Christmas Goodies!

I know it's not a lunch, but I wanted to share a picture of the vegan Christmas Goodies we're giving out as a gift to neighbors, family, and friends this year.

First, thank Isa's new bookfor telling us all about Kopper's Chocolate Lentils. That's right -- vegan "M&Ms"! (Can you believe it?? They really do exist!) I made up a batch of Back-to-School Chocolate Chip Cookies (page 24 in Vegan Lunch Box) and added some plain "chocolate lentils" for candy coated crunchy cookie goodness.

Next to the cookies is a little fudge star. Someone commented a few months ago that the chocolate icing I used for my Graduation Hats and Lamingtons turns into yummy fudge when refrigerated, so I decided to take that basic recipe and turn it into this recipe for Vegan Fudge.

Next to the fudge are two Berry Delights, a kind of jellied candy made with fruit and nuts and rolled in powdered sugar. And to add to all the sugary delight, there's a happy snowman bag filled with more chocolate lentils, this time mint flavored.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

Christmas Limas

Happy Holidays! Shmoo's final lunchbox before winter vacation features some very merry Christmas Limas with Chestnuts and Brussels Sprouts. Christmas Lima Beans pair beautifully with the traditional mix of sweet chestnuts and Brussels Sprouts. The Brussels sprouts are finely shredded and almost disappear into the dish -- a nice way to get sneaky with those sprouts if your family doesn't take to them whole.

Below the Christmas Limas is a bit of wholewheat roll and a Peppermint Candy Tart (I veganized the recipe by substituting 3 tablespoons soft silken tofu for the egg, and Earth Balance and soymilk for the butter and milk).

Speaking of peppermints, I trimmed some radishes to look like peppermints and packed them with a bit of Vegenaise mixed with lemon and dill for dipping. Finally, sliced starfruit and fresh pomegranate seeds look very festive together.

Verdict: The sweet lima beans were a big hit -- a great dish to bring to a holiday dinner or potluck. The tarts tasted like sugar cookies topped with peppermint frosting -- yum! The pomegranate seeds stained the starfruit a bit in the lunchbox, but what a lovely combination it made, all the same. 4 ho-ho-hos!

A Tiger Hiding in the Grass

The other day I showed my son a bit of plastic grass I had saved from a sushi restaurant.

"You could use that in my lunch!" he exclaimed. "My lunch could be...a tiger hiding in the grass! Could you do that?"

It shows how much I've learned about packing lunches in the past year and a half; I only had to think for a brief moment before responding with confidence. "Sure I can!"

I shaped a slice of firm tofu into a tiger's head, then fried it in a bit of oil until it turned golden brown. The tiger stripes are bits of nori seaweed cut with scissors; the face is more nori cut out with a "happy face" paper punch. The tiger sits on a bed of rice, and up above you can see a plastic squirting fish filled with soy sauce (from BentoTV).

Also above the tiger is a serving of Burokkori No Goma Ae -- Broccoli Salad with Sesame Dressing -- from Japanese Vegetarian Cooking. This cold salad is a nice way to pack broccoli in the lunch box. The little flowers are made from thin slices of daikon.

On the side are four vegan donut holes -- two chocolate and two white glazed -- and a peeled Clementine mandarin.

Verdict: Very obento today! Shmoo was thrilled with the tiger and the squirting fish. He liked the broccoli but wouldn't touch the daikon (they were cute, anyway!). Of course he loved the donut holes and the sweet, seedless mandarin. 5 stars.

Exploring the Options and a Heartfelt Entreaty

Boxes of Vegan Lunch Box have been whisking their way around the country (and the globe!) There are now more and more locations to pick up your very own copy:

• If you would like to pick up a copy of my book and give to an animal-friendly charity at the same time, check out the latest newsletter from Vegan Outreach. While supplies last, you can receive a free copy of VLB with your donation.
  
  
• Speaking of animal-friendly charities, you can also buy a copy through the PETA Catalog and have part of your money benefit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
  
  
• Other resellers include Herbivore Store in Portland, OR; Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe; Lunch Matters in Australia; Three Little Figs in Boulder, CO; and Laptop Lunches (who are also featuring an interview with me in their latest newsletter).
  
  
• Finally, if none of those small, wonderful, independent resellers appeal, VLB is now available through that behemoth of ecommerce, Amazon.com. We listed it ourselves earlier this morning, in order to make all you Amazon Lovers happy (I, myself, admit to a bit of an amazon addiction; the "one click" button, she is dangerous).
  
  And so here comes my Heartfelt Entreaty: please, please take a moment if you can to go to Amazon and say something nice about my book. Ratings and reviews on Amazon can make a huge difference, so I'm hoping some of you might take a moment to put in a friendly word. (Update: Amazon's search engine is working now. Thank you all so much for your kind words and wonderful reviews!!)

Book Signing this Saturday

For those of you who are lucky (yes, lucky) enough to reside in eastern Washington state, I will be doing a Vegan Lunch Box Book Signing this Saturday, December 2nd, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Kennewick Library (1620 S. Union St.).

Come say hi, buy a copy of Vegan Lunch Box and have it signed in person. If that's not enough incentive to leave your cozy house and face the brutal Mid-Columbia cold, note that this book signing will be powered by FREE VEGAN DONUTS.

That's right, we will be sampling some recipes from the cookbook along with a whole heap of vegan donuts and cookies from Nutrilicious Natural Bakery, who made me the happiest person in the world yesterday by sending us an entire box filled with vegan, donutty love.

Petite Pasta Salad

I found some charming little pasta shapes at my local grocery store and knew I wanted to feature them in something other than soup, where they tend to sink to the bottom and get lost. So I made up this Petite Pasta Salad, filled with big chunky pieces of cucumber, tomato, sugar snap peas, and olives and teeny weeny pasta stars. Shmoo usually doesn't like pasta salad; he says it is "too sour"; I think the amount of vinegar in most commercial dressings is too strong for his taste. So I took it easy and added just a touch of white vinegar mixed with white balsamic vinegar, which is mellower and sweeter.

Next to the pasta are lightly blanched cauliflower and carrots with what surely must be the Fastest Dip in the West: toss a spoonful of Vegenaise with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of dried dill weed.

Above the veggies are fresh kiwi fruit and Fuyu persimmon, a fruit we've been enjoying for the first time this fall.

As a very special treat I also tucked in a Kidz Dream Orange Cream Smoothie. I never realized how nicely a juice box fits inside his lunch box.

Verdict: Shmoo really likes these new soy smoothies and was excited to have a juice box in his lunch. He ate the vegetables with dip first and insists that this is the very best dip I've ever made. Gee, I wonder if I could simplify it even more and just pack him a scoop of Vegenaise! That stuff is so good! Shmoo grumped about having to pick bell pepper out of the pasta salad, which I had added to make my husband happy. I think shmoo is right; I've never gotten a taste for peppers, either. 4 stars.

A Thanksgiving Lunch Box

Save the turkeys! Here's a turkey-free feast in celebration of Thanksgiving.

This year, instead of Tofurky, I made a large version of the Mini-Wellingtons recipe from Vegan Lunch Box. I made a small Wellington for this lunch, then formed the rest into a single large loaf wrapped in puff pastry and decorated with pastry leaves and berries. I'll be baking it for us and all our veggie relatives this Thursday (Hey, Mom! Hey, Zach! Hey, Rachel and gorgeous vegan Bambina! Be seeing you all soon!). I'll serve it along with some vegan gravy and mashed potatoes.

To the right is a serving of Carmelized Squash and Apples: Peel a small butternut squash and two apples and cut into ½-inch cubes; toss with 3 tablespoons melted margarine, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and a grind or two of black pepper; roast at 400ºF for 20 minutes, or until tender.

Above the squash is my vegan version of an old family favorite: Glorified Rice. Follow the link for the recipe; I'm delighted that my vegan version came out so like the traditional dish.

And finally, a green salad topped with dried cranberries and toasted pecans, with a little cranberry viniagrette on the side.

Verdict: Glorified Rice and Wellington were both big hits. Squash isn't so bad when sweetened and eaten with bites of apples, but still is not a favorite. Shmoo is sad that he's going to have to share the big Wellington with all of us on Thanksgiving -- he wants it all to himself! 5 gobble- gobbles.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Herbivores!

Here's a live-action shot of the Herbivore Store during my book signing last weekend. I had so much fun meeting and talking with everyone! Michelle and Josh are fantastic, and little Ruby the toddler-about-town is highly, highly adorable.


I also signed a handsome stack of extra books for the store after the event ended. So if you're in the Portland area, stop by the Herbivore Store and take one home!

In other news...

• The podcast segment I recorded recently for Erik's Diner has been written down and is now a guest in Nava Atlas' Vegetarian Kitchen: Vegan Kids and Lunch at School: Helping your Child Fit In. While you're there, be sure to check out all the other great guest articles from a wide range of veg experts, as well as her wonderful collection of kid-friendly recipes.
  
  
• Speaking of kids, Vegan Outreach has just added a page featuring pictures and stories of Real Honest-to-Goodness Vegan Kids, in response to the worries that many have regarding raising healthy babies and children on a vegan diet.
  
  
• Next week I'll be posting a fun Thanksgiving lunch box. In the meantime, I hope you're all busy planning spectacular vegan feasts of your own! If you're looking for recipes, check out Nava's Thanksgiving Favorites and the Thanksgiving collection at VegCooking. And remember, it's never too late to Adopt-A-Turkey.

Like-a-Lunchable Pizzas

This year Pizza Lunchables seem to be The Big Thing everyone at school is eating; kids build their own little pizzas out of small, flat rounds of prebaked pizza crust, a squeeze tube of pizza sauce, shredded "cheese product" and "pepperoni flavored sausage". Then, they sprinkle their pizza creations with a special "Poppin' Packet" filled with what appear to be Pop Rocks. Wowee!

Okay, so here's a veganized version: I made a batch of my Pizza Shop Breadstick dough (yes, from Vegan Lunch Box), shaping it into little rounds instead of sticks. I poked them full of holes before baking to avoid any big bubbles, then baked them on a parchment lined baking sheet at 375ºF for just 5 minutes or so.

I filled a ziplock bag with tomato sauce, cut a very small hole in one corner, and sealed it with a little sticker. (The bag of sauce sits right on top of the pizza rounds when packing.) At lunch, peel back the sticker and squeeze out the sauce, then top the pizza with cut-outs of vegan cheese and pepperoni.

Oh, and what about the "Poppin' Packet"? I draw the line at food that explodes in your mouth, but I did pack a little container of the same topping I use in my breadstick recipe -- a blend of yummy nutritional yeast and sesame seeds that we sprinkle on foods à la parmesan cheese.

For the rest of lunch: three Brussels sprouts, a blackberry applesauce cup, and a dark chocolate Bug Bite.

Verdict: The ziplock bag worked well, with no troubles getting the sticker off the cut corner and squeezing sauce out onto the pizza rounds. Making his own pizzas was messy but fun! Of course, he didn't notice the new polka-dot baggie with adorable matching polka-dot napkin. Some of these things I do just for me. 5 stars.