Lake Superior Water

Hey peeps! Here is what we had for a dinner over the past few days, somewhere in there...

Pineapple Vegan Chili*

2 cans kidney beans, undrained (7)
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained (5)
1 tomato/1/2 can diced tomatoes
1/4 C TVP (1)
1-2 ancho chiles/1 t ancho chile powder
2 T oil (8)
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 small sweet pepper
1 T chocolate chips
1 t cinnamon
1 t cumin

In small bowl of food processor, process onion, sweet pepper and garlic until coarsely chopped.
Remove to a large soup pot and saute in oil.
Add spices, tomato, TVP, ancho chiles and mix well.
Add pineapple, tomatoes and TVP.
Bring to a boil, stir, then lower heat and simmer, covered, until TVP is tender. Simmer uncovered until thick. Stir in chocolate chips and salt/add soy sauce to taste.
Makes approximately 5 C @ 22 points = 4 points per cup

This was a very, very good chili. I've been wanting to make it for a long time and finally got to it. D. likes pineapple, so I thought it might be a hit (it was). I also added cinnamon, ancho chile and chocolate because I've seen other recipes using sweet combined with ancho chiles and thought it sounded good. Mmmm. And it was.

*man, I just love the internet, because I swear I've had this floating around in my 'to make' pile of recipes forever and yet, there it is.
Here is a skillet of cornbread, our favorite cornbread, Grandma's Cornbread Made Vegan. Interestingly enough, I used chickpea flour for 3/4ths of the cup of flour and it was fine. It is so fun to make cornbread in a cast iron skillet, I don't know why, but it is. I really need to get some of those little cast iron molds that look like corn. Ha, like I need any more one use items in my kitchen. Okay, the cast iron skillet works fine.
Whee! I made granola! It was fun. I got it from Scholastic Parent & Child magazine.
Annabel's Homemade Granola

2 C quick oats
1/2 C sliced almonds
1/4 C sweetened coconut flakes
1/4 t salt
1/4 C brown sugar, packed
2 T canola oil
1/4 C maple syrup (actually I used 1/8 C maple syrup and 1/8 C sorghum 'cause that's what we had)
1/2 C craisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Oil a baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix the oats, almonds, coconut, salt and brown sugar.
In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup/sorghum and oil.
Pour syrup over oats mixture and mix well.
Spread out onto baking sheet and bake in the center of the over for 40-45m, stirring every 10m.
Transfer to a bowl, stir in the craisins and let cool.

V. good. Pretty cheap, no? Easy, yes? Also fun, all that stirring, hyper-ly opening and shutting the oven, watching it get browner and browner. It got really brown, I think that was from the sorghum. You should get some sorghum syrup, it's cool.
And here is another rockin' soup made in the crockpot.
Three turnips, a carrot or two, a cup of cranberry beans, some vegetable broth powder, water water water and boom! you've got soup. Oh, also, oil, salt and yes, a little sugar. Served with defrosted Easy Vegan Wheat Bread which is my new favorite wheat bread. Why did it taste better to me after it was frozen?!?

So, the granola was made it preparation for our last camping trip. Yes! One. more. trip...
We are going up to The Porcupine Mountains only one of my faaavorite places to go AND we'll be right on Lake Superior!!! EEEeeee! I can't wait. Now, if only all this packing and food prep would just take care of itself... oh, and also the long drive... but it will be so worth it. I'm super excited.

This time, we have to pack light, because we're actually hiking in and so no cooler for us!! I went to the coop and bought lots of Fantastic foods felafel and whatnot. I'll let you know how it all goes...

Today I have to prep chickpea pizza, moong dal, red lentil curry and then we'll be mostly done. Gack, dried reconstituted hummus? How will I survive?

Food For Camping

Suppers;
Fantastic burger mix mixed with Minute rice on buns
Angel hair pasta with Dragonfly's Bulk Dry Uncheese
Dried felafel with Moong Dal and rice
Red Lentil Curry with Roti

Lunches;
hummus
chickpea pizzas
pea, lentil and corn chowder soups
oat bars

Breakfasts;
oat bars
granola
oatmeal

Hope that's enough... oh, and plus a bijillion snacks for the kids. And water. That will have to be filtered out of Lake Superior. Mmmm, Lake Superior water.