Sweet potatoes…. I love you, I love you not

We hung out with our cousins one weekend this summer (well many weekends, but one particular weekend inspired this post). It was fun, and I discovered that their kid too used to love sweet potatoes and now turns his nose up at them. I’ve heard this strange story from other parents too. I understand sometimes liking things sometimes not, I understand liking only certain preparations of foods, but going from basically a sweet potato monster to absolutely refusing to eat them, this fairly typical toddler transition baffles me.

For us, and my cousin, this happened sometime before their 3rd birthdays. Now, just after their 4th birthday I am starting to see a sweet potato revival. I have continued to cook with and serve sweet potatoes. Usually accepting that the leftover sweet potato dish would be my lunch.

I really like sweet potatoes, it was the magical food on holiday plates. Cooked in generous amounts of butter and brown sugar candied sweet potatoes and I are good friends. Yet even prepared this way (with vegan butter) my children refused to touch them, I was baffled. I still am because I am drooling just thinking about these!

I tried mashing them with vegan butter, brown sugar, pumpkin pie type spices and still nope. I tried plain and boiled
(sometimes with toddlers the simpler the better) big nope. I tried in soups and stews, which worked only if accidentally ingested. I tried fries (only if the frozen variety, made by the grandparents and served with mayo). I roasted them in very shape I could think of (nope). I was out of ideas. Then my mother had a craving for sweet potato chips. So we made some. In the oven, with olive oil and salt. And 2 out of 3 preschool aged children ate them. (The lone hold out has since relented to these) We had a collective mom mouth drop and a way to make sweet potato chips for the future:

Sweet Potato Chips

serves: 6                prep time: 15minutes          bake time:40min approx

Ingredients:
3 sweet potatoes cut into chips, carefully!, with mandolin or by hand
1-2  tsp olive oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 400
Lay sliced potato out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (you may need to make 2 batches) sprinkle half the salt and the pepper over the potatoes drizzle the oil over them toss with your hands to coat them all toss with rest of salt and the lay in a single layer on the baking sheet, any that don’t fit just keep aside for the next batch.
Bake for about 45 min turning once or twice, watch carefully as they go from perfect to burnt very quickly. They are still a little soft when “perfect” allow to cool a few minutes on a cooling sheet or wooden board. They will crisp up a bit more as they cool.

Easy, healthy (use other seasonings, or salt preparations like herbamare to cut back on the sodium content), and sweet potato hating kid approved!

Since this particular weekend, homemade sweet potato chips and fries go over extraordinarily well. We even had a french fry dinner.

 

Cauliflower and eggplant curry

I watch way too much house hunters. I am watching it now and there is such a thing as a “keeping rooom”. I need this. A room to “keep” the kids in while I cook. What a wonderful idea. Safer than when I run into their room wielding a kitchen knife because it sounds like the toy closet just fell on someone’s head. (True story, but nothing fell it was just that girl twin couldn’t get her shirt on this morning). As for the keeping room, I probably find us a house first ;).

This was an experimental dish that turned out to be fantastic. But I forgot to write down the exact proportions of the spices. The beauty of spices in a curry though is that it’s pretty much up to your tastes. This dish turned out so much better than I ever imagined.

Cauliflower and eggplant curry.

Serves: 6 Prep time: 15 min Cook time:30min

Ingredients:

1tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 onion very thinly sliced
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 small eggplants, cubed
1/3 of a zucchini, sliced/chopped
1 can no salt added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can organic diced tomatoes
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste. Especially if your canned things are no salt added.
Water (about 1/2-1 cup)

Method:
In a large pot heat oil, add cumin seeds and garlic and roast until fragrant, add onion and cook until softened. A brown layer will likely form on bottom of pot this is ok, when you add onions you can add some water and this flavourful layer will mix into the onions. Add the rest of the ingredients except spices and cook until cauliflower and eggplant is tender. (20 min or so). Be sure to add at least 1/2 cup of water. The exact amount needed depends on how much liquid you add from the tomatoes. When eggplant starts to darken you can add the spices, I find this keeps the flavours from dying out too much or over concentrating in the eggplant.

Can be frozen, delicious alone or served with Naan or rice.

No eggplant? Try it with potatoes instead.

Curried cauliflower butternut squash and lentil soup

I’ve never been terribly inclined to use the slow cooker. 1 part fear of burning down the building, 1 part I don’t want to clean the stoneware, 1 part fear of 7qts of wastage.

Recently though the lack of time and motivation to cook has motivated me to try out some new recipes. I’ve made cholent (not a hit), soup, and apple sauce. The soup was fantastic and wish I had written down what I put in it. I also made a delightful little curry….

I was inspired after a rather uninspiring bowl of red lentil curried soup at a usually pretty good hospital auxiliary cafeteria. I had spent the better part of my day getting documents from archives, attending appointments and blood tests. Soup seemed like a great relaxing comfort food. It was …. Exactly what one thinks of when you say “hospital food”. The disappointing soup got me thinking I could most certainly create a much better red lentil soup and in the mean time use up some of the veggies lingering around. I always overbuy veggies. But I get rewarded by these lovely kitchen sink creations after.

While making this I also had feeding baby in mind. I wanted it simple and to be just as good no matter if blended, mashed or as is. Also, I feel a bit like my 4yr olds have been wanting simple comfort foods lately. No cutting, chunks, or fancy. And since it’s holiday season and they will be served lots of fancy food why not make them some down to earth simple foods.

Curried Red Lentil, Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Soup

(Slow cooker recipe)
Serves: 8                       prep time: 30 min                            cook time: 6hrs

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (medium sized) cut into small cubes
1 onion diced or julienned
1 head cauliflower (medium sized), cut into small florets.
2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground corriander
6 cups broth or enough to cover the above in stoneware
Coconut milk to taste (optional)

Method:

Put all ingredients (except coconut milk) in crockpot on low for 6hrs.

Stir in some coconut milk if desired before serving.

Fantastic served with warm flat bread or Naan.

 

 

Roasted eggplant, vegetables, versatility and “picky” eaters

Onions make you cry chemical reaction tears when you cut them but eaten after a trip under high heat they make you cry from how good they are. Unfortunately I haven’t convinced the more opinionated eater in my house that this is so and she usually picks around them but since she loves the rest of this dish who am I to judge. I can eat the whole roasting pan of this stuff, so it just means more onions for me.

Maple Apple Breakfast Sandwich

Deliciously sweet and savoury this apple horned sandwich was a hit with the kids and on Twitter. So, I have decided to share it with you. Yes its full of store-bought stuff but hey, we all need to save time and still eat delightful foods!

The story, last Sunday I was somewhat (very) sleep deprived after being up with a child with a disgustingly runny nose all night. I was irritable and for some reason I was annoyed that yet again they wanted cereal from a box for breakfast. Seriously, I am wide awake in the morning and that is when I have the most energy to cater to them, please at least make it interesting. So I tried to sell them on brunch…. I won when I said Tofurky and cream cheese!

Behind the curtain (Chickpea Tabbouleh)

 There has been a lot on the news ever since Robin Williams death about suicide and depression.  We often hear about people “going off the deep end” (where did this expression come from anyway?). In general however, mental illness is a secret illness, one that does not garner the attention of ALS, with people dumping ice over their heads;  the elite esthetic of breast cancer; or the macho bravismo of a month of facial hair for prostate cancer. But that is fine, fundraising campaigns wont erase the stigma that is attached to a mental illness and that is where I have a bone to pick.

Don’t ask, Don’t tell. It is amazing how different medical and psychiatric illnesses get treated, not just in the workplace. I think some of the problem is that all too often because it’s an invisible illness and people tend to the stoic, its hard for people to believe that so and so could be suffering in such a way, and often its seen as escapism or a weakness. 1 in 4 people experience mental health problems in their lifetime, not everyone needs to miss work, not everyone finds themselves in a hospital and some never even find their way into treatment but regardless, suffering is suffering. And chances are that person you are whispering about feels worse about their illness than you do about them try to be nice, supportive and recognize that their stay for depression, bipolar, eating disorder, schizophrenia, is the same as if they had appendicitis. You would be surprised how many top employees suffer, their resiliency keeps them going but does not make it easier.

As a manager, I know that there is a good chance I have employees and colleagues who have dealt with mental illness and in fact in the past tense people do tend to be fairly open about it. Current tense, as in “my job performance is suffering, it is because I am dealing with clinical depression” is more rare, the person suffering is liable to say something more along the lines of “I am so sorry I am falling behind in my work, I haven’t been sleeping well, my kids are exhausting, so I am really tired, I am going to get back on track” This is entirely plausible so why dig deeper? I could but I have learned that in my role I cannot be both someones boss and their therapist, despite my clinical background.  We have an EAP, and I regularly refer people to it. The service is there, but that does not mean that the attitude is, or that stigma doesn’t exist. I have heard lots of derogatory terms tossed about in regards to psychiatry. Negative implicit attitudes towards people who are or have been off for psychiatric reasons. I will be the first to admit, I do not think that psychiatric conditions, true mental illnesses rather than a stress reaction, with the exception of PTSD should be workers comp claims, but not everyone on sick leave is paid by workers comp.

What people do not often realize is that the best and the brightest often have traits that make them extremely susceptible to mental health problems. But it is also what makes them good at their jobs. It is also what keeps them from admitting to the problem, sometimes until it is too late.

What about parents, particularly parents of older children, there is so much information and resources about postpartum depression and some about postpartum psychosis. But there is very little about depression in a parent of an older child, and what is available from academia anyway is very discouraging, all of a sudden not only does the parents whole world seem black and dark and hopeless, they feel like they have doomed their children to the same life because research seems to indicate the child of someone with a mental illness, the offspring of depressed mothers, are at higher risk of depression and mental health problems. This is scary stuff.

Yet, mental illness is still taboo. It is still stigmatized, even within the health care community. No one wants to hear about it. They will bring flowers, cards, gifts and loving attention when your heart, lungs or other vital organs are compromised, but the psychological, which does FYI come from an organ, the brain, a pretty essential one too, that well that just gets a quick uncomfortable “get well soon” and to get back to the workplace the risk of losing ones job.

What/whom do you think of when you hear Mental Illness?

I am sure you are not picturing your role model, favourite celebrity, childhood hero, boss, employee or best friend. But it’s entirely possible that they have or are suffering from one of the many mental illnesses that lurk invisibly among us.

It is time to change your perceptions.

As a thank you for listening to my views on a very serious problem, here is a delicious recipe of sunshine and happiness. Tabbouleh is my happy food.  I am still trying to mimic the tabbouleh of my childhood, true Lebanese tabbouleh, the kind I can still only get in sit down expensive Lebanese restaurants Daou and Ezo. This recipe is not part of that process however, it was an attempt to make a quick lunchbox for the kids that would be fresh and delightful. It turned out wonderfully, took only 15min to toss together, and the fresh ingredients photograph beautifully so here you are:

And its another allergen-free special.

Chickpea Tabbouleh

Serves: 4-6                     Prep time: 15min                             Cook time: NONE

1 bunch parsley (just the leaves, remove all stems)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 small red onion (for milder taste use a green onion)
1 19oz can of no-salt added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
pinch pepper
pinch allspice

Remove the leaves from the parsley and mint, discard the stems. wash and dry well. Put in food processor with the red onion (roughly chopped) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped. put in bowl and add the chickpeas.

Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and allspice together and pour over the salad, mix well.

I love this the next day, when the flavours have all intermingled.

Lentil Tomato Soup – “soup for all my friends”

A couple of weeks ago my son started begging for soup, why in the heat wave we were in he wanted soup is beyond me. I finally had time to make this soup just in time for a sabbath dinner, and he couldn’t have been happier, especially since that day he came home from daycare proudly informing me I would be making soup for all his friends. Oh really? Little does this little man know but I actually have a recipe for this soup that serve his entire class.

Pizza Fajita Sandwich, and the beauty of quick to cook dishes.

I was going to call these fajitas, but my children won the naming war. Son said “its pizza wraps!” My daughter said “its a sandwich”. It is most accurately a soft taco or burrito and fajita hybrid. Regardless, they were good, and super quick and easy to make.

Inspired by a twitter channel on vegan tacos, I made this simple (and not totally from scratch) meal in fairly short order after getting home from daycare at 5:30. I would say from start to finish these took 45min, most of that being time spent debating what exactly I was making (I started out with the idea of a stir fry with kale… then decided I wasn’t up for a battle with green-fleckaphobia).

Since I am often alone at meal prep time, its important to me to have a repertoire of dishes that I can throw together quickly. And the ingredients and equipment to do so. the food processor saves me so much time in prep when I can use it. I keep at least 1 can of every type of bean in the house and I keep a ton of spices, flours, etc. I do not normally have taco seasoning, but I make my own which allows me to control spice level for my kids. I keep canned no-salt added tomatoes and I try to always have onions, carrots, and peppers in my fridge as this allows for a quick and easy stir fry, soup, chili without having to take hungry kids to a grocery store. I mentioned in another post why I have no problem with canned legumes and tomatoes.  I do use fresh tomatoes when I have them,  like this recipe but the tomatoes here could probably easily be replaced with a cup or so of canned diced or pureed tomatoes

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Kids can cook too: We had SO MUCH FUN with these. My daughter helped stir fry the veggies, and my son helped stir the beans. They chose what they wanted except everyone had to have beans. It made me smile to see them scarf down this really healthy meal. So well in fact that I have no pictures of the finished product. I loved Taco night as a kid, I hope my kids like Pizza Fajita Sandwich night just as much!

Serves: 4                                      Prep time:15 min                             Cook time: 20min

Veggies:

3 peppers (I used 1 green, 1 yellow, 1/2 orange and 1/2 red), sliced or chopped
1 sweet onion chopped
1/2 head cauliflower dash of herbamare or salt
1-2 tsp olive oil

Beans:
1 can no-salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Italian (Roma) tomatoes
1 clove garlic
taco seasoning (about 1 tbsp)

Assembly:

4 large or 8 small Whole wheat or other tortillas (we had whole wheat and Kamut to choose from)
non-dairy sour cream (we like and honestly can only find the Toffuti brand)
salsa (diced fresh tomatoes if your kids are the spice-free kind)
non-dairy cheese (I made this soy cheese)

“Cheese”

 

Instructions:

Start by sauteing the onion in the olive oil, over medium heat when softened add the other veggies and saute until tender.

while they are cooking, roughly puree the garlic and tomatoes together (I do this in the single serve size of my Ninja Blender), it will make a disturbingly frothy pink mixture, this is OK. put the beans and this mixture in a small pot over medium heat, when hot add the taco seasoning and stir. the mixture will seem soupy but will  thicken up as it cooks.

Assemble at table with the toppings and enjoy!

Leftovers: The leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to a week. I have not tried freezing this but my guess would be if you put the veggies through a quick pulse in the food processor and then assemble them into burritos you could freeze.

Lentil Salad For Monkeys

Lentils. cooked from dry these little nutritional powerhouses make a great base for a salad. but if you are stuck for time you can also buy in a can. it will not give the same kid friendly texture but will be good all the same. Legumes in general to be honest I generally do buy in a can (the no salt added variety) and when they happen to be available, without BPA in the lining of the can, but not always since, what he says. But lentils, I like to cook from dry, I have more control over the texture

Vegan Pudding and Chatter

 I love pudding.

I do not love traditional chia puddings.