Oven baked mustard-herb chicken thigs...

were requested for dinner tonight by my darling husband :) This is one of his favorite meals served with plain white rice and mixed green salad. Ron got to select dinner tonight as the mothership - me - went out...I think everyone liked their dinner - judging from the leftovers - and there is also some left for lunch tomorrow for the girlies as well as for Ron. Yay!!!

I have posted this recipe before, as I make this dish quite often. Here is the link to my recipe http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2009/01/panko-baked-chicken-thigs.html
I have increased the amount of chicken to 2 lbs as both girls now seem to eat more meat...

Wednesday Taco Night...

was a huge hit and guess who ate meat and beans tonight? Yes, the bean lover Alena also ate meat and the meat lover Mia Rose also ate beans. Well, that's a first and you know what they told me? "Mama, you are the best cooker in the world!" it so made my heart sing :)

Today we also had Daiya cheddar style vegan cheese. Neither girl usually likes fake cheese - but oh my did they love this...So Taco's with beef, black beans, guacamole, fresh onions & tomatoes, vegan cheese and vegan sour cream. So tonight, I declare dinner success :)

Sunny Tuesday and Rice & Beans for dinner

Do I dare even talk about the beautiful sunshine we had again today?  It is wonderful, I can almost smell summer...kids are playing outside while parents sit and relax on the front steps.  Look at my lovely family - all sitting on the front step...

Dinner was black beans & rice with avocado, and chicken breast.  A big surprise to me was that both girls finished their entire plates.  Alena ate her all of her chicken, our usual vegetarian while Mia Rose, our carnivore,  finished all of her rice & beans.  That was really the big surprise of the day :)  So here it is the picture of the dinner plate, and guess what the girlies will have for lunch tomorrow? Yes, exactly - rice & beans....

Lentil Soup - Linsen Suppe - on a warm spring day

Yes, to both; lentil soup and a warm day. I usually think of lentils more on cold days, when it's grey and misty but I also think of summer and camping. So really lentil soup is the all around comfort food :) Oh, and yes it true we had another beautiful day here in Portland. So let me just hope that I did not jinx it....

Do you want to hear more about the soup? Yes?! It is super and delicious. Easy to make it vegan - just leave out the Mini Bites.

- Splash of Olive Oil
- 1 onion chopped
- pinch of salt
- 3 carrots cleaned & sliced
- 3 (individual) celery stalks diced
- 1 leek, cleaned and cut into fine rings -> I use the entire leek just not the root :)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- Pepper to taste
- 1 C dried lentils
- 1 small can diced tomatoes & 3 cans of water
- Splash of white Balsamic vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- 1/2 lb of small smoked sausages (always double check the label)

1. Heat Olive Oil, then add onion with a pinch of salt. When onions are soft,
2. add carrots, celery, leek, garlic and Herbs de Provence. When vegetables turn bright in
color, and herbs are flagrant add,
3. Lentils, cannes tomatoes, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Leave at a
Slow simmer for about 30-40 minutes, or until lentils are soft,
4. Add splash of white Balsamic vinegar, and adjust Salt and Pepper to taste. Then
5. Add sausages - if using - and gently heat them in the soup.

Serve with crust bread!

A Sunday with lots of sunshine...

...at last - it has been raining for the last two weeks off and on. Probably more on than off, so finally today sunshine. A perfect day to play outside...Both Girls wanted to go to Jam on Hawthorne for breakfast and since we have not been out for breakfast in a long time. Vegan Chai Pancakes for Alena, and - new choice - scrambled egg with bacon for Mia Rosie.

At home it was time for me to play in the yard by planting tomato, cucumber, and zucchini starts, folowed by some weeding. The girls had one of Mia Rosies' classmates come over for a fun playdate. Look at my little Snow White and her friend...are they not super cute?

Overall fun for all which ended with dinner for all. Pasta with a vegetable-olive tomato sauce and Parmesiano Regiano....

Rhubarb-Meringue Kuchen aka Rhabarber Kuchen

What other cake says "Spring is here" like rhubarb?  No other, that I can think of.  Rhubarb - Rhabarber - reminds me so much of home. Rhubarb compote, rhubarb with vanilla...tangy yet sweet and so delicious!!!  So I was thrilled to find rhubarb on the Portland Farmer's Market this past week and just had to get some.  I promised Ron to bake this cake - he actually asked if I would make a pie but I had to remind him that I make Kuchen and not pie ;)

Here is the recipe for Rhubarb-Meringue Kuchen

You need

- 1 stick of Earth Balance or other vegan butter

- 325 gram sugar

- 3 eggs

- 50 gram corn starch

- 125 gram flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 pinch of salt

- 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

- 1-1/2 - 2 lbs of rhubarb

1. Clean the rhubarb by peeling it and cut it into app. 1/4"pieces

2. Separate 2 eggs carefully. Reserve the egg whites.

Make the dough

1. Add stick of Earth Balance, 125 gram of sugar, 1 whole egg, 2 egg yolks, cornstarch, baking powder

    and flour to a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly until you have a firm dough.

2. Preheat oven to 350 F

3. Spread dough into baking form, and top with rhubarb

4. Bake for about 30 minutes, or longer until dough is just slightly golden

Make Meringe

1. In a clean mixing bowl beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until firm

2. slowly add lemon juice, and sugar

5. Carefully spread meringue over the top of the cake

6. Bake for another 20 - 30 minutes, depending on your oven this could be longer or shorter until 

    meringue turns a little brown.

Enjoy!

It turned out great, I really like rhubarb a lot so next time,  I will add a lot more rhubarb :)

Here is the link to my initial post for this recipe..http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2009/06/do-you-like-rhubarb.html

Meatloaf, (s)mashed potatoes, and roasted red beets

was our dinner to end the week. This week was a busier than other weeks; I feel like - until now - I never had a minute to relax body and mind. Just like I was speeding the entire week. So I asked Ron what he wanted for dinner and he chose meatloaf. Today I used 5% ground beef and also mixed a little ground pork in. The result was a leaner - I usually buy 10% - but also drier meatloaf. It was good, but as Ron said "not one of your bests"...but the potatoes turned out great. Here is the link to the post linking to that recipe http://galactopdx.blogspot.com/2012/03/meatloaf-perfect-smashed-potatoes-and.html?m=1.

Ok - time to relax for a little bit....

Thursday Night Dinner at a Brew Pub

the Hedgehouse in SE Portland to be exact. The weather has been crazy - pouring rain by the bucket, hail, drizzle and by late afternoon sunshine. Yes, there was sunshine when wie arrived at the Hedgehouse and wie decided to sit outside. We were actually the only outdoor guests. I guess nobody else trusted the weather. And...we did not get rained on. The girls got to play outside before dinner - Avocado Bacon Tomato Sandwich with chips - was served, and we also ate outside. And the drinks? Well, you know when in a brewery one must drink beer - that is also true for my girlies and that is why they each got to enjoy a root beer...

Here is the info about the Hedgehouse -> http://www.newoldlompoc.com/hedgehouse_home.html

Stuffed Red Peppers

with rice and....yup, mixed baby green salad.

A first - great things come from our family meat pack, right?! It makes me come up with different things to cook.  Yay -  I have to say that this was actually pretty quick and easy to make. It will certainly be served again in our little house in Portland :)

You need for three peppers

- 3 peppers, top cut off, and seeded. -> take stems off the tops, and finely dice the tops
- 1 onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- salt, pepper, paprika, and dash of herbs de provence
- splash of olive oil
- 1 small can of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 C Tofutti sour cream
- 2 T Dijon mustard
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 egg
- 1/4 C bread crumbs - I use Trader Joe's or other milk, whey, lactose free crumbs
- ketchup
     Sauce
1. Heat splash of olive oil in pan.  Add
2. 1/2 of the diced onion, and salt. Sautee until onion is soft, then
3. Add garlic, herbs, paprika, and diced pepper tops. Sautee for a couple of minutes, next
4. Add can of diced tomatoes, and bring mixture to a slow boil stirring frequently
5. Add Tofutti sour "cream", and 1 T of Dijon mustard. Remove from flame. Adjust salt & pepper.
    Filling
6. Mix ground beef with 1 T of Dijon mustard, egg, salt, pepper, paprika, herbs and bread crumbs
7. Fill the peppers with the beef mixture
    Baking - Preheat oven to 360F (180C)
8. Pour the Sauce in the bottom of a shallow baking dish large enough to hold all peppers
9. Place/stand the stuffed peppers into the baking dish. Put a dollop of ketchup on top of the meat
    filling
10. Bake for about 45 minutes

Vegan Creamy Asparagus Soup + a Fun Concert

This, my friends, is post number 900. Hard to believe, but it is true :)

In any case it is a double post day, since I did not post yesterday.

Yesterday, we all had tickets to see a concert by a German A Capella group by the name of Vocaldente.  It was their first as well as their only show in Portland and it was amazing.  All of us loved it - both girls were amazed and got autographs at the end of the show -> http://www.vocaldente.org/en/

Before the concert we ate dinner - no, not out - at home.  I made Vegan Creamy Asparagus Soup; adapted from -> http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/creamy_asparagus_soup/

You will need
- Splash of olive oil
- One onion finely chopped
- One bunch of asparagus - remove woodsy ends, dice spears finely
  and reserve the asparagus tips
- One medium sized potato, finely diced
- Three cups of either water and a bouillon cube - I used vegan, OR
   three cups of vegetable, or chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
- One tablespoon of Tofutti Sour Cream
- fresh lemon juice to taste
- Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Gently heat olive oil and add onion with a pinch of salt.  Sautee for about 5 minutes until soft, then
2. Add chopped asparagus and sautee for another couple of minutes until they are bright green.
3. Add the potato, herbs and the water, or broth. Next add the bouillon cube (if you are using water)
4. Bring to a slow simmer and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes.
5. In a separate pot bring salted water to a boil, to blanche the asparagus tips. Drop them in the hot
    water for about 2  minutes until just soft. When done, remove them from the water and move to a
   dish with ice water.
6. When asparagus and potatoes are soft blend the soup; I use a hand blender
7. When soup has the desired consistency - we like ours thick - take it off the heat. Add Sour "cream";
    add lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

Alena said "this is the best soup ever!" - Mia Rosies verdict was "I love this soup!" - and yes, Ron also liked it a lot...