Mac ‘N Peas

When people discover that I am raising my toddler vegan, I almost always get the same response. “Oh, how sad, he won’t get to eat [insert processed junk food here.] The horror!” Well trust me, he still gets the good stuff. He may not eat McDonald’s, or any fast food for that matter, but he still gets the tasty comfort foods of childhood. I have been vegetarian for most of my life and vegan for eight years and counting. I have been a fat vegan and a skinny vegan, needless to say you can be vegan and live off junk food [Oreos are vegan] and you can be vegan and eat bland and boring. Somewhere in the middle though, or maybe off the map altogether from that, is a sweet spot of food that can taste fantastic and still be healthy. This mac recipe (adapted from the gluten free goddess)  is just that, because sometimes you want a warm bowl of mac and cheese – but I’m pretty sure that craving can be satisfied without over processed dairy, preservatives, and food coloring. This is vegan and gluten-free mac and cheese, it’s the good stuff, so warm your oven and get ready for good clean eats.

Burgundy Beet Soup

I made this soup on Valentine’s day, and the beets pretty much dyed everything in the pan burgundy, as well as my toddler,  so it was very festive. This was my first experiment with beets, they added a nice stand out savory flavor to this warm and hearty soup – which is, of course, vegan and gluten-free. Enjoy.

Buckwheat and Garbanzo Pizza Crust

My first foray into gluten-free pizza crust and it was a hit. Unconventional ingredients add protein add flavor. The thin and crispy crust set the stage for a relaxing and lazy Friday couch night – except it was Sunday, but pizza made it feel like Friday, and my son was able to eat it without breaking out in hives so victories all around – if only I had made two! I topped mine with spinach, broccoli, red onion, diced garlic, sliced cherry tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, zucchini, and of course the only good vegan cheese, Daiya mozzarella and cheddar.