Welcoming a nanny into your home when you maintain a specific diet (vegan, gluten free, organic, etc.) can be nerve wracking. If the food that your family eats is uncharted territory for the nanny, you may find yourself wondering how to approach the situation.
I chose to be forthcoming from the very beginning, starting by explicitly stating that our family eats vegan meals and maintains a vegetarian household in our job posting and pre-interview email materials. There will of course be a learning curve, as there would be when adopting any new lifestyle, and learning new cooking methods.
When it comes to getting your nanny started in the kitchen, you'll want a recipe that is easy to make, and delicious (because who doesn't want to feel glorified when the whole family asks for seconds). Over the next little while, I'll be posting easy and delicious recipes for various alternative diets. Here's an easy vegan recipe of my own creation to get them started. This is one of my go-to recipes when having friends over for dinner, especially those that are carnivorous in nature, as it seems to be a big hit!
Here's what you'll need:
• 2 boxes of oven-ready cannelloni
noodles
•
2 packages of firm tofu, mashed
•
4-6 cloves garlic, minced or finely
chopped
•
1/2 cup soy milk
•
2 tbsp olive oil
•
2 tbsp lemon juice
•
1 tbsp sugar
•
1 tbsp white vinegar
•
salt and pepper to taste
•
11 leaves of basil, finely chopped
• 3 cups chopped fresh spinach (or one small container of pre-washed spinach)
•
½ large onion, finely chopped
•
2 cups of chopped fresh mushrooms (to
keep it simple, just use 1 package of pre-washed and cut mushrooms)
•
2 jars of your favorite spaghetti
sauce (mine is White Linen Collection’s All Natural Marinara Sauce, available
at Costco)
Instructions:
In a medium sized saucepan, sauté the mushrooms, 2 cloves
of garlic, and the onion in a bit of olive oil at medium heat until onions are
caramelized.
In a large mixing bowl, mash the tofu with a fork, then
stir together the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, soy milk, olive oil, vinegar, lemon
juice, sugar, salt, pepper, basil and spinach. Add the sautéed mushrooms and
onion to the mixture.
Use your hands to scoop and stuff the mixture into the
cannelloni noodles.
In a 9x13 baking dish, pour 1 layer of tomato sauce, then
lay a layer of stuffed cannelloni noodles (two rows lengthwise), then a second
layer of tomato sauce, another layer of stuffed cannelloni noodles, and a final
layer of tomato sauce. For added deliciousness, sprinkle some finely chopped
basil on top.
Cover the baking dish with tin foil tightly, and bake for
45 minutes (or until sauce begins to boil) on 375F.
Serve and enjoy! This recipe makes enough cannelloni for the whole family to enjoy, in addition to at least a day (or two) of leftovers.
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| Logan doing his part to help out in the kitchen ;-) |
