Lunch Box, Canning, and Family

School has started. We have a lunch box to share with you today!

TODAY'S VEGAN LUNCH:
Organic Multi-grain bread with Bryanna's Vegan Chedda' Cheese, YVES Veggie Brats meatless zesty italian sliced into rounds and broiled until the top was set and somewhat cripsy (although it does't stay crispy it holds together well and you can eat it cleanly). I used Bryanna's vegan "cheddar" which calls for tahini and irish moss powder, but this recipe is from a subscriber only newsletter, so I will post a link to Bryanna's free archives for cheesy sauce that I have used for this purpose before. We do like the tahini recipe better. It does melt and when chilled it firms again, the flavor is awesome.

This is served with a side salad, Bryanna's vegan ranch dressing, and romaine/purple cabbage/ shredded carrot salad. I found some vegan carob chip cookies in the freezer so she also got a couple of those stuck in at the last minute (not pictured). We froze a container of Capri sun juice to serve the useful dual purpose of ice pack.

Bryanna’s REAL RANCH DRESSING, VEGANIZED

Makes 1 cup

1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
1/2 T. lemon juice plus soymilk or nut milk to make 1/2 c.
1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder or granules
1/8 tsp. onion powder
pinch dried thyme

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Place in a covered container or jar and refrigerate for several hours before using.

CANNING:

I also canned last night. Using the tomatoes that are ripening in our garden I made spaghetti sauce and Sicilian Style Split Pea Soup. These require a pressure canner and 1 1/2 hours at 10 lb's of pressure. I have raved about my Presto 23 quart pressure canner in previous posts. I still love it and have no complaints.

For meals away Matthew took a package of instant noodles and a homecanned jar of "browned meety TVP strips for Brown and noodles - an easy fast supper. Good bread and mom canned lentil stew was another ready made, just toast and earth balance the bread. He will stop and get some lettuce and dressing from the store to have there also. This weekend we will have to plan ahead for his meals next week. It's really wonderful to have the soups and TVP strips canned ready for use because they can travel and sit without refrigeration (until they get opened).

Both recipes here were inspired by Bryanna Clark Brogan's cookbooks. I used Brian's Wine- Free Mushroom Tomato Sauce on page 44 of the Nonna's Italian Kitchen Coookbook. I did add 1 cup of TVP granules and 2 tsp Bill's Best Beffy flavored boullion powder to this. I reduced the cooking time since the TVP soaks up some of the extra liquid which does not need to evaporate during the long simmer process... I also only simmed for about 1 1/2 hours since I knew I would pressure can it and it would cook for another 1 1/2 hours there.

The Sicilian Style Split Pea Soup recipe came from Bryanna's Fiber For Life Cookbook, page 93. The recipe calls for 1 c split peas and macaroni, I use only split peas and use a whole 1 lb bag... all other ingredients stay the same. The soup was brought to a boil, cooked for 10 minutes and then placed in jars. I made 3 quart and 5 pint jars by doubling the recipe (I have a 23 quart pressure canner). The canning time would require 1 hour 15 minutes for the pint and 1 hour 30 minutes for the quart on both the split pea soup and the pasta sauce, so I did both of them together for the 1 hour and 30 minutes. At the end of the process time I was tired so I removed the canner from the heat and went to bed. This morning the canner had cooled, so I opened it, took the jars out , set then on a towel to rest for a few more hours (undisturbed), and cleaned up everything else ... all is well. A friend who has pressure canned for years said that she has done the "t tired to wait gotta get some sleep" time for years and has never had a problem, the food is the same. I did it previous with lentil stew and TVP strips, there was no difference.

FAMILY LIFE:
Melissa is the school crossing guard (and I am her backup). She was pretty happy that she got a $2 an hour raise. It is an exceptional raise, considering that she works one hour a day. She now has a school license and can drive herself to the crosswalk and then to school. A boy named Victor has also been calling quite regularly. He seems to be respectful and she says they are just friends. I am glad this friend lives more than an hour away from us. Watching my babies grow up is exciting and wonderful as well as a little sad. She seems to have matured alot this summer as she was working at the church summer camp where she met alot of interesting and friendly people.

One thing that really tickles my fancy is that she takes lunch during school days and I am really looking forward to packing these come September when I will be eating at the school for 12 weeks. STAY TUNED... the Harvey family version of vegan lunchbox. :) Melissa is enrolled part-time for SpanishII, Algebra I, and Anatomy class. She continues on in piano, drum, and singing lessons as well as is practicing up on the ability to test for 1st degree TKD black belt sometime this year. Iowa's laws towards homeschooling / dual enrollment are friendly. Even in my rural area, although there are NO programs or helpful things like many bigger cities have, this option allows our family the best of both worlds and maximizes our freedom of choice.

Matt starts his first day today in a big city 1 1/2 hours away. He left today, will stay at grandpa's tonite, and will be back tommorrow for supper. I hope to have a special celebratory supper with movies and fun chatter. Although I am sitting here typing for my blog, I feel almost exhausted like I am coordinating some big event. I think it must be mom emotional baggage. Hugs to moms who are exercising faith as their babies venture out into the world this month.

I end with another Matthew cooking event ... here he is with his first attempt at making Vegan with A Vengance orange scones. We liked the scones idea, but the orange zest flavor was very bold, we didn't like that. Matthew took one bite and didn't eat anymore of these due to the orange zest flavor... the rest of us did with the frosting.