A Recipe for Sidewalk Chalk Paint with Beet Juice

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 cup beet juice

beet juice being added to corn starch

mixing corn starch and beet juice

painting the driveway

it goes on dark

as it dries it turns lighter pink

We have made our own sidewalk chalk paint before, but last week I had the idea to save the bright fuchsia colored water from boiling beets to use instead of adding food coloring. It came out great, it went on very dark but as it dried it changed to the chalky kind of pink you'd expect of sidewalk chalk. We mixed it up in an saved plastic container - old earth balance tubs are great for this - and used cheap brushes we buy at the hardware store. Our paintings brightened up our driveway for most of the week but then washed away nicely when it rained.

Sidewalk Chalk Paint
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup water
5-10 drops food coloring

Put the cornstarch in your container first, then add water - if you add corn starch to the water it is much harder to mix. It is hard to get the corn starch and water to combine, but keep mixing with a spoon and then suddenly it will just come together all at once. It is easy to half this and use 1/4 cup of water and corn starch and this is what we do when we make several colors. To use beet juice, just use the water saved from boiling beets and omit the food coloring. Go make art with your kids in the driveway, and have fun!

Summer Tomato Pasta with Fresh Basil

We tried this last night. The recipe came from Vegan Dad and it was awesome and so simple. All you have to cook is the pasta, which doesn't heat the kitchen up too much. Both my sprouts loved it, and upon tasting it my four year old screamed "yum!"with the same kind of intensity usually reserved for roller coaster rides, so clearly it was a hit. We added sliced olives to ours, and it was so very good. The leftovers were eaten for lunch today, and I was asked to make it again, and I definitely will.

1 lb. pasta, Vegan Dad used ditali, but all I had on hand was penne and it was fine.
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 package extra firm tofu, crumbled
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped basil
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box.

2.While pasta is cooking, gently mix lemon juice and nutritional yeast into tofu. Let sit a few minutes, then mix again and season with salt.

3.When pasta is done, drain and rinse with some cold water to cool it down a bit. Mix in the olive oil and basil. Gently stir in the tomatoes and tofu, then season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temp. Garnish with some fresh basil and tomatoes if you wish.

Birthday Cupcakes

We had the big party for our little sprouts this weekend. I made cupcake cakes in the shape of a 1 and a 4. Both cakes were made from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. For the #4 cake I used Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe, which is the one I always use. I double it and make big cakes too and it always works. For the #1 cake I used the Golden Vanilla Cupcakes recipe, which I'd never made before, but I think I love them even more than the chocolate.

                                                                  Chocolate Cupcakes

                                                          1 cup soy milk (but I always use coconut or almond milk)

                                                          1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

                                                          3/4 cup sugar

                                                          1/3 cup canola oil

                                                          1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                                                          1/2 teaspoon almond, chocolate, or more vanilla extract

                                                          1 cup all-purpose flour

                                                          1/3 cup cocoa powder

                                                          3/4 teaspoon baking soda

                                                          1/2 teaspoon baking powder

                                                          1/4 teaspoon salt

            Directions:

            1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin cups with paper or foil liners.

            2. Whisk together the milk and vinegar in a large bowl and set aside to curdle. Add the

            sugar, oil, and extracts to the milk mixture and beat till foamy. In a separate bowl, sift

            together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two

            batches to wet ingredients and beat till no large lumps remain.

            3.Pour into liners, filling three quarters of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a

             toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack and let cool

             completely.

                                                               Golden Vanilla Cupcakes

                                                               1 cup soy milk (or coconut or almond)

                                                               1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

                                                               1/3cup canola oil

                                                               2 teaspoons vanilla extract

                                                               1/4 teaspoon almond, caramel or more vanilla extract

                                                               3/4 cup sugar

                                                               1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

                                                               2 tablespoons cornstarch

                                                               3/4 teaspoon baking powder

                                                               1/2 teaspoon baking soda

                                                               1/2 teaspoon salt

            Directions:  

            1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin pan with cupcake liners.

            2. Whisk milk and vinegar, set aside to curdle.

            3. Beat milk mixture, oil, sugar, and extracts together in a large bowl. Sift in  flour

            cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until no large lumps

            remain.

            4. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds of the way and bake for 20 -22 minutes.

            Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before frosting.

                                                               Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

                                                               1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening

                                                               1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine

                                                               3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

                                                               1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

                                                               1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

            Directions:
            1. Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy.
            Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes. Add the vanilla and soy milk,
            beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy.

Quinoa Tabouleh

Because it is July and so hot out, I am really into making salads lately. The less I have to use the stove or oven, the better. This salad is so good, and quinoa cooks very quickly. I usually cook it at night, before I go to bed, and throw it all together. It tastes better the next day anyhow.

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups of water
a pinch of salt
a bunch or two of scallions, sliced
about 1/2 cup of red, orange, or yellow pepper, chopped
a large tomato, chopped
a cup of chopped parsley
a couple cloves of garlic, minced
a cucumber, chopped
about 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons lemon juice
ground pepper to taste

Quinoa has a bitter tasting coating on it, called saponin. You need to rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer first to get rid of it. Then bring quinoa and water to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer to finish cooking. It doesn't take long, about 15 minutes or less. Keep a cover on the pan while it simmers. When all water is absorbed it's done. Let cool.

Then add everything else. It is best to let it chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. It is cool and refreshing and really healthy.

Simple, Easy Lemonade

Roll lemons first to help get the juice from them easily.

Cut the lemons in half.

Juice about six of them.

You need about one cup of juice.

Pour juice into a pitcher.

Add a cup of sugar.

And six cups of water. Stir it well.

Don't forget the ice.

Enjoy a nice cold glass!

Instant happiness!

Making lemonade is a really fun and easy thing to do with children. You only need about 6 lemons, some sugar and water. We juice enough lemons to make a cup of juice, usually about 6, add 6 cups of water (I usually add an extra cup because I like mine a little more watered down), a cup of sugar and some ice and that's all!

Even a very little person can have the job of rolling the lemons on a hard surface to make juicing them easier, and there is measuring and pouring and careful stirring for someone a little bigger. You can do this with limes or oranges too, or a mixture of different citrus fruits. It's the perfect thing to bring to a summer cookout or picnic or the occasional, spontaneous afternoon tea party.. Sometimes we dress it up with pretty lemon slices in the pitcher or garnish the glasses with a sprig of mint from the garden, but it is perfect just as is too.

New Discovery!

We were really excited to find a couple new types of dairy free yogurt at our grocery store this week. Little Sprout #1 loves yogurt and eats it just about every day. I think it's great, but sometimes I wish there was a soy free option. She is not crazy about the coconut variety, but this new stuff we all loved! Brilliant! Yogurt made from almond milk, and sweetened with fruit juice - which I LOVE! I'm always so annoyed that I can't find a sugar free, nondairy yogurt. This tastes so good. We tried strawberry, blueberry, and cherry. All amazing. I was never a fan of soy yogurts myself, but this stuff, oh yum! It's really, really good. My only complaint is that it isn't organic, which I'll admit is a bummer - but maybe if enough people buy it and want an organic option they'll make one! I'm hopeful.

Sweet Things

February is sweet things month at our house, what with Valentine's Day and both my brother's birthdays following each other. We have been eating much less sweet things in general, so we did go a little crazy last month, but I had to get it all out of my system. Plus, I never baked and decorated holiday cookies with my little sprout who loves to bake back in December. I felt guilty about it all January, so Valentine's Day was the perfect time to make it up to her.

We took the delightful little book called Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero out of our library and all our cookie type treats were made from it. I think I need to but this one to have on the shelf. I'd really use it, and I don't think they'll let me renew it again. I honestly loved everything we made.

For Valentine treats we made the much asked for Roll-And-Cut Sugar Cookies. I wasn't too sure about these at first. The dough seemed more like frosting to me and I couldn't imagine being able to cut it into shapes, but after it did it's time in the fridge it was just right. We made so many little hearts and quite a few big ones. We made the confectioner's icing and tinted it light pink. Then my little sprout had a blast decorating with various sprinkles and colored sugars. They were beautiful and delicious. They were the first vegan sugar cookie that did not disappoint me. This recipe alone would make me want the book, but we made so many more! We made the Chocolate-Bottom Macaroons, for the Little Sprout's Daddy. They were perfect. I never thought I'd eat a macaroon again! We made Big Fat Rice Squares, Little Sprout #1 loved these quite a bit. They don't use nut butter, which is unusual in a vegan crispy rice treat. We made the No-Bake Pecan Chocolates, which reminded me a lot of a praline, yum! And of course, we dipped strawberries in chocolate. Just once a year, and we gave away tons as Valentine gifts - so we didn't eat them all.

From this book we also made Little Sprout's uncle some peanut butter treats for birthday presents. He was the happy recipient of Peanut Butter Crisscrosses, which I cooked a bit too long and would like another shot at, Peanut Butter Blondies, these were so amazing. Very rich and totally peanut buttery and fuggy. And the best of all, Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows. I put these off for last because they sounded labor intensive to me, but they were really easy. It was like the inside of a peanut butter cup encased in a brownie, only a million times better. I have had dreams about these since making them and am very glad they went to their new home before I broke down and ate them all myself.

I finally made the Chocolate Chip Cookies yesterday. I've been searching for a really good vegan chocolate chip cookie for years. I need search no more. These were everything I've been longing for. Like toll house cookies, like cookies my mom made when I was a kid, like real, regular chocolate chip cookies you could give to anybody and not have them be able to tell they are vegan. But happily they are! However, these cookies were devoured by the 3 of us who eat cookies in just one afternoon, and so we really need to give this book back now, before more damage is done. Although I still want to try the Macadamia Ginger Crunch Drops, The Sweet Wine Biscuits With Sesame, the Magical Coconut Cookie Bars, the Linzertorte Thumbprint Cookies, Old Fashioned Pie-Plate Shortbread, and at least some of the amazing sounding biscotti . Little Sprout #1 wants to try the Ooh La Las, which look like an Oreo type cookie, but sound much better. And I still haven't delved into the chapter on wholesome cookies, which all looked wonderful too. Oh my. This book has everything I could ask for in a cookie book, and we loved it all. I now have some really good vegan cookies I can make when company comes over or we need a cookie type thing to bring somewhere.

And also, as we had a couple birthdays, I got out my cupcake book by the same ladies. Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The world is such an awesome little book. Like the cookie book, everything I've made from it has been a hit. Your Basic Chocolate Cupcake is my go to recipe. I am always happy with it. I used it again this time, and I topped the little cakes with Peanut Butter cream and Rich Chocolate Ganache Topping.

So that was the February madness at our house. March is here, spring cleaning is upon us. I'll take this darling cookie book back to the library for someone else to have a turn playing with it and we will be making much healthier things around here, at least until the summer birthdays are upon us. Surely some cupcakes will be baked then. I am feeling a brunch kick coming on. I am currently fascinated with Isa's Vegan Brunch book. Yes, from the library too. I just love that my library has all these books that I want to own.  Libraries are one of the best things in the world, really, they are.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup white sugar
2/3 Cup canola oil
1/4 Cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tablespoon tapioca flour
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1/2Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease two large baking sheets
2. Combine sugars, oil, almond milk, and tapioca flour in a bowl. Use a strong fork and mix well for 2 minutes until mixture resembles smooth caramel. Mix in the vanilla
3. Add 1 Cup of flour, the baking soda, and the salt. Mix well. Mix in rest of the flour. Fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be a little stiff so use your hands to really work the chips in.

4. Roll the dough into balls the size of ping-pong balls. flatten them out in your hands and place on baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes. bake until just brown around the edges. Let cool for 5 minutes then cool on wire racks.