Tofu is NOT gross

As people brag on facebook about all the bacon they eat, any post about a dish that contains tofu gets joking comments like “oh that’s not real food,” or  “I’ll keep my bacon, thank you.”  As my dad used to say, every joke has a basis. People for some reason are repulsed with food that doesn't lead to heart disease and other health issues. And no, you don't need to be a vegan to add this great food to your dishes.  My son, a major meat eater, loves it.

Carnivores hate the sound of this word:  tofu.  They imagine it as this gross squishy white thing.  No it is not, the horrid image is due to bad preparation (or lack of preparation).   A long time ago, someone told me they hated calamari, to which I responded, “you must have had badly prepared calamari.”  After this individual tried properly prepared calamari they became a convert and started eating calamari.

While I wrote this blog entry, there must be at least 10 posts up already about the greatness of bacon.  Greatness that keeps doctors their multiple luxury cars, mansion, boats and planes. Greatness that drives my health insurance premium up.  I'm not proposing that people stop eating bacon (I'm lucky, I don't really like it), but in order to stop the horrible health epidemic, people need to start to look at their diets and reevaluate the quantities of unhealthy foods they ingest.  And if not for themselves, at least expose their kids to some better alternatives.

Here are some key preparation tips:

Purchase the right tofu:

            For people who don’t have time to drain and press, I find that Wildwood Super Firm Tofu (pictured in my Holiday Guide) Part I blog entry: http://blogtothenextone.blogspot.com/2011/11/thanksgiving-holiday-guide-part-i.html

 is  the easiest to deal with and it also has more protein.  I don’t need to press, squeeze, etc.  I’ve only found this at Whole Foods and Woodman’s around here.  It saves a lot of the playing around.  Other super firm tofu works too, but you have to drain and press (I haven’t tried any of the tofu presses on Amazon yet).

If you buy another tofu, makes sure it is ORGANIC (fermented, sprouted)-do not buy GMO (defeats the whole purpose of eating it for health).  As a side note, I only buy organic soy sauce as well.

Marinate – tofu takes on any flavor and marinating, seasoning makes a huge difference. If you don’t have time to marinate, season it.

Pan fry in a healthy oil – this makes a huge difference.  It goes fairly quick and gives the outside a nice crunch.  Sometimes I sprinkle some flour on top as I’m frying it.

Throw into any dish instead of meat and you will get a healthier version of your dinner.

Well prepared tofu is similar to paneer in Indian cuisine.

UPDATE:  3/4/14-instead of pan frying, I've been finding myself bake tofu more.  There are many ways to bake it.  First I marinate it (30 minutes), then I place it in a 400 degree oven for about thirty minutes.  I use the no stick foil to prevent sticking....while it's not as crispy as pan frying, it's still fairly crisp and firm.

http://blogtothenextone.blogspot.com/2011/03/dont-feel-like-cooking-convenient.html

If this sounds like too much work, make it ahead and freeze it. I usually make the entire block, and freeze it and throw into dishes as needed.

Tofu is high in calcium and protein.

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Are food allergies, diets and being different causing alienation? Revisited

About a year ago, I blogged about the alienation that results from food allergies and special diets.  So what, if any, changes have I observed since last year?

I think I’ve noticed more of an ego issue with bad food choices people make.  Instead of saying, “bad food choices will lead to bad health consequences, maybe I should learn and alter my habits a bit,” (which seems like a step in the right direction if your goal is not to get chronic disease), it’s become an ‘us vs. them’ climate.

I’ve had a lot of positive comments on my blog.  “Thanks for making us more aware and sharing tips and tricks on how to eat healthier and tastier food.”  Such comments are very encouraging.  My personal goal this year is to spend time and effort only on activities that make a difference.  Time is a scarce resource.  So I’m thrilled that there are people out there that want to improve their lives and just need a little help as they acquire awareness (as I did when I learned all this-it was a fulltime job to figure out how to cook with healthy ingredients, what healthy ingredients even are,  and have the food taste great). 

But, now I sense some of the isolation that people with food allergies, celiac disease, and other special diets face.  It’s as if I came out of the closet – and now it’s public that I refuse to eat in a state of unconsciousness and succumb to peer pressure. 

Surely genetics plays a role in our health.  But if I don’t feed my child processed mac and cheese and sodium nitrite hot dogs every day with a generous helping of factory farmed meat and processed chemicals…. purely from a probabilistic standpoint, the likelihood of him acquiring some chronic disease is reduced.  No guarantees…but at least I’m trying to influence the outcome.  There is no need for me to restate all the great research that one can simply Google (China Study, Reversing Heart Disease, etc.).  Same goes for me, while I can still improve (e.g., be more disciplined about working out), I indulge in conscious eating and choices.  “Conscious Eating” – a term Michael Pollan coined.  Yet, conscious eating is looked down upon by a lot of people.  They continue to say, “I have the right to eat xyz.”   Yes, they have the right, but they also increase health costs for the rest of us.  And again, genetics already plays a role here. 

So my goal with the food related aspect of my blog continues-enable “conscious eating” that doesn’t mean you have to eat cardboard.  Not everything that tastes great has to lead to chronic diseases. Yes, it’s more effort, but most worthwhile things in life are. Is it convenient?  Not for me, full time career, single motherhood and eternal commute would make great excuses for not doing it.  But again, spend time on things that make a difference.


Follow me on Twitter:  JuliannaJ9

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Great Finds

Nutella no more

I’m always looking for something new, something tasty and something that won’t cause health issues and always something that maybe replaces a food that Jordan lost due to allergies.  Here is a recent mix of recent favorite finds

No nuts, not dairy and not hydrogenated NUTELLA like

One of the things my son misses the most is Nutella.  But due to his dairy and nut allergies it’s not even a possibility. 

This one took a long time to find.  But this is safe for his allergies and is a vegan Nutella like item as well (no dairy). 

It’s a Kosher PARVE chocolate spread that I found in the kosher section of  Garden Fresh.  I first discovered it at a kosher store when I was shopping for wheat/soy free items.  When my son was off of wheat/soy-Kosher for Passover was a great option for his diet.  These items were mostly available around Passover.  The Kosher diet actually lends itself nicely to a diet that needs to cater to food allergies (and various dairy free options).  You can find out more by researching Kosher diet, but in a Kosher diet you cannot mix meat and dairy. This is ideal for us. 

Recently I did try Nutella-the fact is that it wasn’t as good as I remember.  I like the flavor of rich dark chocolate and don’t like that flavor of milk chocolate.  Nutella tasted too sweet and diluted.  It’s what we are used to.  Maybe by now they have a dark chocolate version.  But as much as I love hazelnuts, I can’t bring them in the house due to my son’s allergies.  This is a great substitute for Nutella.  It would be great for crepes.  My son loves it over white bread (homemade).  Make sure you get the PARVE version (there is a non PARVE version that has dairy).

 Wasabi without Sushi

This snack is for me.  For anyone that loves wasabi , this is a nice way to get the wasabi flavor with a rice cracker.  As you can tell by the label, not fried, nothing hydrogenated.  It’s a flavorful snack.  It is made in a facility with nuts, so only I eat this one.

Smart, tast and easy

This is another quick little snack.  I love the flavor of wings.  But we don’t go out for wings anymore, and I actually like the flavor more than the meat.  It’s high in protein, not fat and very easy to make.  The only bad part is that so far I can only find this in one store (Woodman’s) - safe for my son's allergies.

Taco Tuesday-one more version

Taco Tuesday-sometimes I use vegan chorizo or a non processed chorizo (see prior blog on tacos).  Recently Whole Foods was sold out of both (I didn’t realize this blog had that many readers - J).  So I picked up some low fat, kosher ground turkey instead.  I didn’t expect this to taste so delicious.  I’ve made turkey tacos before, but the flavor of this meat is great.  It doesn’t have the gross side taste.  There really is a difference.

Ancient wheat from Tuscany

These cookies are great and addictive.  But they are not your typical overprocessed cookies.  Also, they are not too sweet as most American cookies are. They are made with Einkorn wheat (not over processed wheat).  Here is the ingredient list:

Organic Einkorn Flour, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Palm Fruit Oil, Organic Eggs, Organic Cocoa, Leavening (Monocalcium Phosphate, Baking Soda), Salt.
Contains wheat and eggs.

The cookies are crafted in Italy.  Although they are made in a facility they state:

 “We use milk, tree nuts and soy in our facility. Strict sanitary practices and batch testing prevent cross-contamination.”

They also make gluten free cookies.  So far, I’ve only found these at Whole Foods.  They also have an informative website.

This was the only food I could find for lunch at work....so it was a great find....at work.




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Heavenly Homemade Hummus

run food processor and drop garlic cloves in

One lemon is usually enough...also use a very high quality olive oil (you do get what you pay for)

Fine tune as you process

Add fresh lemon juice 
(DO NOT USE 'realemon' bottled lemon juice)

The whipped/creamy consistency that we like

My 11 year old recipe from Bon Appetit magazine that I've fine tuned

drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle
with some authentic paprika

serve (again, drizzle with EVOO and paprika sprinkle)
with some hot pita bread
(don't serve with cold pita bread)

Hummus is one of the healthiest (and even cheap) foods – yet it’s so good and there is nothing to feel guilty about. 

I don’t like store bought ones-they taste dry and not very flavorful.  Fresh (no more than two days old) homemade hummus is the best.  Many Middle Eastern restaurants make their own hummus and the fresh taste is just like homemade.  I prefer a fairly whipped/creamy consistency for hummus-this allows the subtle flavors to be showcased and not be overcome by a dry texture.

Many people like to make variations of this.  I like the old fashioned, traditional hummus.  Some cultures make it with fava beans  also.

Hummus Recipe

2 15 ½ ounce cans of garbanzo beans drained (save a little water for part of the water for mixing (or one 29 ounce can)

½ cup water (mixed with garbanzo bean can liquid)-will add more later (to taste)

½ cup tahini  (it helps to bring tahini to room temperature so you add a consistent mix of this as it tends to separate when refrigerated)

½ cup (but will add more) Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you really get what you pay for with olive oil-the cheap extra virgin olive oils aren’t even real-caveat emptor)

1 heaping teaspoon of ground cumin

3 cloves of garlic

1 lemon

Run garlic through food processor (have the food processor running and throw in garlic cloves-turn off when all crushed).

Put garbanzo beans along with all other ingredients, pulse first and then run food processor for a few minutes.  At this point you will need to fine tune this recipe. As I mentioned,  I like hummus that has a slightly whipped consistency (many restaurants and store bought ones are too dense and the flavor beyond the garbanzo beans doesn’t come through).  I add extra virgin olive oil as the food processor runs and a little more water.  Then I add the lemon juice (roll the lemons before squeezing – this makes it easier to squeeze the juice out).  If after adding the lemon juice it’s still too dense, add a little more extra virgin olive oil and a bit water (again the consistency is a matter of preference).

Transfer to serving plates/bowl-drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle a bit of real Hungarian paprika on it (this is how most middle eastern restaurants serve it).  Serve with some warmed up pita bread (the fresher the better).

Hummus is an extremely healthy dish. Another side benefit of homemade hummus for us is that Jordan can eat it! It's not cross contaminated with dairy, nuts, etc.

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Chocolate chip cookies that won’t clog your arteries (or your child’s)

Getting Jordan involved....he has to learn this

note: this is NOT the soy sticks....you will get hockey  pucks with those

I like the cookie scooper to shape these

compare this to butter and traditional shortening.....even if you aren't a vegan-this is so much better

This flour is not the over processed white flour and its use results in a homemade rich flavor

I was a very picky eater during my childhood.  Sometimes my mother had to make two dinners because I refused to eat what she made for dinner for my father.  Later I ended up having one picky child (now known as a foodie and founding food photographer) and one with EE and multiple food allergies.  So for those who believe in karma, this was a natural outcome of what I put my mother through (who was a great cook).  But for those who like to think positive, this actually worked out.  My foodie daughter appreciates my cooking (and cooks some great dishes as well).  She  always praised my cooking; to me this is the ultimate reward for all the work.  Because of my son’s health issues, I learned a lot about ingredients and their impact on your health.  So I vigilantly eliminated some ingredients from our home.  For a while we had to live 'top 8 allergen free' (wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, treenuts).  I learned how to make gourmet meals without these allergens.  Getting wheat, soy and eggs back in Jordan’s diet made life a lot simpler.  But processed flour does not have the same effect on your body as less processed flour.    I’m still avoiding dairy.  If Jordan was able to have dairy, it would only make life easier with respect to not having to worry about cross contamination (‘made in facility with’ or restaurant situations).  Now that I know the effects of dairy (no not just the fat, but the evil casein), I will always cook without dairy.  Substitutions are easy once you experiment with various techniques.

When I did use butter I made cookies with butter only. I hated the ‘side taste’ in margarine cookies or margarine/shortening/butter mix cookies.  These cookies do not have this ‘side taste’-I’m not sure how to describe that taste.

This modified chocolate chip cookie recipe is not loaded with fat and bad protein.  The flour is not as processed either as white flour.  A basic rule is, the less processed food you put in your body, the better off you are with respect to your health and weight.   Yes, there is sugar here, so I wouldn’t eat a dozen of these (although it wouldn’t be hard). 

Recipe

These cookies can also be easily converted to a gluten free and vegan version by another mix of flour (see below) and substituting Ener G Egg Replacer (or the apple sauce mix commonly used) for eggs.

·       1.5 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I use Enjoy Life-only one guaranteed to be allergen free without cross contamination)

·       1 cup Earth Balance Natural Shortening softened (the one in the GREEN box-2 sticks, although I like Spectrum shortening for some things, I think this works better for cookies, they end up being shaped just like butter cookies.  Don’t use the vegan soy sticks…you will get hockey pucks)

·       3/4 cup sugar (I use organic cane sugar-unprocessed one)

·       3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

·       2 large eggs (I buy the free range ones…they are more nutritious)-if you are avoiding eggs, you can use the Ener G Egg replacer and still get great flavor

·       2 teaspoon(s) vanilla  (again, I use organic)

·       2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted flour-I use Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat pastry flour (see photo)

·       If you are avoiding gluten, I used to make this with a gluten free flour mix that combined sorghum flour with rice flour (I have to find that recipe….it works great for substitutions)

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/2 teaspoon salt  

Note:  this is mostly traditional cookie dough mix-the main substitutions are the vegan shortening, the unprocessed flour and the less processed sugar.  With the less processed flour, the cookies end up with a heartier homemade flavor.

Directions

Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside (again, no need to sift).

In large mixing bowl, beat shortening and with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy and lightened in color.   You may need to stop the mixer and scrape sides more often than you do with butter.

Add eggs and vanilla, one at a time. Mix on low speed until incorporated.

Gradually add the dry mixture into the dough while beating at low speed

Stir in chocolate chips.

Use cookie scooper to add to ungreased cookie sheet (or use another method to drop the batter-I like the shape that I get with this technique)

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes.  The cookies are still fairly soft, then with a spatula/flipper, move each cookie to the cooling rack where it will solidify further.

I have a countertop convection oven that I think makes really great cookies (reduce baking time when making in a convection oven).

You can also use this basic cookie recipe for heart shaped cookies or a cookie cake (I will add the slight modification to this blog)

If you are not allergic to nuts, you can add some walnuts to this recipe also.  Unfortunately that is not an option for us now (and nuts are healthy).

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One updated old world comfort food (and recipe)

The updated lecso

possibly with German Spaetzle noodles

Lecso (prounounced ‘letchoh’)  is a traditional Hungarian dish.  As much as I love Hungarian food (being Hungarian, this is the food of my childhood), it tends to be very ‘rich’ (meat fat used in cooking and dairy cream laden sauces).  Maybe with smaller portions, lots of walking and non factory farmed dairy, it’s not the worst thing.  However, I don’t walk around the streets of Budapest, instead I sit at a desk all day, have a two hour commute, eliminated dairy from my diet, and have a child with dairy allergies.   Yet I love the flavor and smell of Hungarian food.  I would like to expose Jordan to the rich flavors as well.

Over the past few years I realized that with minor modifications we can have my Hungrian food without getting a prescription for cholesterol lowering medication (and of course Jordan can eat it too).  

This Lecso recipe is just one of my  ‘updated’ dishes.

There are many ways of making this dish.  Using the diced tomatoes saves time on peeling and chopping tomatoes.  Italian sausage style seitan adds a great texture and  protein to this dish.  What is seitan (not satan)?  It is a wheat based meat textured source of protein.  It was actually invented by Buddhist monks  as an alternative to tofu.  If you don’t like tofu and can have gluten it’s a great meat substitute (no, I’m not a vegan, but love the flavor and texture of this Italian sausage style seitan and there is no gross fat flavor).  If you are avoiding gluten, then I would suggest adding tofu instead (but marinating/baking to get a better texture).  You can avoid tofu/seitan and add nothing  or add some sort of meat.  But it’s healthier without the meat (and with a growing child, protein is important here) and I like the refreshing flavor.  Even if you aren’t a vegan, many doctors believe that the American diet has too much meat protein. But then this is not a medical blog; free will.

Expeller pressed oil is healthier than processed oil.  This again is not a necessity, but it helps.  I try to keep my ingredients at home the best. I can’t control the ingredients in a restaurant, but I can control it at home.

Paprika must be authentic Hungarian paprika.  If you live in the Chicago area, there is a Hungarian store called Bende that sells it a reasonable price.  Recently I found it on Amazon also.

This dish is fairly easy to make (it’s one of the weeknight dishes here).  Serve it with brown rice, soy buttered spaetzle or tarhonya (another Hungarian specialty).  Clearly brown rice is the best, but spaetzle and tarhonya are not bad alternatives.  Needless to say-it’s loaded with some great vegetables (and it’s not salad).

Lecso Recipe

3 large red peppers julienned or a mix of other ones (but not green…they are VERY bland and just have a waxy contribution)-

2 medium red onions – cut in half and then thinly sliced

1 pckg. of Upton’s Natural  8 oz Italian Sausage Seitan (available at Whole Foods, Woodman’s or other specialty/health store)

2 14.5 oz. Organic Muir Glen Diced tomatoes (not flavored)

3 TBS. Authentic Hungarian Paprika (not durkee or some colored bland powder)

3-4 TBS. Expeller pressed canola oil

2-3 tbs. chopped parsley

2-3 tbs. chopped dill

3 – 4 tbsp. oil (this is approximate-add enough to stir fry, not deep fry).

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the sliced onions on medium high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add the julienned peppers and fry for another 15 minutes.

Add 3+ heaping tbsp. of authentic paprika and stir for 30-60 seconds to roast it a bit (this optimizes the flavor of the spice-I do this with other spices also)

Add diced tomatoes

Add about ½ c water (from canned tomatoes to get tomato residue-it should be saucy not liquidy)

Bring to a simmer and simmer covered 15-20 minutes (stir occasionally to make sure it’s not drying out)

While simmering:

 prepare the side dish

crumble or chop the seitan and pan fry for a minute or two in very little canola oil

After the simmering is completed,  add the parsley and dill and stir for one minute (herbs should always be added at the end for a brief time, overcooking causes a loss in flavor).

Add Italian Sausage seitan and serve.

Enjoy the time you save from researching potential cholesterol lowering medication.

Feel free to ask questions on this recipe.  I like creating dishes a lot more than writing down the detail. If something isn’t clear, let me know. 

I use the Italian Sausage flavor for this dish (not chorizo)

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Are food allergies, diets and being different causing alienation?

Jordan

Today’s Chicago Tribune actually had two articles about the increase in food allergies and the social impact on kids as they try to fit in.  Some of the ‘ways around’ were also discussed.  As I was reading this article, I realized similar issues exist when you are an adult avoiding certain foods.  While cross contamination is not an issue for an adult who chooses a healthy diet, it is a choice, not something you were dealt (food allergies, celiac, eosinophilic esophagitis), some of the socially alienating issues still apply.  Of course the degree of alienation is not as extreme as for a food allergic child or teen who really wants  to fit in.  Additionally, it’s very different to deal with something out of choice vs. what life has dealt you. And a trace of dairy won’t kill me, but it can kill (or at least make very ill) someone who is truly allergic or has EE.

Even if you are not dealing with these issues directly, a little compassion and understanding goes a long way.  Pity or sympathy is not what you should offer.  Don’t break the person’s spirit and make them feel like they are less than you.  Although well intended, I hear “Oh poor Jordan, he can’t eat normal food, what can he eat?”  First of all, he is not poor; his diet is superior to the typical child his age who can live on convenience processed foods.  As a result, he is less likely to develop health problems form processed food and yes, the evil casein.    These two common situations really apply in all food situations-whether by choice or not (some people try to eat healthy although their friends like them unhealthy).

Restaurant situations  - Jordan can only eat in one restaurant right now at least 20 miles from our home (P.F. Chang so far seems to be the only place that can handle cross-contamination).  And even then there is always the speech to the manager and the tension that something will get messed up.  But it’s worth it to see the look on Jordan’s face that shows ‘yes I’m normal too and can eat out.’  So what can friends and family do to not make things worse?  First, no pity.  Being considerate and not bragging about how great their dish is that contains the allergen is much better.  For example, a friend or colleague should not brag about how great a certain cheese tastes when there is a person with a dairy allergy sitting at the table.  Common sense?  Not really…. I’ve had ‘friends’ that have tried ‘tempt me’ with dairy laden desserts in front of Jordan.  I chose not to eat it, Jordan can’t.  We’re not telling people not to eat dairy and we don’t go into a lengthy speech how unhealthy it is; free will.  However when I encounter such a situation, I’m forced to go into detail about why I chose not to have casein from a factory farmed cow who is forced to stand in its own feces. It’s not good for the cow and it’s not good for me (but good for ConAgra).

School functions – for some reason everything in school is rewarded with dairy (pizza and ice cream).  You reach a goal, time for a pizza party.  Actually it’s the same thing in corporate America.  Want people to come to a special lunch meeting?  Order pizza.  Not much consideration of the fact that we aren’t all alike.  As an adult who chooses not to eat dairy (it does make me somewhat sick, but I won’t die from it), I’m used to it and ignore it.   A vegan, food allergy person, or even someone on a strict Kosher diet cannot have pepperoni pizza.  And the so-called ‘vegetarian pizza’ doesn’t solve the dairy or gluten issue.  So for school functions I run my parallel kitchen and send treats to class that everyone can have so Jordan can feel normal; finally eating what everyone can eat.  I stay up all night baking but it’s worth it; the kids always love what I send.  They don’t even think that there is no dairy in those cookies, cupcakes or popcorn.   They go back for seconds and Jordan loves every second of this-feeling normal again.  Adults at parties are a bit different.  They can say “Oh how can you have such and such with no dairy?” “Oh how awful it must be to be you.”  “Oh this pizza is delicious; I feel so bad for you.” They form expectations that a dish with no dairy or whatever allergen is going to be bland and boring.  So with adults, I don’t even announce that there is no dairy (or whatever allergen) in whatever dish.  Of course if they thought about it, seeing Jordan eating obviously implies that it doesn’t have the offending allergen.

So building awareness among friends, family, school and work is the best one can do regardless of what your role is in this food-driven world.

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Ace of Non Dairy Cakes?

Time to organize and consolidate my recipes and techniques that right now are mostly memorized in my head.

Maybe he will be the Ace of Non Dairy Cakes?

Although it was not Valentine's Day-a Birthday cookie cake all pink (requested)

Home made heart shaped Valentine's Day chocolates

This was designed by Jordan....not really sure about what's going on....

My original decoration until Jordan went wild with some 'abstract concepts'

Well it’s time to get organized (maybe if I state it more than once I will actually do it).  I will be adding the recipes for cookie cakes and the type of frosting that is best for decorating (all with no dairy).  I hope to do this within the next few days.  Although I do use eggs, the standard egg substitutions work great (I had to bake without eggs for a while-used Ener G egg replacer exactly as directed or the apple sauce trick….it worked great).  So with the egg replacer these recipes can also be vegan.

Also, if anyone is interested in making valentine candies, I will post something on to make such chocolates.  I HAVE to make my own because it has to be made in a nut free/dairy free facility to avoid cross contamination.  There is only one supplier that sells shaped chocolates from an allergen free facility and they don’t have these shapes.  What they do carry costs a fortune.

So I buy Enjoy Life chocolate chips (the only ones I trust), made in an allergen free facility so no traces of nuts, dairy or gluten and soy for those who are avoiding it.

I bought the standard molds from Michaels and ordered the heart shaped box and paper on-line.  Then I made the chocolate molds and wrapped each one separately.  I do the same thing for any other holiday candy (just different molds from Michaels).

Heart shaped cookie pans are available even at Target (they usually have a special themed section around the holidays).

I used to be adamant about using only butter in my cookies and frosting….but I actually like this better and the lack of dairy in our diet has huge benefits.

The key ingredients for these items:

• Bob’s Red Mill Pastry Flour (versus the more processed white flour)
• Spectrum Shortening
• Earth Balance Vegan Shortening (not the soy butter sticks-this comes in a green box and so far I only found it at Whole Foods)

I’m not the best cake decorator, so I often try to recruit family members to help decorate.  It’s a fun activity and it gets my son away from his video games.  Maybe he can be he next Ace of Cakes guy.

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