Hummus Sandwich-School Lunch Box Idea

This sandwich would go perfectly in a school lunch box with carrots sticks, soy yogurt and fresh fruit. 

I had some Nature Own's wheat Sandwich Rounds in the freezer for eggplant dip but figured putting together hummus would be just as filling and less time consuming.

Spread the hummus on toasted bread with lettuce, tomato, or any other topping you wish.

If you try this recipe, let me know what you think. :-)

Hummus

by Brown Vegan

Prep Time: 10

Keywords: vegan chickpeas

Ingredients (serves 4)

• (2) 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sesame tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 garlic clove, chopped OR 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup water
• Paprika, to garnish

Instructions

Put all ingredients (except paprika) in a blender or food processor and blend together until smooth. Make sure to scrape down the ingredients on the side of the blender/food processor container. If necessary, add in 1/2 teaspoon at a time of olive oil to make the hummus smooth.

Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle on paprika.

Serve on Nature Own's Sandwich Rounds, crackers, or with fresh vegetables.

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Song playing while I prepped the hummus....

Gerald & Eddie Levert-Baby Hold on to Me

Peanut Butter Brownie Cups

>>> Click to Get 5 Kid-Friendly Snacks Your Family Will Love <<<

I used to shy away from recipe writing because I didn't want to waste ingredients experimenting.  I'm working on getting over that. :-) I'm proud to present this delicious, rich, and simple dessert.  

Kid-Approved-all 3 of my boys gave these brownie cups their stamp of approval

Peanut Butter Brownie Cups

by Brown Vegan

Cook Time: 12-15

Keywords: bake dessert

Ingredients (12 Brownies)

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2/3 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp vegan margarine
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup cane sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven at 350º

Melt chocolate chips, margarine, and peanut butter in a small saucepan. Transfer to a bowl and add in sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract, and flour until well combined.

In a muffin pan, place 1 tbsp of batter for each cup. Drizzle with a little melted peanut butter and optional chocolate chips. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

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Song playing while baking....

Teddy Pendergrass-When Somebody Loves You Back

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What We Tried Today: Gardein Crispy Tenders

A few weeks ago I picked up a bag of Gardein Crispy Tenders for lunch.  I was pleasantly surprised at how close the taste is to regular chicken. 

I decided to test them out on the fam for dinner and everyone enjoyed it. Simon actually suggested that I pack them in his lunch box. Woohoo!

Pros:

*Kid-Friendly

*A great way to transition from eating conventional chicken nuggets -Tastes just like regular chicken

*No crazy ingredients-Being able to pronounce all of the ingredients is another huge plus

Cons

*Takes about 25 minutes to bake-this isn't a major con but I was hungry lol

To save time, you can thaw them out and use the microwave instead.

*Contains wheat & soy-I know some people have allergies and problems digesting these foods

Both a Pro & Con

*Pricey-You get 10 (kind of small) tenders for about $5~Since we're a family of 5, I had to buy $15 worth to feed us for one night.  I also picked up a bag of french fries and broccoli, so the total came to about $22. It would cost a lot more to eat out at a restaurant, so this would make a great occasional dinner.

Ideas for the lunch box and beyond with Gardein Crispy Tenders:

Wrap a few tenders in a tortilla with lettuce and cucumber slices-top with a sauce of your choice

Make a basic garden salad and top with warm tenders

Have you tried any Gardein products?  Let me know what you think.

Let's connect. Follow me on Twitter and/or Facebook.

Since I love music just as much as I enjoy cooking, Pandora is usually playing in the background while I explore vegan recipes. Starting today, I will feature a "song in my head" at the end of each food related post. This idea was inspired by Byrant Terry's writing in Vegan Soul Kitchen.

Song in My Head While Cooking

Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone" performance onSoul Train

R.I.P. Don Cornelius

5 Quick Kid-Friendly Snack Ideas

Healthy snacks are a great way get your child(ren) to eat better without much effort.  Here are 5 snacks my boys request often.

*Donut Holes - This snack takes literally 5 minutes to make and requires no baking-Donut holes are a very healthy snack because the ingredients are dates, dried pineapple, almonds, and coconut flakes. 

*Carrot Sticks or other Fresh Vegetables with Hummus-You can buy your own hummus or make it in about 5 minutes

*Chickpea Popcorn -This is one of Alvin's favorite snacks- You just toss cooked chickpeas with a tbsp of olive oil, season well with cumin, paprika, and garlic powder and bake on a cookie sheet for about 25 minutes on 400º F. We call it chickpeas popcorn because my kids said the texture reminds them of popcorn.

*Fresh Fruit & Almond Butter or Peanut Butter-Kids love to dip their food in sauces and spreads-give them a few of their favorite fruit options on a platter with their spread of choice

*Homemade Granola- No baking required-This recipe also takes about 5 minutes to prepare and is a lot cheaper (and healthier) than the boxed version.

Make healthy snacks accessible-Take a look at this fabulous snack storage idea I saw on iHeartOrganizing. 

Check me out on Twitter- @brownvegan & Facebook

30 Minutes or Less: Happy Herbivore's "Cheater" Pad Thai

Quick. Easy. Inexpensive. Most importantly, delicious.

I made this for lunch today and didn't realize I forgot to pick up bean sprouts until it was time to add them. *sigh* The recipe is still good without them but I wouldn't leave it off next time because they "make" the dish.

All three of my kids ate this meal, so I would consider it kid-friendly.

Ingredients:

¼ thick rice noodles (I used a 14 oz box)

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp red chili Asian sauce

¼ tsp garlic powder (I also added ½ tsp minced garlic)

¼ tsp ginger powder (I also added ½ tsp fresh ginger root, mined)

3 oz bean sprouts

Hot sauce, to taste

Directions:

Prepare rice noodles according to directions on the package

In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp of warm water and all other ingredients.

Use tongs and toss in mixture with rice noodles until evenly coated.

The leftovers are perfect for school or work lunches. :-) 

Notes:

*You may need an additional tbsp of peanut butter and water to completely coat the noodles.

*A great addition to this meal would be tofu and/or steamed stir-fry veggies.

*None of the boys complained about the meal being spicy (because of the Asian chili sauce), so the tbsp probably isn't too much for kids.

*Since I didn't have bean sprouts (for the picture above), I added raw sunflowers and extra chili sauce to my plate for additional flavor.

Enjoy! The above measurements serve 3.

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know what you think in the comment below or connect with me on Twitter.

Click to tweet this recipe 

Thanks for reading. :-)

Recipe Source