Mother's Day Luncheon, 2013 -- a vegan, kid friendly extravaganza

This Mother's Day I had the privilege of lunching with 3 other moms: my mom, my mother in law, and my sister in law. Included in this fun were my sister in law's kids, as well as my own lovely boy and husband. It was great fun watching the 3 year old and 5 year old play together, and a good time was had by all. I also ended up with 4 floral gifts -- two gorgeous bouquests, a delicate sweetheart rose, and a stunning orchid. All this and hail in May -- what a day!!

On the menu:

gorgeous green and orange layered vegan terrine on a bed of baby greens
sauteed baby king mushrooms
avocado and baby tomato salad
rosemary and sauteed onion socca
lemon date squares with lemon coconut milk ice cream

Gluten Free, Vegan, Pizza Roll -- Warrior Food!!

This dish is wildly successful, and super delicious. It was devoured by everyone. My 5 year old prefers it to regular pizza, and every guest that ate some came back for more. Need I say more?

ingredients:

dough:

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce puree

3/4 tsp sea salt

black pepper 

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp coconut flour

filling:

cashew vegan ricotta and spinach dip

1 1/2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 4 hours, drained.
300 g package frozen chopped spinach
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp nutmeg
black pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:
puree in the food processor until homogeneous and creamy

sauteed onion:

2 onions sauteed in coconut oil with a pinch of sea salt


directions:
1. roll the dough flat
2. spread with spinach dip
3. sprinkle with well sauteed onion
4. roll up
5. bake for 60 minutes at 345 degrees
6. let cool for a few minutes then cut and serve


and it's fabulous the next day.


A few things:
1. The spinach ricotta mixture can be made a day or two ahead then stored in an airtight container
2. The dough can be made a day or two ahead, then wrapped in parchment and sealed in a ziplock bag.
3. When you roll the dough out, cover it with parchment to keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin. I roll it out on a silicone baking mat. Do your best to roll it out to the whole dimension of the mat.
4. The trickiest part was rolling up the layers together. Use the mat to help you, because it will move everything in one go and keep it smooth and even. So, use the mat to turn over that first edge and then to keep on easing the roll.
5. Do your best to coax the whole rollup into the middle of a mat for baking, and slide a baking sheet under it before putting it in the oven.

Apple Sauce School Muffins -- a gluten free, nut free, sugar free little treat

Fresh, delicious apple sauce muffins. How good does that sound?

ingredients:

1 3/4  cups apple sauce (I used homemade, but jar stuff is great. The kind without added sugar imho)
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
4 eggs

1 tbsp ceylon cinnamon (don't replace this cinnamon with other if you don't have, just skip it, or use just a tsp)
1 tsp saigon cinnamon
1 tsp korintje cinnamon
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup ground shredded coconut
1 cup ground sunflower seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups organic thompson raisins (optional)


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. melt the coconut oil in the hot water
2. mix in the apple sauce
3. blend in the eggs
4. add the cinnamons, vanilla, ginger, and sea salt
5. stir in the chia, shredded coconut, and ground sunflower seeds
6. mix in the baking soda
7. add the raisins if you are using them
8. scoop into prepared muffin cups and bake at 345 for 45 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when poked lightly


makes 24 muffins