Baked Tempeh and Potatoes in cashew cream

Dinner

Decadent- the only word that could describe this dish. Believe it or not, what you see contains no dairy, eggs or oil (except for the oil used to "lightly grease the baking dish). I adapted this recipe from Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen (highly highly recommend)- Baked Tempeh in Mushroom Cream Sauce. The original recipe includes only tempeh, mushrooms and the cashew cream sauce. But, I didn't have any mushrooms, I had potatoes. I made two batches and froze one for next time as usual.

This time I have no pictures to prove my toddler actually ate and enjoyed his food. My phone ran out of storage space and by the time I could delete enough stuff to make the space it was too late. But yes, baby loved it.

So here goes it: 
For the Cashew Cream Sauce I blended 2 cups raw cashews (boiled and drained), 4 cups of water, 6 garlic cloves and 2 tsp iodized salt until thick and creamy. I added 2 tsp of thyme and mixed with a spoon. That's it for the sauce. 
I steamed two packages of tempeh (8 oz each, I used a 3-grain variety) for 10 minutes. 
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two 9x13 in baking pans or three 9 in round pans. 
Next, I thinly sliced 4 russet organic potatoes (I used a mandolin) and then I thinly sliced the tempeh. Prep is done. 
I layered potatoes and tempeh slices and covered each layer with cashew cream, leaving a larger portion of cream for the top layer. 
Sprinkled with paprika and baked for about 30 minutes (Check if potatoes are done with a fork). Done.

Today's summary table

*Based on table "17 Diet Plans for Vegan Children" from The Vegetarian Resource Group (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php) skewed for lower age range (ie. Between 1 and 3 years of age, used lower range for 18 month old).

Estimated nutrition information (Dinner only)**

1/4 cup tempeh

Protein 14 g

Calcium 67 mg

Magnesium 54 mg

Phosphorus 177 mg

Potassium 280 mg

Zinc 1.1 mg

Sodium 10 mg

Niacin 1.5 mg

Almond-Tomato Pesto Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes

Dinner

Today we went for comfort food. Mashed potatoes and green beans in tomato pesto sauce. First, to make the pesto, I baked 1 pint of cherry tomatoes in 450 degree F until blistered (about 10 minutes each side). In my magic bullet blender I finely chopped 1/4 cup almonds. Then I added 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp Apple Cider vinegar, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp paprika and the roasted tomatoes. I had a little red bell pepper in the fridge so I threw it in the mix too. I blended the mixture until it formed a paste. This pesto can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for a day or so. The green beans were simply sauteed in a non-stick skillet with a drop of canola oil in medium-high heat until just soft enough but still crunchy. I made basic mashed potatoes with cashew milk and a little non-dairy butter.

Earlier today...

For his mid-morning snack, baby had cucumber sticks, apple sticks and raisings, and a serving (1/4 cup of rice cereal O's. For lunch, a hummus sandwich.

Today's summary table

*Based on table 17 Diet Plans for Vegan Children from The Vegetarian Resource Group (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php) skewed for lower age range (ie. Between 1 and 3 years of age, used lower range for 16 month old).

Nutrition data (Dinner only)**

1/2 cup green beans
Protein 1 g
Calcium 28 mg
Magnesium 13 mg
Phosphorus 20 mg
Potassium 107 mg
Vitamin C 2.8 mg
Folate 16 mcg

1/8 cup almond pesto
Protein 2.6 g
Calcium 33 mg
Magnesium 33 mg
Phosphorus 59 mg
Potassium 91 mg

1 cup mashed potato
Protein 4.1 g
Calcium 44 mg
Iron .55 mg
Magnesium 40 mg
Phosphorus 101 mg
Potassium 685 mg
Vitamin C 22 mg
Niacin 2.5 mg
Folate 19 mcg
Vitamin A 92 mcg

** USDA.gov
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods?qlookup=&new=1

Veggie Curry and Salad

Dinner

This is a great way to make vegetables a little more special. To make the curry vegetables I combined chopped onions, garlic, about a 1/2 inch piece of ginger (grated) and 3 small carrots (sliced), and gently stir-fried with a drizzle of canola oil. As soon as it started to stick I added 1 can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup vegetable stock (homemade, frozen cubes). After bringing everything to a boil, I lowered the heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Then I added the green beans and broccoli and let it cook for another 10 minutes, until carrots and broccoli were cooked through. I served this curry over jasmine rice with a side of a lightly dressed green salad.

Today's summary table

*Based on table 17 Diet Plans for Vegan Children from The Vegetarian Resource Group (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php) skewed for lower age range (ie. Between 1 and 3 years of age, used lower range for 16 month old).

Nutrition data (Dinner only)**

1 cup white rice

Protein 4.25 g
Iron 1.9 mg
Magnesium 19 mg
Phosphorus 68 mg
Potassium 55 mg
Niacin 2.3 mg
Folate 153 mcg

Greek Giant Beans on Brown Rice

Dinner

This is very easy  and quick to make. It is a simplified version of the Greek traditional Gigante beans dish. To make I used 1 28 oz can of Organic Butter beans (you may use Giant Beans if you find them locally), 1 14 oz can of organic crushed tomatoes with garlic, 1 cup homemade vegetable stock, 1 tbsp total of the following: oregano, dill and thyme. Brown rice was made as per instructions on the package (I used vegetable broth instead of water). Then I just sprinkled everything with some fresh parsley.

Today's summary table:

*Based on table 17 Diet Plans for Vegan Children from The Vegetarian Resource Group (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php) skewed for lower age range (ie. Between 1 and 3 years of age, used lower range for 16 month old).

Nutrition Data (Dinner only) **

1 cup brown rice

Protein 4.5 g

Calcium 20 mg

Lemon Tofu Pasta with Asparagus

Dinner

Today's dinner was very easy to put together. I followed a recipe for tofu "feta" and tossed the cubes in with the pasta, steamed asparagus and peas. Finally I sprinkled some "Parmesan Topping" on it.
The recipe for the "Parmesan Topping" is from Chloe's Kitchen but, essentially, I used my magic bullet to pulse and combine 1/2 cup blanched almonds and 1 tbsp nutritional yeast and at the end I added 1 tsp of maple syrup and pulsed a couple more times to combine. I make double this recipe at a time and store it in the freezer to use anytime (it freezes like regular Parmesan would).






The tofu feta recipe starts with draining extra firm tofu as much as possible. Then, cube the tofu as small or as large as you want and add it to a marinade of 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp oregano and 1 tsp salt.
It does not need to sit for very long. You can make this first and let it sit while you get the pasta and vegetables cooked and ready.
At the end just toss everything together and it's done.






Today's summary table

*Based on table 17 Diet Plans for Vegan Children from The Vegetarian Resource Group , skewed for lower age range (ie. Between 1 and 3 years of age, used lower range for 16 month old)

Nutrition Data (Dinner only) **

1 cup cooked pasta

Protein 6.21 g

Calcium 7 mg

Sticky Rice Balls with Asparagus and Red Beans

Dinner

I made the sticky rice balls according to the rice package instructions (I used short-grain white rice or "sushi rice". Once rice was cooked I added vinegar, agave (sugar) and salt as is done to make sushi: For 1 cup raw sushi rice use 1 tbsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp agave, 1/2 tbsp salt. I sprinkled the rice balls with nutritional yeast. The canned small red beans were drained and rinsed and cooked in vegetable broth until very tender. 
Finally, the asparagus were steamed and sprinkled with a little garlic powder.

Today's summary table

*Based on table 17 Diet Plans for Vegan Children from The Vegetarian Resource Group (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.php) skewed for lower age range (ie. Between 1 and 3 years of age, used lower range for 16 month old)


Nutrition data (Dinner only)**

1/2 cup cooked Asparagus      
Protein 2.16 g
Fiber 1.8 g
Calcium 21 mg
Magnesium 13 mg
Phosphorus 49 mg
Zinc 0.54 mg
Vitamin C 6.9 mg
Thiamine(B1) 0.15 mg
Riboflavin(B2) 0.125 mg
Niacin(B3) 0.98 mg
Folate 134 mcg
Vitamin A 905 IU
Vitamin E 1.35 mg


1/2 cup short-grain white Rice
Protein 2.14 g
Iron 1.36 mg
Magnesium 7 mg