Rice and beans make a complete protein!

Tiernan went to his first audition for the Wizard of Oz with the Empire Theatre today. Before we got there this morning he was extremely nervous and a little distraught over not being able to wear his tiger eye necklace. When I left I was unsure how the day would go, but had faith in the lovely people who he was with.. and hoped he'd have a great day. When I went to pick him up afterwards I stood outside in the torturous heat with all the other parents, chit chatting while we waited for our children to come down and tell us about their adventures. When the door opened and I spotted Tiernan I felt a huge wave of relief come over me. He had the hugest grin on his face! He told me all about the other two Lollipop Guild boys, and sang me the songs again. Now he's super pumped to go to the next rehearsal. So exciting!

We had a house full of kids today, and I needed to have dinner ready for 4pm since Rhianna had her first night of dance camp (hooray for my lovely dance moms!), so I spent my afternoon in the kitchen creating while the kids ran around the house. I made a Southwestern Rice Casserole from my friend Jill (altered a bit), a buttered chickpea curry (altered a bit), and some parsnips and carrots in brown sugar and butter. Dessert was a puffed wheat square from How It All Vegan. Yummy!

Butter Chickpea Curry

4 medium potatoes, cubed

2 tbsp canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsp curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 can condensed tomato soup

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low boil and cook until potatoes are tender.

In a wok, saute the onion in canola oil until tender. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the spices and salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato soup, coconut milk, chickpeas and cooked potatoes. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

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Southwestern Rice Casserole

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper, chopped

4-5 cups cooked rice

1 1/4 cups coconut milk

1 tbsp cumin

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 cup salsa

3 cups shredded Tex Mex cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

In a frying pan, saute the onion in oil. Cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the red pepper and cook until it's tender.

In a bowl stir together all of the ingredients until well blended.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Transfer ingredients to the dish. Cover and cook for 40-45 minutes.

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Puffed Wheat Square

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups puffed wheat cereal

2 cups chocolate chips

In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and syrup until it's hot and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter. Once the peanut butter has melted, add the cereal and chocolate chips. Mix well. Pour into a 9x13 pan and chill for an hour before cutting.