun helping. Thanks for the idea!
Love romantic comedies too. And almost anything w/ violin strains in the background can make me sniffle. I’d love to see some good ideas for films though. We only watch the screen on Saturday nights after the kids have gone to sleep and lately it’s been back episodes of Parenthood from Netflix. Need to add a few good films to the queue.
Hope your Sunday is a peaceful one.
Dana, yes, Kix have a very simple ingredient list & hardly any sugar (I think like 2 or 3 g per serving). I think if you use brown rice syrup instead of agave you could halve the xanthan gum because brown rice syrup is thicker than agave (xanthan gum acts as a thickening agent).
I know, what is it about the violin? Gladiator & Legends of the Fall are two examples of movies where I know 1/2 the reason why I’m so emotionally moved is due to the beautiful score. I know, when Joseph is around Saturday night is often our “movie night” after the kids are in bed–if I can stay awake that long. Ironic how when Joseph is around, I’m sleepy by 8 or 9 o’clock. Now that he’s gone, I can’t sleep (even though I’m exhausted)!
Thank you, hope you have a relaxing Sunday with your family, too.
Yum, yum, and yum. All of these sound amazing. I’ve been thinking of reducing the amount of dairy our family eats (we are vegetarian), so I’d really like to try your sour cream recipe–we love mexican-inspired dishes, and usually use plain greek yogurt. I bet this would be even better.
And those corn squares? Awesome idea.
Thanks Candy. Reducing or replacing dairy in your diet is actually much easier than one might think. Especially now that so many non-dairy options abound for everything from cheese to yogurt & milk (& it’s not all soy–there are many almond, coconut, & rice based alternatives). Good for you for wanting to explore non-dairy options!
The thing I love about the corn squares is that my kids LOVED them. Usually my kids will humor me & try my recipes, most times they’ll like what I make, but they would have had seconds, thirds, fourths, if I would have let them! As a mom, I live for those moments, ya know?
I love these ideas! I make tofu ricotta a lot, bt never thought to do sour cream. Great suggestion!
Tofu ricotta, hmmm–can you believe I’ve never made before? What’s your fave recipe?
OK, this is gonna be a long comment, I can tell…just to give ya a heads up.
You won’t believe it, but this morning I was telling Paul that I wanted to make those rice crispy squares. I watched Dreena’s video yesterday, too. I didn’t have any macadamia butter so I was feeling sorry for myself — your recipe is the perfect solution! We are having a movie night with some friends tonight and I am GOING TO MAKE THESE.
And, we love Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken, BTW. Such a good movie. I remember watching it about 20 times when I was a kid. It is a tear-jerker!
A friend of mine has been asking me to help her replace the dairy in her diet. Their families’ favorite dairy item has been a sour cream dip with green chile (it’s a New Mexico thing). She asked me about using tofu instead. All of the tofu sour creams that I have tried don’t taste very appetizing. Yours looks awesome. Thank you, Janae! You read my brain!
A question about your Daiya cheese sandwiches — your kids like those? I would love it if my kids would eat Daiya — it’s been a while since I’ve tried it so maybe I will give it another shot. Do you have a favorite flavor, does the cheese actually melt in the sandwich?
I always love it when you post meals and pictures of what you are eating. It is very helpful. Thanks again, Janae, for all of this. We’re going to use it!
Oh good, I love long comments those are the best!
Yes, I think it is wise to make these treats. I mean, really, you will be so happy you did.
I know, isn’t it funny about some movies? I swear, I’m actually really kind of picky about movies (ie. I fall asleep half the time or wouldn’t care to watch more than once), but I just love this movie. Can’t quite explain it. My favorite line is after she goes blind & her fiancee says (about her blindness): “there’s nothing you can do about it. you can’t change it. you can’t stop it. it just is.”
Oooh, I hope my sour cream measures up–I like it, but I must say if you never like sour cream in the first place, there’s a good chance you’re not going to be crazy about tofu sour cream. I think the trick is to use firm tofu. I know a lot of recipes call for silken, but it’s never thick enough, it’s too runny (more like yogurt, rather than sour cream).
About the cheese: my kids like the cheddar flavor. And I also use vegan cheese slices. My oldest will NOT eat processed vegan cheeses (but he will eat my homemade vegan cheese sauce) but my other 3 love it (& will not eat my homemade vegan cheese sauce). So, you just don’t know. Some kids like it, some kids don’t–but you could say that for any food.
Glad this is helpful, it never seems exciting to me to post about what we’re eating day to day (because like I said, especially now, it’s pretty simple & straightforward, no-frills). Always love hearing from you Ashlee, your passion & exuberance for life comes out in thought you share
.
That’s a very good point about the tofu — most recipes do call for silken. I’ve always wanted to try the firm tofu, but thought, “You must follow the recipe!” And don’t worry, I bet we will like this. Even if we don’t I’ll still read your blog…teasin’.
Does your homemade cheese sauce come out of the seven secrets book? My kids love the basic cheese sauce for nachos with beans, but I would love a good sauce for sandwiches. All of my kids love homemade vegan cheese sauce.
And yes, it is very helpful to see/read what you are eating. Never boring. It is helpful to see that it is simple, because like I mention in my post today I tend to make things too complicated. I love your quote about simplicity and dependability in cooking. Making food really does feel like a sure thing, versus whether or not other things can be controlled….(can you tell I have control issues?) Anyway, thanks again.
Control issues? Oh, I know *nothing* about that,
Also, about the tofu–I think people may use silken because it’s already creamy (you don’t want ricotta like sour cream), but I have an awesome blender. If you don’t, then maybe silken is the way to go.
I have a blendtec.
And the friend who is going dairy free has a vita-mix.
I bought some daiya today, I am going to try it out on my kids, as well as the sour cream. I am thinking of using soy yogurt in the sour cream instead of water to bring in a taste that my kids are familiar with. We’ll see how it goes!