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.

The Importance of Quality Food During Exams - AND What I Ate for Dinner Tonight

Today, I have reached a conclusion that I feel is incredibly important to the rest of my time as a college student and perhaps my future beyond that. Today, I have decided that the most fundamental key to doing well on the end of the semester work, whether it be exams or final papers, is to take the time to eat a healthy and complete meal.

I will be the first to admit that like so many of my fellow students, when it comes time for exams, I sometimes neglect the fact that I should be eating healthy. I throw my usual food habits out the window and scarf down whatever is easiest. But after breaking down and eating cheese with pretzels for lunch yesterday, and following that with a single tomato for dinner, I realized that I must change my ways.

So today, for breakfast, I had a pear and a bowl of cream of wheat (with soy milk); for lunch I ate a kale and spinach salad with some baked beans (yeah i know there's a lot of added sugar in canned baked beans, but they taste good, and at least have a ton of protein); and for dinner I made an actual meal. Because of this and the time I spent relaxing and enjoying my food, rather than eating on the run or at my desk writing papers, I feel a million times better. It really does make a difference in quality and speed of work.

And here's a picture too!

I really liked the meal I whipped up for dinner tonight, so I would like to show it to you. When I'm in a rush, I'm horrible at measuring and writing down proportions, so I will post a recipe another night. But here are the ingredients anyways:

In one dish: chickpeas, peas, tomato, curry, cumin, coriander, ginger, chili powder, hing, salt, pepper.

In the other: mostly green beans and ginger, but there was also a splash of tomato juice, curry, cumin, salt, pepper

Both were sauteed in oil on medium heat. Also, add the spices first after the oil has been heated up. It helps bring out the flavor.

I really loved this dinner, but I do feel like adding another dish to it would make it even better (the picture looks like it's missing something, doesn't it). However, tonight just wasn't the night. If I had more time though, I would have also made some Indian style bread. It's absolutely delicious and relatively easy to make, so I would definitely recommend making that as well.

Whatever you do choose to eat though, remember food is fuel; and healthier food will keep you going strong for longer. Therefore, it is worthwhile to take the time to make a quality meal, especially when you're busy.

Pancakes!

With the semester coming to a close, I have had very little time to cook. Over the last two weeks, I have been surviving mostly on peanut butter toast, cereal, corn, rice, apples, and spinich and kale salads. Fortunately, this is a relatively healthy diet, but this morning I work up with no bread, no cereal, and the desire for a treat. 

As you might already know, cooking for me produces not only yummy food, but also fun and entertainment; a way to de-stress. Therefore, taking a break from my work to make a nice breakfast was exactly what I needed.

So, this morning, I decided to make pancakes. I have always struggled with making vegan pancakes. Over the years, I feel like I have tried a million recipes, but they always either stick to the pan or crumble. 

This morning, however, I tried something a little different, something I should have tried before. And I realized that my flaw was simply over-thinking the fact that I must use a vegan recipe. This time, I instead used a classic, non-vegan, pancake recipe and simply substituted the eggs and dairy for vegan options (and no, i did not use store bought egg replacers; they're expensive, processed, and unnecessary). The cow milk and butter I replaced with soy milk and earth balance (a non dairy margarine commonly used by vegans), and the eggs I replaced with a mixture of water and ground flax seed.

When left to sit for a minute or two, the flax seed and water combo thickens; in baking this actually acts to hold everything together, like an egg does. Flax is also an incredibly nutritious seed, so using it has added health benefits (I also throw flax in my oatmeal). One important thing about flax seed though: in order to get its nutrients, you must grid it a little, otherwise it just passes through your system unscathed.

Now, as for syrup, I am a college student so I have none. So, I topped my pancakes with something a little different. I just sprinkled on some sugar and then drizzled on some agave nectar. But there are a million different toppings you could put on your pancakes, like powdered sugar, or fruit, so be creative, and enjoy!

Pancakes

1-1/2 Cup flour
1 tsp Salt
1-1/4 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbl water + 2 Tbl ground flax (replaces 2 eggs)
2 Tbl melted vegan butter
1 to 1-1/4 Cup soy milk.
2 Tbl sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove

mix all the ingredients together. heat pan and melt more butter in pan (earth balance is a margarine, because of this it burns at a lower temperature than butter from a cow, so keep the temp a little lower than you usually would, but still on medium heat). pour batter in pan. cook until there are some little popped bubbles on the top and the bottom looks good, then flip and cook the second side until that looks done. put on plate and top with your topping of choice

Green beans, Tomatoes, & Rice

It blows my mind that I did not post this recipe sooner, as it is one of my most frequented meals. This dish is one of the earliest foods I remember from growing up, and it is still near and dear to my heart. It is incredibly simple; practically as simple as its name. But it is packed with a sublimely lasting flavor.

When I was growing up, my mom actually did not always make this vegetarian. She often stuck to the original recipe which involved adding sauteed ground beef to give it more body and calories. However, when I went vegetarian in High School, we started leaving out the beef, because there was absolutely no way I was going to eliminate one of my favorite meals from my life. Following this change, I immediately realized that I loved the flavor of the dish even better without the beef. To me, it now tasted sweeter and fresher. That said, if you are not vegetarian I would actually suggest trying it both with and without meat, just for curiosity's sake.

I would like to note that I usually serve this dish over brown rice. However, there are a bunch of other options such as barley, cracked wheat, another type of rice, or a medley of grains.

Also, I would like to point out that this recipe is made with canned tomatoes, so I of course have some recommendations. If you are on a budget like me, I would recommend buying Pine Cone brand canned tomatoes. They are really yummy, while being much less expensive than other brands. However, if you want to buy fancy, organic, canned tomatoes I would suggest getting Muir Glen. They also taste fantastic.

Green beans and Tomatoes

1 can tomatoes

1 pound green beans

1/2 onion

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil for pan

Heat oil in pan. slice onions into semi circles, and saute on medium heat. Wash and snap off ends of green beans. Chop tomatoes and add them, along with the green beans, into pot (covering green beans with tomatoes as much as possible). Turn heat up to high. Add cinnamon and salt & pepper. Cover pan. Once it starts to boil, turn heat down to medium heat and uncover. Cook for about 45 minutes or until green beans are tender. Serve on rice.

Sun Iced Tea

As summer gets nearer, I crave iced tea more and more. It is one of those drinks that is so refreshing and soothing and cools you down on a hot summer day.

I personally love to go to an outdoor coffee shop, buy an iced tea, and sip it (or rather chug it) while relaxing at a table out in the sun. However, if I bought tea at shops as much as I wanted, I would be broke pretty quickly; which is why I usually make it myself. 

A lot of people when making iced tea at home will heat up water and pour it on the tea leaves, and then throw in some ice cubes to cool it down; or they make the same hot tea and stick it in the fridge and wait for it to chill. I'm not particularly fond of either of these methods because I feel that the tea either gets too watered down, or I sit around forever anxiously waiting for it to chill (and I waste electricity by continually opening the fridge to see if its ready yet). 

So, I would like to share with you other tea fanatics a simple and quick way to make our beloved summer drink.

1. Fill a big glass pitcher up with water from the tap (my pitcher holds about half a gallon)

2. Add a few ice cubes

3. Throw in some tea bags (I generally use about 5, but it's very flexible)

4. Add anything else you might like in your tea (slices of lemon or a sprig of mint perhaps)

5. Cover the top of the pitcher with a lid or some plastic wrap

6. Stick it out in the sun and go about your business

7. When you check back and it looks like tea, you're good to go! (it will take about an hour or two)

A glass I just put out a couple minutes ago. I added a slice of lime for fun.

Now that I am student, I unfortunately no longer have a big glass pitcher. So today when I woke up, with sun pouring into my room and a desire to drink iced tea on my back patio, I had to come up with a modified method of making iced tea.

This simplified student version of sun iced tea is actually even easier. I filled a pint mason jar with some water from the tap, threw in one tea bag, screwed on the top, and stuck it outside in the sun. It was ready within 10 minutes! I then tossed in one ice cube and I was all set.

It was this mason jar version of iced tea that inspired me to write this blog post today. As I sat on my patio I came to a wonderful realization. When I am out on the town or on campus between classes, I always want ice tea, but I hate buying it all the time. I felt at a complete loss. However, now I realize that if I throw a mason jar and a few tea bags in my backpack, I can make iced tea anywhere that I can get some running water and a little bit of sun. 

Happy Spring!

Pizza doesn't need cheese

Growing up, pizza was always one of my all time favorite foods. So, the first time I went vegan, I immediately feared that the lack of cheese in my diet would threaten my love of pizza. Fortunately though, today, pizza is still one of my favorite foods. The only difference is what specifically I put on it. My first vegan pizza had soy cheese, my second had almond cheese (definitely the way to go if you are looking for faux cheese - I've been using it on pizzas for years now); and last night, I eliminated "cheese" from my pizzas altogether. Instead I used nutritional yeast, a new favorite food of mine. It worked great, so I felt inspired to post my pizza recipe here. 

Oven temperature: 500 degrees
Cook time (in oven): about 10 minutes

Toppings: homemade pasta sauce, nutritional yeast, chopped fresh tomato, onions, olives, sun dried tomatoes, potatoes (sliced and boiled before being put on the pizza), hot sauce, oregano, and salt & pepper.

Dough recipe:
1 package active dry yeast (1 Tbl)

1 teaspoon granulated sugar 
2/3 cup warm water (105 to 115°F.)
1 2/3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoons table salt
¾ teaspoon olive oil

mix yeast and sugar and water in bowl; let sit until bubbles or froth appear (this means the yeast is active). mix in salt and oil. slowly add in flour, mixing. once the dough starts to form a good blob, plop it out on the counter and begin kneading. Knead for 5-10 minutes, until dough feels elastic-y, adding in more flour if needed. 

Possible alterations to dough recipe: sometimes I substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat flour, or add flax seed, or add sunflower seeds. 

To each their own salsa

Salsa is one of those foods that I think almost anyone can like. It can be paired with a million things, from chips to burritos (Or if you're like my dad, you can just eat it straight). And if you're not using salsa that's loaded with sugar, it can be really healthy.


Whatever your reasons for loving salsa, whatever brand you buy, recipe you make, whatever you pair it with, or don't pair it with, you probably have some love for salsa and some fond memories that involve the delicious concoction. ..I certainly do. And that is why I would like to tell you, very briefly, of my most recent salsa experience.


A couple days ago, my wonderful friend of many years, Meghan, invited me over to her apartment for chips and salsa after class. I was excited because, well, I really love salsa, and Meghan is getting pretty damn good at making it. SO after class, I went over to her place and she pulled a container of salsa out of the fridge that she had made the day before. It was fantastic. Then after sampling that, I helped her chop up some veggies while she made another, different, batch. This second batch was also incredibly yummy.


As I sat there, munching away, I really got to thinking about salsa. Meghan has a completely different way of making salsa than I do. Our salsas, although both flavorful and classically salsa, taste and look very different. She uses fresh tomatoes; I use canned. She uses yellow pepper; I use red. She adds avocado; I add cilantro and black beans.


This experience, along with many of my other salsa moments, made me realize how many variations there must be on the dish (a whole lot). And I thought, wow, wouldn't it be cool to travel around sampling salsas far and wide? For me, and I'm sure many of you, this dream is unfortunately not going to happen in the near future. So please, if you have a favorite salsa recipe, favorite brand, pairing of salsa and something else, favorite place to eat it, a good salsa story, a salsa philosophy, special ingredient, or anything else, please comment (or at least send me the recipe so I can try it). By sharing we can all have a salsa journey right here at home.


Here is my salsa recipe:

Salsa
1 can tomatoes (drain off juice into a separate container and then chop up tomatoes - if you were to use all the juice in the can, you're salsa would be too liquidy)

½ onion chopped

1 or 2 cloves garlic

½ red pepper chopped

4-5 jalapenos chopped

several dashes of hot sauce (I personally like a bunch of dashes)

1 lime juiced

1/3 - ½ can black beans

¼ cup frozen corn

¼ tsp of the following: chili powder and ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Tabouli

Ever since I was a little kid, tabouli has always been one of my all time favorite foods. It's probably one of the biggest reasons for my eternal love of veggies and for the basis of my philosophy that everything is better with parsley. 

Quick, delicious and nutritious, it can be eaten as a snack, a side dish for a meal, a topping in a yummy wrap or anything else your heart desires. I hope you like it!

Tabouli
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch mint
half bunch scallions (about 4)
1/2 cup cracked wheat
1 lemon squeezed (about 2 tablespoons juice)
2-4 Tbs olive oil (depending on mood; if I'm indulging I use 4)
1 clove garlic crushed
1 tomato (if you do not have a fresh tomato, you can substitute this with 2-3 canned whole peeled  plum tomatoes)
salt to taste

Boil about 1 cup water and pour on cracked wheat. Let sit while you chop up the parsley, mint, and scallions. Then drain the water off the cracked wheat. I like to squeeze it, to get excess water out. Then mix everything together and you're done!

My lunch (aka more kale)

I have come to the realization that some of my favorite meals are the ones that I have cooked when I had food sitting in the fridge in need of being used up.

I am going home for spring break today, so I needed to use up the perishable food I had laying around for lunch. The result was delicious.

Just throwing food in a pot, I of course did not really think about what I was making until it was done. So, unfortunately, I do not yet have a recipe, but I liked my lunch so much that I felt the desire to at least mention it here.

To start, I cooked up some rice, lentils, and split peas, which I had seasoned with a bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and sauteed onions & garlic. I topped that with a sauteed kale, mushroom, onion, chickpea dish cooked in a small amount of broth made from veggie broth, a splash of vermouth, mint, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, basil, and oregano.  (This broth actually tastes like a beef broth - or at least I think it does.)

Coming soon

Hi all,


Sadly, I am backed up on writing posts because it's mid semester, and I have to write about five papers a week. Fortunately for me, my spring break is in a week and a half, so, if I do not get too much homework over the break, I will soon be adding a flood of new recipes. These are a few of the recipes I hope to post within the next couple weeks:



- Tabouli
- Salsa
- Vegan Mac & Cheese
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Kale topping for spaghetti - I have not come up with a name for it, but last night, I made a pesto like dish, but instead of basil i used kale, and in place of cheese I used nutritional yeast (my newest love)
- also, my mom recently gave me a new lentil soup, which i hope to try soon. If I like it, I will post the recipe.


Happy cooking!
Diana

Something Sweet

If you have a sweet tooth, try this delicious apple muffin recipe:  http://happyherbivore.com/recipe/apple-crisp-muffins/

Kale Salad with Tahini Lemon Dressing

I would like to start this post by telling you that this recipe is still a work in progress. The first time I made it, a week ago, it was incredible. However, I was making up the dressing as I went along, and as you probably would agree, sometimes a new food creation is just a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

So, after gobbling up what I considered to be one of the greatest kale salads of all time, I decided to recreate it this evening; this time I planned to measure my proportions so as to turn it into a written recipe that can be referred to time and time again. Unfortunately, when I made the dressing tonight, although I still think it came out delicious, it was not exactly what I wanted.

That being said, I really love this salad and I do fully intend to make it again. But over time I plan to work on making the ultimate Tahini Lemon Dressing, which is why I am calling this recipe a work in progress. And by telling you this, I hope that I can employ your help. If you try this salad and want to give me your opinion on how I can hone in on making it awesome, please do give suggestions. I actually feel like my problem with the salad the second time around may be because I was working with much more bitter kale, so I'd like to see what others think. Also, I know the dressing has a high oil content, I plan to work on that as well. 

Now, to the recipe it self. Like many salads, this recipe is very simple. It consists only of kale, cucumbers, tomato, croutons, and dressing. I chopped the kale finely, sliced the cucumber into thin half moons, and diced the tomato. I also discovered that because kale is such a sturdy vegetable, it helps to put the dressing on it and let it marinate for a little while (15 minutes is probably enough) before eating it. The cool thing about a kale salad is that it can be dressed and sit around for ages without getting soggy like lettuce; it is therefore still super fresh and crispy the next day. 

Because I cook vegan, I had to make the croutons myself rather than buy them in a store; most store bought croutons have some form of dairy in them, such as milk powder, whey, or cheese. If the idea of making croutons seems absolutely absurd to you, then go for the store bought ones, but keep in mind, making croutons is incredibly quick and easy. I just throw some bread together with a bunch of dried herbs and saute them up in a frying pan with some oil for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. 

Salad
8 cups chopped kale
3/4 cup sliced cucumber
1 tomato diced
croutons & dressing

Dressing
3 Tbs tahini
2 cloves garlic, mashed
3 Tbl lemon juice
3 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl red wine vinegar
2 Tbl water
1/4 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Croutons - use dried herbs
2 slices of bread cut into crouton sized pieces (if its not stale then just toast it up and you're good to go)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (fresh garlic would be even better, but I felt like using the powder)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp crushed rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbs olive oil

My Kale!

Today was wicked exciting for me. My kale seedlings sprouted!

It was a total surprise when I found these tiny little plants peeking at me out of the soil. I only planted them on Tuesday evening, so I was not expecting them to sprout for 1-2 weeks. But here it is, Saturday afternoon, and they're already growing.

Part of my excitement also stems from the fact that I am growing these plants in a pot in my basement bedroom. More acquainted with growing vegetables directly in the ground, I must admit I am a little intimidated by the idea of potted kale. However, I guess that if there's dirt, water, and sunlight they should grow fine. In fact, so many seedlings are sprouting up that I may have to transplant some of them into another pot (I got a little enthusiastic about how many seeds I planted because I REALLY like kale).

But anyway, here's a picture of my kale!

If you want to learn a little more about kale, check out these articles:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4072/Why-Kale-Is-the-Koolest-Vegetable.html
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?dbid=38&tname=foodspice
This blog also looks great. It is all about kale and will give you a whole bunch of recipe ideas:
http://www.365daysofkale.com/

And if you find any good kale recipes, articles, or websites, please give me a shout. I'm always looking to learn more about this beautiful veggie.

Food Scraps

This is a pint jar, and those are the food scraps I made in just one day (I only managed a granola bar for lunch, so this is actually only two meals worth, and I'm probably going to have half a grapefruit for lunch, so put that into consideration too).

One person could easily make more than this. And over the course of the year, even one individual person's food scraps really build up. So please compost. Even if you are just one of seven billion people on the planet, it still does make a huge difference.

Almond "Cheesy" Spread

I made this vegan spread for the first time yesterday, and I love it. It's great because, being so quick and easy to make, it becomes a fast snack for on the go. This simple spread really dresses up an otherwise mundane piece of toast or cracker. The flavors that stick out the most to me are the almond butter and the nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast has a very unique flavor that many describe as cheesy. I don't know if I quite agree, but I have not yet come up with a better word for it.

Besides being delicious, textural, and creamy, this spread is also a vegan snack that is packed with nutrients. Although it does have a lot of calories, due to the almond butter and tahini, it is meant to be a spread, rather than eaten by the pound, so just keep that in mind. Besides, you will get a lot of food value packed into a small space.

Nutritional yeast, one of the major ingredients in this recipe, is a remarkably wonderful supplement for vegetarians and vegans. One thing I find particularly exciting about nutritional yeast is the level of vitamin B12 that it contains. B12 is a vitamin necessary for the human body's function and formation of red blood cells. It comes from the soil. However, most humans get it by eating animals or animal products; cows eat some soil along with their grass so the B12 ends up in their bodies and in their milk. Because they do not eat animals or dairy, some vegans subsequently become B12 deficient. Not getting enough B12 can lead to problems such as fatigue and anemia. Fortunately, there are plenty of foods out there that are fortified with this vitamin; nutritional yeast and soy milk, which can both be found in this recipe, are two of those foods. (Check out the nutrition facts of nutritional yeast here: http://www.bulkfoods.com/nutritional_yeast.htm)

Also, for the older crowd (and don't worry that doesn't mean I think you're old), if you tried nutritional yeast a few decades ago and didn't like it, please don't completely rule it out. Before I first tried it, my mom told me that, although it was popular back in the 70s, she never liked it. Well, it seems that the flavor has improved a lot since then. Seeing as I am only 21, I obviously cannot attest to the flavor of nutritional yeast in the 70s, but I think my mom likes it much more now. She did like this spread after all. :)

Almond Cheesy Spread

1 cup almond butter

1/4 cup soy milk

2 Tablespoons tahini

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. If you want it to be a little creamier, try adding a bit more soy milk. Store in refrigerator. Lasts about a week (unless you eat it faster!)


P.S. If you try this and think it should have a different name or you come up with a good word to describe the flavor of nutritional yeast, please share!