Moroccan Vegetarian Carrots and Chickpeas

Last week I got sick. Like stay in bed, high fever, moan and groan sick. I actually reached the point where I didn't even eat much; and for me that says a lot. I basically lived off of oatmeal, cream of wheat, and orange juice for a week straight. In fact, other than that one soggy chunk of carrot floating in the can of soup I so desperately bought from CVS, I actually did go an entire week without eating a single vegetable until my friend took pity on me and gave me some minestrone soup from the sandwich shop where she works.

So when I finally started to feel better, one of the first things I did was make a real meal. With vegetables.

The thing is, because I was already low on food when I got sick, and what little I had sort of hit the dust in the fridge while I was out of commission (my poor mushrooms!), I didn't have a whole lot left in the vegetable department when I finally made my comeback. The one thing that I did have was 5 pounds of carrots. Carrots are awesome in many ways, one of which being like any root type vegetable, they last for a really really long time - even when you get them at the supermarket and they've already been sitting around for no one knows how long.

So anyway, I'm feeling better, want to eat a real meal, and have a bunch of carrots but little else. Inspired by the fact that I no longer felt like I'd just run head first into a wall with cotton stuffed in my ears and nose, I decided to make something new. So I started scrolling the internet and came across this.  Actually, I was the first thing that popped up when I searched 'vegan recipe with carrots' in google, so I didn't have to do much scrolling. Hahaha.

The recipe looked really easy, really delicious, and totally up my alley, so I tried it out.
And I absolutely loved it!

I guess it's a Moroccan type dish. It has chickpeas, carrots, onion, and a bunch of spices including cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, cayenne pepper, as well as a hint of sweetness from honey and raisins.
I was going to post the recipe here with my alterations (I made just a few), but I decided why bother. The recipe is awesome as is, so it's easy enough to just give you a link to where I found it. But before doing that, I want to give you a few suggestions.

First, I only cooked it for about 15 minutes after adding the carrots. Second, I'm out of cayanne pepper, so I used crushed red pepper flakes. They worked really well. Third, I used agave nectar instead of honey. It works well and is a little less sweet, which I like. Forth, I didn't add raisins. I wish I had, but I have very few raisins left and wanted to save them for my oatmeal. But I think that if you have raisins, you should definitely use them, even though the recipe says they're optional. And last but definitely not least, I put it on top of rice, which after trying it with and without rice, I really preferred.

So, once again, here's a link to the recipe:http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/vegetarianmaindishes/r/moroccan_carrot_chickpea_tagine.htm

Spouting Beans and other things

Some of the best and most affordable foods to eat fall under the categories of beans and legumes. And the cheapest way to buy them is dried. But as you probably have noticed, eating them when they're rock hard doesn't work all that well. So that leaves two options: soaking or sprouting.
Soaking is great, and the method that I've always used. When I first started soaking dried beans it drove me a little nuts, because I couldn't just say "I want beans" and have them magically ready. The thing about soaking beans is you need to leave them over night. It takes practically no effort on your part, but its not instantaneous. Truthfully though, its totally worth it. You'll save A LOT of money and you just need to get used to thinking about your meals a little ahead of time. Plus, if you soak a whole bunch, you can just stick some in the freezer and keep them for ages without the risk (or rather unavoidable certainty) of spoilage.
But soaking beans is not what this post is about. Today I wanted to talk about sprouting them [for food, not too make more beans :) ]. I first became interested in sprouting beans when I began looking into the world of raw veganism, a practice that intrigues me although I have yet to fully try it. The really cool thing about sprouting beans and grains is that you don't need to cook them. The frustrating part is that it takes more than just a night. I'll admit that I haven't tried it very many times, and I did get a little frustrated at first, but it turned out to be really fun. The key is to figure out a method that works. So I'll give you a few tips (and pictures) and hopefully send you on your merry way with the encouragement to try it out, even if just for fun. I really encourage you to try it out because if you haven't thought much about where your food comes from/ what it is, then sprouting will blow your mind. I'm sure if you're reading this you at least have some basic understanding of how plants grow. But this is a way to really understand and feel the connection between a seed and what's on your plate:

Alex the cat wanted to be in the picture too!

So heres what you do. Its super simple:

1. Get some beans! The beans are going to swell a lot, so just keep that in mind when you choose how many to use.
2. Find a jar and a bowl and something to cover the jar with that will keep the beans from falling out (you're going to invert it in the bowl) but that water can leak through. I used an old stocking.
3. Soak the beans over night.
4. Drain the soaked beans, rinse them, drain them again and put them in the jar. If they fill the jar up more than halfway you definitely need a bigger jar!
5. Then cover the jar with the mesh, or stocking, or whatever material you're using to keep them in there. And put the jar upside down sitting in the bowl, which will catch the water draining out. I keep the jar at an angle so that the water can actually drain out.
5. Over then next few days they'll begin to sprout. Two or three times a day you should rinse them and pretty soon you'll be good to go.

Another way to do this, and easier now that I think about it, is to forget about the jar and just have the beans sitting in a strainer over a bowl. Unfortunately though, I can't do this in my current house because I have a cat who loves to eat things. But if you don't I would strongly recommend just using a stainer.

Coleslaw

Did you know how easy it is to make coleslaw vegan?

It's wicked easy!

Coleslaw is one of those dishes that, in our culture, is often loaded with mayo. Mayo is great and all, but if you choose to not animal products (it's made with eggs) then you may find your self feeling left out. And honestly, that's no fun. 

Usually I tell people to just not bother trying to veganizing foods that are typically made with some sort of animal product. A good deal of the time it just doesn't work. I personally don't like any of those faux meat products or faux dairy products (except soy milk - try mixing it with orange juice- it's delicious!). If you want a burger, most likely you're not going to be fully satisfied eating a slab of soy that's dyed with brown food coloring. It's just not the same. Try making a homemade veggie burger with rice, beans, carrots, celery, and onions instead. 

But there are a few things that are easy to veganize and won't leave you feeling left out in the cold. To name a few: potato salad, mashed potatoes, chili, burritos, and of course coleslaw.

So heres the deal. To make traditional coleslaw, all you need is part of a cabbage, a carrot or two, a pinch of sugar, a little salt and pepper, vinegar and mayo. To make vegan friendly coleslaw, all you need is part of a cabbage, a carrot or two, a pinch of sugar, a little salt and pepper, vinegar, and olive oil.  Not much different right?

And get this. It doesn't really taste much different either. Just a little fresher, and there's nothing wrong with that. The thing is, mayo is actually just oil and eggs whipped together. So basically, you're leaving out one unnecessary ingredient. No big deal.

So here's my recipe. It's one or two servings, so if you're cooking for other people just up the proportions. Depending on the size of the cabbage you may need more or less of everything else.

Coleslaw
1/4 cabbage
1 large carrot
a pinch sugar
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
2 Tbl olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the cabbage and carrots (julian). Toss in a bowl and add everything else. Mix around. Let sit for a minute or two (the dressing will soften the veggies). Congrats, you just made coleslaw!

Good Clean Foods That I Eat as a Vegan on a Budget

Getting asked what I eat on a vegan diet is pretty common. Many people believe vegan eating is really expensive, only possible with expensive ingredients like fake soy meats. Although many vegans do eat this way, it's totally doable to eat really healthy vegan food on a low budget.  So I decided to make a list of the foods I eat to give you some ideas of what vegans can eat to be healthy without emptying their wallets:

Black beans, Kidney beans, White Kidney beans, Fava beans, Navy beans, Soy beans, Chickpeas, Lentils - brown and red, Brown rice, Dried split peas, Cracked wheat, Barley, Quinoa, Popcorn - no butter, Kale, Carrots, Parsley, Cucumbers, Spinach, Lettuce (any kind but iceburg), Bell peppers, Hot peppers, Eggplants, Apples, Grapes, Raisins, Soymilk, almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole wheat pasta, tomatoes, basil, corn on the cob, frozen corn, frozen peas, radishes, sugar snap peas, snow peas, green beans, tofu (rarely), tahini, mustard, agave nectar, herbs and spices, mint, lemons, limes, breads (whole wheat, rye, multigrain), mushrooms, yellow onions, sweet onions, red onions, garlic, avocado, pears, oranges, grapefruits, sunflower seeds, brocolli, pineapple, peanuts, peanut butter, almond butter, nutritional yeast, artichokes, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, zuchini, summer squash, butternut squash, acorn squash, buttercup squash, white potatoes, red potatoes, flax seed (ground, its great for digestion), chipotle chilis with adobo sauce, celery, cabbage, olives, bananas, hummus, pita bread, chocolate, cilantro, parsley, basil, chives, collard greens, baby spinach, chia seeds, oats

This is not a complete list, but it's what I could think of off the top of my head. Just like any omnivor, theres a lot vegans can eat. And I didn't even include the processed stuff we can eat, like baked beans, crackers, and some junk foods.

Tips:
1. Make a bowl of rice, beans, and corn with various dressings - try my Ginger Lime Dressing, Tahini Lemon Dressing, or Honey Mustard Dressing
2. Cooking with dried beans is cheaper, but a can of beans shouldn't cost more than $1
3. When I mix beans and rice, I get three meals out of one can of beans
4. Don't throw a cabbage in a slow cooker
5. Canned tomatoes are really useful and you can get a can for $1
6. Grains are a good basis for everything. I throw them into salads
7. Frozen veggies and canned goods are great to keep in the house because they keep well and are great in a pinch. For example, sometimes I really want veggies, but I don't feel like cooking much. It's easy to thaw out some frozen corn for a snack or a quick side dish.
8. Eat leftovers. They're great to bring for lunch to work or school. It will save you time and money.
9. Buy whole carrots, wash, don't peel. They taste better that way. If you prefer your carrots smaller, like baby carrots, just chop up big ones.
10. It's cheaper and healthier to dip veggies in hummus than to dip pita chips.
11. If you like granola, don't buy it, make it! Most store bought granola's actually aren't vegan because they contain whey, which is a milk product. Fortunately though, it's really easy to make. Check out my granola recipe here.
12. If there are farm stands/markets around, try eating local seasonal foods. Stocking up on squash at the beginning of the fall is great!
13. To make shopping inexpensively easy for myself, I make a really simple list. And choose only a select number of foods to buy. Currently I eat mostly quinoa, rice, beans, carrots, spinach, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples, peanut butter, green beans, toast (I get the day olds from a bakery down the street), and homemade salad dressings. I drink, water, tea, and soy milk.
14. ONE OF MY MOST IMPORTANT TIPS, This is simple but it wasn't obvious to me at first because I'm used to cooking for a family and now I cook only for myself. Make up some plain rice or quinoa. Keep it in the fridge and for every meal take only a serving of the grain and add whatever you want to it. If you take a whole batch of rice and make only one thing with it, you'll get bored. Yesterday I had a batch of quinoa in the fridge. For lunch I added chickpeas olives and spinach with a honey mustard dressing; for dinner I added kidney beans, corn, and peas with a tahini lemon dressing.

Other thoughts:
1. Nuts are expensive, but their cheaper in bulk. They provide protein, fats, and lots of calories. They may cost more, but you don't need to eat a lot of them to be full and well fed.

2. Meat costs a ton of money. Even if you don't go veg, limiting the amount of meat will save you a lot of money.

3. You can get everything you need on a vegan diet (the only thing to be concerned about is vitamin B12 deficiency, but you can get that in fortified soy milk and some cereals)

4. If you're still worried about protein, despite eating beans and nuts, and you want to be vegetarian, but not vegan, try eliminating all animal products except eggs and yogurt. Eggs are really cheap, and there is something about yogurt that is gentler on the stomach than say milk or cheese. I find if i eat much dairy I feel sluggish but yogurt doesn't do that as much.

5. Check out the nutrition facts of quinoa

5. Drink lots of water.

Tahini Lemon Dressing

Tahini Lemon Dressing
3 Tbl tahini
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 Tbl lemon juice (approximately 1-2 lemons)
3 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl water
1/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

If this sounds good, check out my Kale Salad with Tahini Lemon Dressing. A recipe for croutons can be found there as well. 

To make the dressing richer, replace water with more olive oil. I often do that, but this recipe has a butt load less calories. Tahini is basically sesame seed butter so it's already packed with tons of oil.

Tahini is also used in hummus. I'll post a hummus recipe soon.


Note about tahini: I"ve always used joyva brand because thats what my mom uses. There are other brands out there, but this one is definitely good. TIP: If you buy it, it doesn't need to be refrigerated until it is opened. If it's sitting in your cabinet for a while before you open it, turn it upside down so the stuff doesn't get so stuck to the bottom. When you do open it, mix well, blending the pasty stuff and the oily stuff because they do end up separating after a while.

Pumpkin Muffins

It's fall!

And honestly, I love all four months of the year pretty equally, but there's just something about fall that I absolutely melt for. There's something I can never get over about the season. I don't know if its the fresh picked apples, the hot mulled cider, snugging in massive piles of blankets, or walking through an ocean of crunchy brightly colored leaves while breathing in that crisp fall air. Maybe it's just that fall smell.

Whatever the reason, or reasons for that matter, fall just makes me all warm and cozy feeling. And, of course, that feeling makes me gravitate towards the kitchen. You get all these great flavors to work with, like apple, squash, pumpkin, corn, ginger, potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg.

One of my favorites is apple. I live in New England, and apples are kind of a big deal here. ..Like a really big deal. We do everything apple: apple pie, apple sauce, apple cider, apple cobbler, apple crisp, caramel apples, apple cider donuts, apples with peanut butter, apple cinnamon oatmeal, just plain apples; and the list goes on.

But that's not what I'm going to talk about.

Today, I want to talk pumpkin. The thing about pumpkin and squash is that you can keep them forever.  And by forever, I don't mean a couple weeks. I mean a really really long time. And when you do decided to cut them open, they're packed with nutrients, flavor, aroma, and they're really filling. And to make it even better, there are a million things you can do with them. One of my favorites is squash soup. It's really yummy. You can find one version of my squash soup here.

But the recipe I really want to share with you today is vegan pumpkin muffins. I make them every fall. A few times every fall. And sometimes during other parts of the year. And you know what's crazy? I use canned pumpkin for them. I never use canned pumpkin. Growing up, my mom and my grandma told me to never use it. In my family we make our pumpkin pies from scratch and that's just how it is and how it always will be.

In my opinion, the canned stuff doesn't have the fresh taste that a squash you cook yourself does. It doesn't have as nice a texture or flavor or smell. But this recipe uses canned pumpkin, and despite my family's rejection of even the concept of squeezing a squash into a can, we really love them. Although I would not put it in a pie, I think that the canned pumpkin works well in this recipe because it's used in muffins. Muffins are so completely different then a pie. Rather than a custardy filling. It's baked in with flour. It's just different, and it works. So I won't argue.

And in fact, I've never tried this recipe with fresh pumpkin, because I'm so satisfied with the canned stuff. Plus it is a little less time consuming. And although I would like to try it with fresh pumpkin when I get around to it, I think I'll probably stick with the canned stuff for this recipe.

So here it is. I hope you like it. I hope they make you feel warm and cozy inside. They're really delicious paired with hot mulled cider. And if you've never experienced fall in New England, you should definitely visit.

Pumpkin Muffins
3.5 cups flour
3 cups sugar
2 Tbl baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 can pumpkin puree (get the puree NOT the pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup soymilk (I prefer unsweetened)
1 cup canola oil
4 Tbl molasses

1. Preheat oven to 400 bake
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
3. In a larger bowl mix all wet ingredients
4. Slowly mix dry into wet ingredients. Let sit for a few minutes
5. Meanwhile, grease and flour muffin tins, or use those little cupcake/muffin papers
6. Scoop batter into pans, filling each cup 2/3 of the way
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until a toothpick can be stuck in the middle and come out clean.
8. Remove from oven and let sit for 4 or 5 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack. 

Roasted Green Beans, Onions, and Garlic with Balsamic Vinegar

This roasted green bean recipe is one of my family's all time favorites. It's wicked easy to toss together and tastes amazing. It's a great side dish; I love to pair it with roasted potatoes and a veggie burger. And it's also a great dish to bring to parties because you can really eat it with anything.

And what is really awesome about it, is you don't need your green beans to be absolutely perfectly fresh. Often when using green beans, whether steaming, blanching, eating fresh, or whatever else you might like to do with them, you probably want to use them within a day or two of buying them. Seriously, they really don't keep all that well. But, because with this recipe, because they get baked for half an hour, you can use green beans you've had sitting around for a few days (just remove any icky ends).

Hopefully I'll get a picture posted soon, because they come out real pretty (another reason to bring them to a potluck). I just need to find some time to get to the grocery store.

FYI: I serve them hot, but they're also awesome room temperature and cold. On the rare occasion that there are leftovers, I don't bother to heat them up.

Roasted Green Beans, Onions, and Garlic with Balsamic Vinegar
1 lb green beans - washed, trim off any icky or dry ends, and dry off excess water
1 onion - sliced into half rings
4 - 6 cloves garlic - pealed and sliced
3 T olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

1 - 2 T balsamic vinegar
generous grinding of black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 bake.
2. Clean the green beans, peal and slice the onions and garlic.
3. Put green beans, onions, garlic, salt, and oil on a baking tray, and mix them around, coating everything in the oil.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes, mixing around occasionally. Taste to see if you like the balance of soft and crunchy
5. When you like what you've got, transfer them to a bowl and toss with vinegar and pepper.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Vegetable Fajitas

This is unwrapped so you can see the yummy goodness inside

The recipe that follows is one of my absolute favorite vegan meals. Having found it shortly after going vegan, I've been hungrily making it for years, and I honestly don't think I could ever get sick of it.

Growing up, I always loved Mexican style food. So when I cut meat and cheese out of my diet I felt at a bit of a loss. Most of the recipes I knew contained meat, and even if that didn't and were more beans and rice based, it still felt weird to leave out the cheese and sour cream which I so habitually considered a fundamental aspect of anything remotely Mexican. 

So, when I was first vegan, and craving such foods, I felt at a loss. It was this grilled portobello mushroom and vegetable fajita recipe that saved me. It takes a few steps and a little chopping, but the results are truly worth it. The marinade gives the vegetables a zesty tang and grilling them under the broiler makes them nice and juicy while keeping a soft crunch. Topped with salsa, guacamole, and jalapeno peppers on a warm tortilla these fajitas are packed with flavor while keeping a fresh veggie taste.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Vegetable Fajitas
6 Tbl balsamic vinegar
6 Tbl olive oil
4 Tbl freshly chopped parsley or cilantro
4 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 tsp salt
generous grinding of black pepper (I know I always say generous - in this case maybe about 1/4-1/2 tsp)
4 or 5 portobello mushrooms
4 red bell peppers (green, yellow, orange, or any other color of bell pepper also works. I just like red)
2 onions (sweet, vidalia, or red)
flour tortillas

In a large bowl mix the vinegar, oil, parsley or cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper. On the side, chop the veggies into strips. Add the veggies into the marinade bowl and mix around, coating evenly. (Sometimes I like to split the marinade into two bowls, putting the peppers and onions into one and the mushrooms into another, so I can better control their individual cooking in the oven, but this is not necessary.) Set this aside and let veggies marinate for at least 15 minutes. Set the oven to broil, with the rack up high. After they marinate, spread the veggies on trays and broil for 5-10 minutes, then mix around and broil for another 5-10 minutes (I find the timing of this to be very different for different ovens, so keep an eye on it). Warm the tortillas. When the veggies are done, serve them onto a tortilla and add whatever toppings you like (I use salsa, guacamole and jarred jalapeno peppers). wrap up and eat.

Note: If you would like to make it more spicy, try adding 1 or 2 hot peppers (sliced) into the mix while marinading and broiling your veggies. I've never tried this, but I think it would be a good idea. I guess that just means I'll have to try it soon. Yum!

Super Quick Spaghetti Sauce

So this recipe might need a little tweeking. I've been meaning to post it forever, but because it's one of those things where I just toss a bunch of things in a pot, I keep forgetting to measure the ingredients out. 

But today, my mom asked me to write out a spaghetti sauce recipe for my dad who hasn't made any in a while and would like a guide. 

What follows is what I came up with while sitting on the couch in my living room so as for proportions, I'm not positive. So, use this as a guideline and nothing more.

Next time I make sauce, I'll try to remember to measure my ingredients and I'll post them for you here as an update. As for now, I hope you like this. UPDATE: Tried it like this, and it tastes good to me!

A few suggestions: 
- Instead of using an onion, you might want to try using tomato paste...brown it (meaning heat oil, dump the past in the pot and mix it around while it browns. it'll take 10-15 minutes i believe)
- It can cook pretty much any length of time. i usually have it going for an hour but half an hour is fine too.
- This is a great way to use up some wine that you bought and don't like
- There's a good chance that you'll want to use more herbs than I recommend. Because I'm just estimating, I was not at all generous with my herb proportions. When I actually cook, I am. 
- Roasted veggies go excellent mixed in (asparagus is my favorite)
- Remember to adjust to taste.
- I like to serve it over whole wheat pasta
- If you're vegan (yay!) and you miss having cheese on your spaghetti, try adding some nutritional yeast on top. I wouldn't add it directly into the sauce though if you're serving other people.

the ingredients are italicized

Quick Spaghetti Sauce
heat olive oil in pan on medium heat.
chop one onion and toss in to saute
mash two cloves garlic and saute with onion
chop up two cans of tomato and add once onion and garlic is sauteed
add dry vermouth, about 3 Tablespoons (you could also use red wine, redwine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar)
add 1 Tablespoon sugar
add salt and pepper to taste (i never measure this, but use a good amount of pepper)
1-2 tsp hot pepper flakes
2-3 teaspoons each of dried basil and oregano
1 bayleaf
2 teaspoons fennel seed
Mix it all together, bringing to a plop plop boil and then turn down to simmer and cover (for about an hour)
chop some fresh parsley or basil to add in at the end

Salty Chickpea Snacks

When I tell people that I'm vegan, I often get the responses: what do you eat?!! and where do you get your protein??!!

Well, there are a million things I can eat and plenty of places to get protein, such as nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes (beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils, etc). One of my favorite places to get protein is chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). They are so packed with nutrients we want, like protein, calcium, and iron. And they taste fantastic, so of course I use them a lot; from eating them raw on a salad to smashing them up to put in my homemade veggie burgers. 

For years I've been munching on them as a snack, but although I liked having them as a snack, they never filled the void when I wanted a snack like chips or pretzels. Now, I'm not a health freak that is completely against ever eating junk food. And I'm not shunning it because I'm afraid I'll get fat (but it will do that to you). I still eat it once in a while, but the high oil content and whatever else is put in it always makes me bloated and gives me stomach aches. So, although I never ate much junk food at all, my consumption of it has still managed to declined drastically over the last few years to practically none. 

But I was raised in a culture that likes its junk food, so sometimes I do crave it. I swear the stuff is addictive. Like, if I eat something processed with added sugar one day, the next day I feel like I could eat out a candy store. I don't even like candy! Or chips! But I still crave them occasionally, and if i dare buy them I'm probably going to eat the whole bag. 

So when I found that people baked chickpeas with spices and salt turning them into a yummy and healthy snack, I was psyched. They are crunchy, salty, and flavorful. They remind me a bit of wasabi peas. And I definitely like them better than the chips I can buy in the store. I know they're not exactly chips, but I think they are a great substitute. 

Chick Pea Snacks

1 can chickpeas

1 Tbl olive oil

about 2 tsp of a spice or spices (I like to use hot paprika, but you could use curry or thyme or maybe something sweet - experiment!)

a bunch of shakes of salt (add a few shakes at a time and adjust to taste)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced in half or in thirds

preheat oven to bake 400. Put all ingredients on a cookie sheet (with sides so the chick peas don't roll off) and mix around, coating the chickpeas evenly and adjusting the spices to taste. Stick in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes.

If you want to use dried chickpeas instead of canned, remember that they are not as salty, so when you're soaking them add some salt to the water. ...To use dried chickpeas, soak them in water over night and then rinse them and cook them in boiling water for about an hour. If you don't have that much time, boil water, turn off and add dried chickpeas. let sit for a few hours and then rinse them and cook in boiling water for an hour. The reason to use dried beans instead of canned is that they are much cheaper. But remember, after you cook them, don't just leave them in water for days, they will go bad pretty quick. Drain them, used them, or store them in the refrigerator (if you'll use them soon) or freeze them.

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Growing up I, like most kids, absolutely loved mac and cheese. On Christmas Eve my grandma always made it herself, but most of the year we ate the box kind. The kind that comes with a packet of powdered cheese stuff, and the elbow pasta gets sort of mushy. 

Even when I got into my early teens, went vegetarian, and became a health nut, I still ate that box mac and cheese. Have you ever had one of those moments where despite eating healthy you just cave in and eat a whole bag of chips or a massive ice cream sundae or drink your body weight in soda just because? Well, for me mac and cheese was one of those undeniably unhealthy meals that I occasionally gorged on. 

So you can probably guess that when I went vegan and stopped consuming dairy I was a little heart broken that I could no longer indulge a little with a bucket sized bowl of mac and cheesy goodness. I mean, seriously, take away the cheese, milk, and butter and all you have left is mushy pasta, and that's just not very satisfying. 

At that point in time, I figured I had given up mac and cheese for life. I looked a plenty of recipes for vegan versions, but none of them looked particularly appetizing. I'm not really into those fake cheeses you can find at the supermarket. Other recipes called for silken tofu, nutritional yeast, and a bunch of other things. Although I love firm tofu, I haven't had much success cooking with silken tofu, so I ruled that out quickly, and nutritional yeast sounded weird (apparently a couple decades ago it didn't taste as good) so I didn't bother trying that either. And I wanted a simple recipe, so I refused to try recipes with ingredient lists that went on forever. 

However, about a year ago, I finally decided to give nutritional yeast a chance, and I quickly grew to love it. It's so nutritious and absolutely delicious. So I finally decided to try using it to make a vegan version of mac and cheese. 

But still unsatisfied with the recipes I found, I created my own. Looking back on it now, I should've just done that in the first place. After all, thats what I usually do, but oh well. 

So anyway after a little experimentation I came up with this recipe, which I love. If you're thinking this is stupid because it's not really mac and cheese without cheese, well you're right, but be that as it may please try it regardless, with an open mind. I've had plenty of non-vegans try it and they've liked it.

The recipe is super simple. What I think makes it really good is the spagetti sauce and the pepper. The sweetness of the tomatoes along with the tang of the pepper seems to really enhance the cheesy flavor of the nutritional yeast. 

And one (or maybe 3) last thing: the ingredients, like all my recipes are really flexible. They are just guidelines. Don't be afraid to experiment. I think experimentation is the key to becoming a good cook. Also, I use whole wheat pasta. I think it tastes better. If you use white pasta the proportions of ingredients might also change. I'll try using white pasta soon and post a recipe for that if i think it drastically changes proportions. 

Vegan Mac and Cheese
1 box of whole wheat pasta
1/4 cup vegan margarine (I use earth balance)
1/2 cup soy milk (I prefer unsweetened)
2-3 Tbl nutritional yeast (the amount I use depends on my mood the day I'm making it, so try two, if thats not enough add another - simple)
7-8 Tbl spagetti sauce (I'll add my recipe for this soon)
salt (I've never measured it. try about 1/2 tsp. maybe it needs a little more. I tend to make things low sodium, but salt really brings out other flavors in foods)
a generous grinding of pepper
chopped fresh parsley as a garnish - about 2 tsp per serving

cook and drain pasta. put back in pot and mix everything else together except parsley. serve and garnish with parsley.

Extra things you might want to add: freshly chopped tomato and/or basil

NOTE: If you like my recipes but never know how much salt and pepper to use let me know and I'll actually measure it out. I just never have and always forget to because I get in the zone when I'm cooking and forget that I should measure salt and pepper rather than just shaking/grinding them into the pot until I'm satisfied. But if you want me to measure them I will.

Pasta With Tomatoes & Basil

Yum!

I love pasta. It's such a quick thing to cook up and so cheap. Often if I'm serving dinner for friends I'll make pasta because it's an affordable and fun way to feed a bunch of people.

There are a bunch of things to do with it from making a pasta salad to making your own sauces or, my newest discovery (thanks to a friend's family), grilling it. So I'm surprised I have not posted a recipe with it before now.

I hope to soon have more pasta recipes up, but for now, in the spirit of summer, I would like to introduce you to my favorite summer pasta recipe. We call it pasta with tomatoes and basil, and it's probably our most common meal in the summer, especially during August when all the tomatoes in the garden are finally ripening.

Years ago, we found a recipe similar to this in one of our favorite cookbooks, Still Life With Menu (if you're looking for a great vegetarian cookbook you should really check this one out). Our version of the recipe is now quite different than the one from the book, but it served as great inspiration. Originally the recipe called for much more oil than I now use and chunks of brie cheese. We immediately cut down the oil content and started using havarti cheese instead of brie (I honestly can't remember why we made this substitution) and grated parmesan.

However, once I became vegan, I started to make it without cheese, and it still tastes amazing. I think it's even better this way actually. To me the cheese is unnecessary and just makes the meal feel heavier in my stomach, so I don't hesitate to leave it out. What I've started doing instead is adding red chili pepper flakes, but really the meal is great as is.  NOTE 1: I like to use whole wheat pasta rather than white. It's good, so if you haven't tried it yet, I strongly encourage you to.  NOTE 2: When I don't have fresh tomatoes I use canned. You'll need almost a whole can, with the juice drained off.

Pasta with Basil and Tomato

1 box of pasta

2 - 4 tomatoes (presuming you have large tomatoes. you'll need more if they're small)

1/3 cup chopped basil (approximately)

2 cloves garlic mashed

salt to taste

a generous grinding of black pepper

2 Tbl olive oil

a couple shakes of red pepper flakes (optional)

cook and drain pasta. while it cooks mash garlic with a little bit of salt in a bowl. chop tomatoes and basil and add to bowl. add cooked pasta, oil, and pepper. Serve!

Big Pickling Cucumber vs Normal Size Pickling Cucumber

Cucumber Salad

If you grow cucumbers in the summer, you'll know that even one plant can produce a lot. If you have a few plants, you'll pretty quickly have piles of them. So what should you do with all those cucumbers?
In my opinion, its obvious: make a cucumber salad!

This cucumber salad recipe is one of the simplest things I've ever learned to make. It takes little time, and even less effort. It will use a bunch of cucumbers, and you will probably gobble it down fast, but it will add such a simple, clean, and fresh vegetable aspect to your meal. And all you need for ingredients are cucumbers, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar. Crunchy, sweet, salty and tangy all at once, it really packs a punch.

To emphasize the wonderfulness of this recipe, I would like to point out that it's been passed down in my family for years. That longevity must be a sign of it's high quality in flavor, right?

Actually, I have absolutely no clue where it was originally from, but I learned it from my grandmother, who learned it from her grandmother. My whole life my grandma, whom I am very close too especially when it comes to food, has told me stories about her grandma, Grossmutter (German for Grandma), while we work in the kitchen. Although I obviously never met Grossmutter, who died long before I was born, many of her recipes like this one, or the stollen we bake every Christmas, will always be near and dear to my heart. And fortunately for me, this particular recipe is vegan!

IMPORTANT: The number of cucumbers you use for this recipe all depends on size. If they're big use less, if small use more. The proportions really aren't fussy at all, so don't worry too much. Either way the salad, as a side dish, will probably serve about four people. Also, read the recipe directions. It's not one of those recipes where you just toss everything together. There are steps.

Cucumber Salad
4 - 8 cucumbers
salt
water to rinse salt off
1/4 cup cider vinegar (any kind would work though)
more water (1/4 cup)
1 Tbl sugar

Slice cucumbers thin, layer with salt, let stand for at least a half hour, rinse a few times to wash off excess salt, squeeze hard (like really hard) to get water out.  Dress with 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar.

My Friend's Blog

My friend just started a food blog too. Check it out here:

http://foodwhatnot.blogspot.com/

Tomato - Brandywine / Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I've been eating home grown brandywine tomatoes my whole life. They are a wonderful flavor packed heirloom tomato. With a beautiful pink blush, they have a perfect balance of sweet and acidic.  Large and meaty, they are great for slicing and chopping.

Brandywine tomato

One of my favorite things to make with tomatoes is cucumber and tomato salad. I often make it with tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet onions, basil, red wine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. 

The salad pictured below is made of one brandywine tomato, a few cherry tomatoes, five small pickling cucumbers, a splash of olive oil, a tablespoon chopped basil, salt, and freshly ground pepper. The tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil were fresh from the garden. In this particular version left out the vinegar and onions, so as to fully savor the pure freshness of the tomatoes and cucumbers. It was fantastic.

If you are dressing a salad like this a good base ratio of vinger to oil is 2:1.  And if you can, use olive oil. 

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Last night I had this salad served alongside quinoa topped with steamed kale with a honey mustard dressing.  My family also grilled shrimp that had been marinated in a margarita marinade (made with tequila, triple sec, lime, garlic, salt, pepper and oil I believe). The shrimp is not vegetarian, but I know not all of my readers are vegetarian either, so I figured I would mention it. 

Yummy Lunch - Quinoa and Steamed Kale Salad

I just had an absolutely delicious lunch. I wish I took a picture, but I was too hungry and excited to eat it to bother...I guess that just means I'll have even more reason to make it again.

Anyways, here's what I had: quinoa topped with steamed kale, blanched green beans, fresh cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh basil, and honey mustard dressing. The kale, green beans, tomatoes, cucumber and basil all came from my garden.

UPDATE: Here's a photo of the salad when I made it again. Instead of using cherry tomatoes I used a small Black Krim tomato. Also, you can't really see the quinoa in the photo, but it's there. I used about 3/4 of a cup of quinoa in this salad, but everything else is piled high on top.
One more thing, I ate this as a full meal. The picture is of one serving. It really does have a lot of body to it because quinoa is such a great source of protein and other good stuff. But it also would work well as a side dish.
Hope you enjoy!

Tomato - Black Krim

Here's a picture of a variety of tomato that we're growing for the first time. It's called a black krim. This summer we're growing five varieties of tomatoes.

It was sweet and very low acid... Absolutely delicious.

Here's a picture of the cucumber, tomato, and basil salad I make (chop them up and add a little bit of olive oil and red wine vinegar 1:2), made using black krim tomatoes and pickling cucumbers. These tomatoes have a beautiful dark inside.

Ginger Lime Salad Dressing

I absolutely love ginger. It's so fresh and spicy tasting, and it goes well in so many things, from stir fry, to pumpkin muffins (yes they are vegan and yes I will post a recipe soon), to candied ginger, or ginger beer (dark and stormys anyone?).

Sometimes I'll even munch on it raw.

So when my mom made a ginger salad dressing the other night, I almost melted. 

My mom is truly a salad dressing master. People always say she's wicked talented at this that or the other thing, and I agree wholeheartedly, but I think one of her greatest talents is making salad dressings. And this new ginger one was so fresh, spicy, sweet, and tangy all at the same time. So, if you like ginger, try it out and you'll see what I mean. 

Ginger Lime Salad Dressing

1 large clove of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

piece of ginger - grated and squeezed out juice = 1Tbl

3 Tbl lime juice

2 tsp agave nectar (if you don't know what this is, it kind of tastes like honey)

ground pepper

3 Tbl olive oil

mash garlic with salt. added everything else except oil. mix. add oil slowly while mixing. 

FYI: there are also a bunch of health benefits to eating ginger. I'll post about them soon.

I Like to Take Pictures of My Food

portabella mushroom burger (marinated, grilled and topped with fresh basil and tomato) on a whole wheat bun, with cucumber salad and corn

lettuce, kale, spinach, tomato, cucumber, onion, red cabbage, and blanched sugar snap peas, with a lemon mint dressing

portobello mushroom, pepper, and onion fajitas topped with guacamole and salsa

Awesome Granola Without Whey or Any of That Other Non-Vegan Stuff

Granola is mind blowingly delicious. It is one of those foods like trail mix that just about everybody loves. It's sweet, crunchy, and packed with a million yummy flavors. It's great as a filling snack while hiking or as an addition on breakfast cereal.

It may be high in calories (all those nuts, dried fruits, and sugar), but other than that it's great, right?

I think so.

But when it comes to buying granola as a vegan, there is one fundamental problem: the majority of granolas sold in stores aren't actually vegan. I'm not quite sure why, but for some reason most store granolas have whey powder added into them. Maybe it's in an attempt to add a cheap source of protein so they can buff up their nutrition facts label, but honestly I don't see why they would need to do so when so many granolas are made with nuts (a great source of protein).

Whatever the reasoning behind this is, whey is a milk product and therefore not vegan. So it's unnecessary addition into granola really limits our choices.

Fortunately, with a few yummy ingredients and only a little bit of time, it's wicked easy to make homemade granola without any dairy. If you haven't ever made your own granola, or would like to try a new version, here's my recipe:

Awesome Granola Without Whey or Any of That Other Non-Vegan Stuff
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sliced almonds (or 1/2 cup whole)
1/2 chopped walnuts (I don't chop them much, just a little)
1/4 cup flax seed (I often grind them up - ground, they are really good for digestion)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce (I use unsweetened)
2 Tbl agave nectar (you could also use maple syrup or honey)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
5 cups old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except the cranberries and raisins. Spread onto baking sheet (you might need to use two). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are getting lightly toasted. Then mix it around on the sheet and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and add cranberries and raisins. 

Note: It's sweet, but not super sweet, so if you like sugar a lot, just add more. Also, like all the recipes I post (except for baked things like muffins or cookies) the proportions in the recipe are very flexible. If you don't have an ingredient, or don't like one, then leave it out or replace it.

Guacamole

Avocados are, in my opinion, truly amazing. They are so rich and creamy, and you can eat them a million ways, from plain, to in a salad or on a burrito.

Plus, they are packed with healthy nutrients. You know how complete proteins are important? Well, avocados have all the amino acids needed to form a complete protein. They also have healthy fats, which are important to any diet, and can sometimes be forgotten when eating a primarily vegetable-based diet. They also contain fiber, a lot of vitamin C and K, and a whole bunch of other wonderful things.

One of the easiest ways to use an avocado, and also one of my favorite foods, is guacamole. So here's my recipe. I hope you like it!

Guacamole
2 avocados mashed
1 Tbl lime (lemon also works, but I love limes)
1 small clove garlic pressed/finely chopped
1/2 tomato finely chopped
2 Tbl minced onion
pinch of ground cumin
2 drops hot pepper sauce
1 chili (i usually use little chili peppers, but tonight I used half a habanero, and it was awesome)
salt and pepper to taste

Just Some Stuff That Tastes Good

Bean salad - made with beans (black and kidney), quinoa, spinach, tomato, onion, celery,  chili powder, cumin, salt pepper - (basil would also be a good addition; or maybe some lime)

Potato Salad made with hummus instead of mayo (so it's vegan!) - also has celery, sweet onion, and radishes

Recipes will be posted soon-ish.

Honey Mustard Dressing

One of the biggest debates between vegans is whether honey is vegan. It is after all made by bees. However, made from the nectar of flowers, it is not an animal product in the same ways as say milk or eggs. But at the same time, bees can sometimes be harmed when humans retract the honey from their hives, and by taking the honey, we are stealing their food.

When I first went vegan, I did not think of honey as an animal product because it is made with a plant product rather than being produced naturally from their bodies. We do after all use other animals to help us produce things, like using cattle to pull plows to farm; in that sense, should we not eat farmed vegetables because animals helped in their production?

As of now, I can't know what ethical stance to take on the honey debate. For now I eat it occasionally. But I do make a compromise: generally I use agave nectar in place of honey.

Peony in my front yard

One thing that I do use honey for though is honey mustard dressing. I love honey mustard. It tastes so good on so many things, from salad, to steamed kale. So I'm posting a recipe, and hopefully you'll enjoy it. If you don't feel right eating honey, try it with agave nectar (you'll just need to up the proportion a bit because agave is not as sweet as honey). And if you have a favorite thing to put honey mustard dressing on, then please share in the comment section.

Honey Mustard Dressing
1/4 cup mustard
2 Tbl honey
3 Tbl cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
a generous grinding of pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 clove garlic

crush the garlic and mash with salt. add everything else, except oil and mix. add oil slowly while mixing.

My Garden

Radishes!

I have always loved gardening. When I was little, my mom had garden beds in the front yard, and I lived for the summer so I could watch the veggies grow. We always had tomatoes, and one of my favorite snacks was cherry tomatoes off the vine. My experiences in the garden when I was younger probably account for my everlasting love of food, especially vegetables. After all, watching those plants grow, seeing my food pop out of the earth was fascinating. And NOTHING could beat playing with the worms we found while sifting the compost (I still think worms are some of the coolest creatures).

A tomato

These days, my family has a big garden out back. But for years I've wanted my own space to grow things myself. So, this spring, my mom gave me some space in the front yard to make my own. It's not a ton of space, but I love it all the same. I have two garden beds currently containing: kale, basil, spinach,  radishes, carrots, beets, bush beans, cherry tomatoes, and hot peppers.

I feel that gardening is a wonderful experience for just about everyone. Maybe not everyone would enjoy it as much as me, or even at all. But I seriously fear that many people in our society are loosing a grip on the knowledge of where food actually comes from. Even if you do it just once, it feels so cool to stick a seed in dirt, give it water and some sun and have something grow. It's always so exciting. And I personally feel more connected to not only my food, but also the earth and where I came from, when I watch what I eat grow and when I know exactly where, when, and how it came to exist.

Kale. YUM!! (might possibly be my favorite veggie these days)

I would also like to add that my family (of four) produces a large percentage of the food we eat during the summer. There's something to harvest every day. Tonight we had a spinach salad with dinner, and alongside our kale based lunch I munched on radishes I'd pulled from the ground only minutes before. Gardening my whole life has given me a hobby, given me a passion for food (both eating and nutrition), taught me where my food comes from, and made me closer to my family. It's kind of awesome like that.

Flowers bring the bees, helping pollinate the tomato plants

More tomatoes!

Hi, I'm back!

Hi again,

I feel like I haven't posted on here in forever; probably because I haven't.

I would like to start off by saying that, I actually haven't been eating completely vegan for the past few weeks, which is most likely why I took a break from posting. I moved back to my parent's house for the summer, to do an internship a couple towns over, and to make life easier for my family I choose to try pescetarianism. For those of you who don't know what that is, its a diet very similar to vegetarianism except you allow yourself to eat fish (and unlike veganism, you eat dairy products).

Although my family eats very little meat, they still enjoy fish and do eat dairy. So, I figured I could make a compromise while I'm living with them. Long story short, it didn't work. And now, a month later, I'm back on my blog to finally post more thoughts and recipes.

I would also like to let you know that I'm currently doing an internship and taking a 4 week summer class, so for the next few weeks I might not get around to posting much, but all that will be done soon and I'll have free time again to write about food...my true passion.