How-To Celebrate May the 4th in Quarantine

  Besides obviously binge-watching all the old Star Wars movies and driving your kids insane quoting Obi-Wan, there are many unique ways to celebrate the iconic sci-fi characters of our youth. While admittedly I didn't do much to mark the day in 2020--I had an online Zoom PT appointment, went swimming, tried to fix a running toilet myself and remove some peeling ceiling paint, and unpacked a giant food order from the restaurant supply company, zzzzz--in the past, I have made sure my children go out into the world wearing appropriate Star Wars clothing toting a themed bento.
  Over the years, I made many Star Wars bentos. The pic of one in particular, Chewbacca, was reposted/stolen/etc literally hundreds of times online. Here's a nostalgic throwback (a day late) from my bento universe...

  Besides lunches, the older two boys used to be really into Star Wars. They dressed up as Darth Vader for Halloween, role played characters, & built Lego ships. They even pooled their allowances for 9 months to buy the Lego Death Star.

Star Wars Monopoly

Darth Vader vs. Yoda

Star Wars Lego

  Nowadays, I'm the only one who gets into themed meals. I've been having fun with the Black Spire Outpost cookbook:

It's fun reading, even if you don't feel like cooking.

However, most of the recipes are easily veganizable!

  Given that my #1 bento post of all time starred soba noodles, here is a cold soba noodle dish that I make all the time. I add whatever vegetables & seaweeds I have on hand, and I switch proteins around for variety (ie. omit edamame & top with seared tofu or steamed tempeh, etc). I love topping with sauteed shiitake mushrooms, but my husband hates mushrooms so do what you want.

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Soba & Seaweed

2 bunches soba noodles
1 medium carrot, julienned

3-4 tiny baby bok choy, washed & sliced in half
2 T. dried seaweed, broken into small pieces (they expand a lot when rehydrated)

1/2 cup frozen, shelled edamame
2 scallions
1/2 tsp. grated ginger
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 T. soy sauce

sriracha to taste (we love Yellow Bird brand)

Slice carrots, bok choy & scallions.
Boil a medium pot of water & add soba noodles, carrot, bok choy, seaweed, & edamame. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 6 minutes. Drain in collander, rinse with cold water, then drain well. Place in a medium bowl.
Add ginger, sesame oil & soy sauce. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with scallions & sriracha. Serve.

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How-To Bake Bread (guest post recipe!)

  I grew up with fresh baked bread in the house at all times. My father taught himself how to make it starting in my early childhood, and after a few decades of practice had refined the process for a wide variety of artisan loaves that he'd deliver to friends and send via priority post to family.
  He passed down his KitchenAid stand mixer, which I have used primarily for making cake frosting. Now, Maia has taken up the role of resident bread baker in the family, teaching herself (like her grandfather whom she never got to meet did) and providing us with delicious fresh-baked bread while school is on hiatus during the spread of covid-19.
  Here is her tutorial!

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Basic Wheat Bread
(makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
1 T. active dry yeast (or one packet)
1 T. salt
1 T. sugar (choose organic sugar, then you know it's vegan!)
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
cornmeal or extra flour for dusting

1. Mix together the water, yeast, salt, & sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved.                                                                                               

2. Gradually add both flours 1 cup at a time to the liquid and mix thoroughly (use a fork & hands).

3. Knead it. (I usually use a dough hook attachment on a stand mixer, but you can do it by hand too.) Knead for about 5 minutes or until the dough has a smooth surface and feels tough.

4. Take the dough out of the bowl. Clean the bowl and grease it (use a little olive oil, margarine/butter, or a non-stick baking spray). Return the dough to the greased bowl. Cover with a clean dish towel. Leave to rest 1-2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. The picture below is what it should look like after resting. It should feel soft and airy.

5. Knead it a little bit with your hands to knock out air bubbles. Split the dough ball in half. Shape into 2 loaves. Put parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle with corn meal or a little flour. Place the loaves on the sheet and sprinkle a little more cornmeal or flour on top. Brush with a little water. Cut a few slits (at least 3) along the loaves, preferably with a serrated knife. Leave to rest for another 5 minutes.

6. Do not preheat oven. Fill an oven-safe container (I use a glass baking dish) with about 1 inch of hot water and place it on the bottom rack of the oven. Put your loaves into the oven and set your oven to 400F degrees. Bake 35-40 minutes.

7. Allow bread to cool a little before slicing (but it's delicious still warm from the oven, so try some before it cools completely!). Cool completely before sealing in an air-tight container to keep your bread fresh longer.

8. Makes great toast or sliced sandwich bread!

Teen Tuesday: How-To Create a Snack Station

  Got teens? Tweens? Me too. Ages 17, 16, 13, 11. They're vegan, always have been. Like most teenagers, they eat A LOT. Normally, I keep a shelf of snacks that they can add to their lunches. Now, they use them to munch on between meals or to take on hikes.
  When the kids were little, I suffered from a familiar problem. Little kids prefer to snack ALL DAY LONG. As a parent, this can be frustrating. I finally set a few rules. You can have three categories of snacks without asking permission:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts

  Even a toddler could remember this simple list. I made sure there was a fruit bowl stocked at all times. Cans of nuts sat on the counter within easy reach. Raw veggies were pre-cut in the fridge. As long as I wasn't about to serve the next meal, they knew they could freely feed themselves.
  Fast forward to the teen years and the rules have obviously loosened... except for one: Don't bug me when you want a snack! They are all capable of cooking, but who doesn't like the convenience of grab and go food. My husband refers to this as "mouth food" ...you grab it and put it into your mouth with little to no preparation.

  During the coronavirus outbreak, we've been mostly avoiding grocery shopping. There is still a fruit bowl with a few apples & citrus, but most of the fresh produce is gone. We'll restock every few weeks if we deem it safe to do so. In the meantime, dried fruit & bars, applesauce, nut mixes, seaweed, & protein shakes are easy snack options. There are lentil chips, granola, & rice cakes in the cabinet. There is a small stash of frozen bread remaining in the freezer. 

  We've been baking often. Banana bread used to be the go-to treat, but aside from a bag of frozen bananas for smoothies, we're on to largely canned ingredients. Pumpkin bread or muffins have always been a favorite for my kids. In my almost completed cookbook and on my old kids food blog here, I share the recipe for pumpkin muffins. They are known as "AJ's Pumpkin Muffins" or "punkin munkins" because when he was a toddler, he'd poke you in the cheek and call you a punkin munkin. They were also a huge hit with his preschool classes whenever we made them for snacktime.

  Many of my recipes from that era were simple. Not only was I busy keeping 4 young kids alive, but they enjoyed helping me cook and quickly learned to make things themselves, a skill I encourage taking the time to cultivate.

  Nowadays, instead of mini-muffins for snacks & bento boxes, I make a large loaf of bread or a sheetpan of "pumpkin cake." The recipe is basically the same, but without strict school allergy rules, I can add things like nuts, extra nutmeg, and cut back on the sugar. 

  Got a can of pumpkin puree? Don't save it for Thanksgiving. You can use it right now! Maybe you have canned butternut squash instead, or frozen cubed squash that you can thaw and mash. Any whole winter squash can be cubed and steamed, then mashed and used in this recipe. My favorite winter squash is red kuri because of its bright red color. But any variety will suffice!

  While the original recipe works fine, I've tweaked it over the years to be a bit healthier.

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AJ's Pumpkin Muffins/Bread

1/3 cup (around 5 T. or a lump the length of a finger) margarine or butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Soy-Free spread, but I've also used olive oil or even culinary algae oil in a pinch)
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar
3 T. milk (any kind) or water (I like unsweetened almond or hemp milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 can or 1.5 cups pureed pumpkin or other winter squash

2 cups flour (I like to use 1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup pecan halves (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Soften margarine in a large bowl. Add brown sugar and mix until creamy with a fork.
Mix in milk & vanilla, then add the pumpkin puree.
Add the next 5 dry ingredients. Mix well.
Add walnuts and stir.
Pour into greased muffins tins or loaf pan (I spray with olive oil or line with parchment paper). Sprinkle or decorate tops with pecan halves if you'd like.

Cooking times:
mini muffins - 20-25 minutes - makes 3 dozen
regular muffins - 30-35 minutes - makes 12
9x9" sheet pan/baking dish - 40 minutes

loaf - 45-50 minutes - makes 1 loaf...may need a 

few extra minutes if omitting nuts.

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  If you have more cans of pumpkin in your pantry, or a few winter squash in your root cellar, you have lots of options in addition to baked goods. Consider these ideas: Pumpkin soup, pumpkin curry, pumpkin risotto, pumpkin & black bean quesadillas, couscous salad w/roasted cubed pumpkin, pumpkin hummus, pasta w/pumpkin-sage sauce & mushrooms, pumpkin & white bean chili, pumpkin & seitan stew, mashed pumpkin (instead of mashed potatoes), pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin butter. I have even layered pumpkin in lasagna! And if all else fails, you can always make a pumpkin pie!