Can't Be Beet Chocolate Cake!

[Please allow me this one cutesie title, and I promise not to do it again (fingers crossed secretly behind back).]

That's no misspelling you see in the title. I actually made chocolate cake yesterday and put beets in it. And, if you're asking (as my husband D. did) Why?, then I'll tell you as I so eloquently told him, Just because.

Just because I had a single solitary beet in the fridge and I wanted to get rid of it. Just because beets are one of "10 Super Foods to Use in Your Recipes." But primarily just because I vowed to get E. to eat beets and like them!

And...it worked! I watched as she finished her piece of cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce, and just as I was about to inform her of the secret ingredient, she looked up at me, reading my mind as only a child can, and said, "Hey, what happened to that yucky red stuff you were cooking?" "It's in the cake," I said, with only a hint of evil glee. "Cool," she said, and brought her plate to the sink.

Well, that was a let-down. But the cake wasn't. It's very dark-cocoa tasting, with no hint of the beet about it. It's not terribly sweet, so probably next time I'll add a bit more sugar. And I'll put it in a smaller pan, or perhaps in two 8-inch round pans. But it's definitely a keeper--and a slick way to get whole wheat flour and beta carotene into your loved ones.

Beet Chocolate Cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce

1 large beet
water
unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and dice one large beet. Place the pieces in a saucepan with water to cover and boil until soft. (I've heard that you can buy canned beets, so you may want to skip this step--and the resulting red hands--by using pre-cooked beets.) Allow the beets to cool, and then drain them, reserving the red water for another purpose. Put the drained beets into the food processor with 1/4 cup (clear) water, and process until pureed.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil or spray your cooking pan(s).

Put the pureed beets into a 2-cup measure. Add enough apple sauce to reach the 2-cup line. Add the 2 tablespoons water, vanilla extract, and apple cider to the beets and mix well.

Mix the dry ingredients together; then add the beet mixture and stir until well-combined. Bake for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of pan you use: more for small, deep pans and less for a 9X13 pan. (I used a 9X13 pan, and it took 35 minutes.) Test by inserting a toothpick into the center; it's done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce

1/2 of a 12-ounce package lite, firm silken tofu
1 banana
2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
1/4-1/3 cup agave nectar, to taste
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, so it's best to give it time to chill if you plan to sandwich it between layers of cake. (Just for fun, the next time I make this, I'll add a couple of drops of the beat juice to it to give it a slightly pink color.) Serve over cake.

This was such a hit that this morning as I was packing her lunch, E. said to me, "Mom, put some of that beet cake in. I want to eat my veggies!"

For more antioxidant-rich recipes, check out Sweetnicks' weekly round-up of nutritious recipes.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free ARF/5-A-Day

Winter Squash Stew with Pinto Beans and Corn

I still had half a butternut squash left from when I made the Winter Ragout, so last night I decided to make this Winter Squash Stew, which Courtney had posted on the Fatfree_Vegan email list. Courtney is a great finder, adapter, and writer of fat-free, vegan recipes, so I was certain that anything she had posted was sure to be a winner--and I was right!

You'll notice that I adapted this recipe, but not because of any problem with the recipe. The first adaptation occurred because I didn't have a dried chili, as called for in the recipe. So I substituted about 1 tablespoon of chopped, canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. At least I think it was about a tablespoon. What I've been doing is this: whenever I open a new can of chipotle peppers, I invariably use only a small bit, so I've been chopping the remainder with a hand blender and freezing them in a freezer bag. When I need some for a recipe, I just break off a bit and add it. What I should have been doing is freezing them in ice cube trays in various amounts--teaspoons and tablespoons. But I've never been that organized, and I don't know where my old ice cube trays are! So I may have been a little off on my estimation of one tablespoon.

Anyway, that was the first adaptation. After all the ingredients were added, I checked the seasonings, and it was HOT. Now, my husband D. and I love spicy food, but our daughter E. seems to have been switched at birth with this child who can't tolerate heat. She's pretty adventurous where most foods are concerned, but she draws the line at spiciness. So I knew I couldn't serve her this stew unless I did something.

So what I did was add an extra can of pinto beans, an extra cup of corn, and a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste. And it was still spicy! But it was also very good. I didn't want to ruin the recipe in the process of taking out the heat, so I settled on a compromise: I mixed E's serving with about half a can of refried beans and some cooked brown rice, while D. and I ate ours "straight up." It worked perfectly! In fact, E. liked hers so much that this morning she had me make a burrito out of the leftovers to go into her lunchbox.

I'm going to write this recipe up just as I did it. Be careful if you don't like spicy foods, and be sure to check the original recipe to see how it's really supposed to be done.

Winter Squash Stew with Pinto Beans and Corn

3 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 large onion, diced
2 1/2 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon minced chipotle in adobo (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

Heat a large, oiled, non-stick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the squash and onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and the next 4 ingredients (1 cup water through chipotle); cover and cook 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add the corn and beans; cover and cook 15 minutes.

Thanks to Courtney for this recipe and for all the others she's submitted over the years. (And Courtney, I hope this didn't embarrass you!) :-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

It's Mardi Gras time again! I've been craving red beans and rice ever since last weekend, when my husband and daughter left me alone for some much needed quiet time while they went back to New Orleans for the first parades. They came home with loads of beads, doubloons, stuffed animals, and MORE beads, and I was left longing for my favorite childhood food, Red Beans and Rice.

Growing up in southeast Louisiana, I ate a lot of red beans and rice; in fact, Mondays were red beans and rice days in the school cafeteria, and while other kids complained about them and made fun of their lowly appearance, I secretly loved red beans. After all, the cafeteria ladies made real Louisiana red beans, highly seasoned and so well-cooked that it was hard to tell where the beans ended and the sauce began. My Alabama-born mother, on the other hand, cooked something she called red beans but wasn't. Oh, there were beans and they were red, each one fully intact and separate from its fellow beans in a bland sauce. This was not real Louisiana red beans and rice.

When I grew up and got my own kitchen, I was determined to cook my red beans the way they were supposed to be cooked: all mushy and full of spice. The first recipe I ever tried was from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen. It called for six large ham hocks and a pound of andouille sausage and wound up taking two Dutch ovens to hold it all. I'd never cooked a ham hock before, and it was impossible to find andouille sausage in southern Illinois, where I was in grad school, but I made do with Polish sausage. The recipe turned out knock-your-contacts-out spicy, but I loved it. It was real, melt in your mouth red beans.

That was many years and a couple of lifetimes ago. Over the years I adapted the recipe, first to reduce the amount of meat (I had no love for the ham hocks) and finally to eliminate it entirely. In the process I lightened up the recipe, made it easier to follow, and made it all fit into one pot.



Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice (Sans Animaux)
(printer-friendly version)

1 pound dry red kidney beans (if you're in Louisiana, only Camellia brand will do)
4 cloves garlic
1 very large onion (about 2 cups chopped)
4 ribs celery
1 large bell pepper (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4-1 teaspoon red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons chopped chipotle pepper, in adobo (this is not traditional but lends a smoky taste; substitute another tsp. of Liquid Smoke seasoning if you prefer)
1/2-1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
salt, to taste
cooked rice, to serve

Tip: Start off lightly with the red and black pepper and Tabasco sauce; you can always add more at the end.

Cover the beans with water 2 inches over beans and soak overnight. Or, bring beans to a boil for one minute, remove from heat, and soak for at least an hour. Drain beans and rinse.

Put the beans back in the pot and cover them with water 2 inches above level of beans. Put over high heat to begin cooking while you prepare the other ingredients.

You're going to want to chop the garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper very finely, and the fastest and best way to do this is in a food processor. I throw the 4 peeled cloves of garlic in first, and then add the onion, quartered, and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the pot on the stove, and then do the same thing with the celery and bell peppers, adding each to the beans. Add the remaining ingredients, except the salt and the rice.

When the beans reach a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring every now and then, until they are completely tender and falling apart. This can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, depending upon the age of your beans. (Add more water as necessary to keep them hydrated.) When they are completely tender, add the salt to taste, and check the seasonings. Add any additional spices you want, and cook for at least 10 more minutes, until sauce is thick and beans are disintegrating. Remove the bay leaves, and serve over rice.

Note: If your beans are old, they may never disintegrate, or at least not in time for dinner. What you have to do is take out a bunch of them, mash them up well, and add them back into the pot (or use a hand blender right in the pot). Then proceed as though they had fallen apart on their own. I won't tell anyone if you don't!

Throughout this whole procedure, you should have a nice glass of wine. The spirit of Mardi Gras will not be stopped! Throw me something, Mister! Et laissez les bon temps rouler! :-)

Looking for more Louisiana recipes? Try these:

Tofu Jambalaya
Mirliton and White Bean Stew
Stewed Okra and Tomatoes
Chickpea Gumbo (guest post at Veggie Venture)
Spicy Collards and Black-eyed Pea Soup
Creole Black-eyed Peas
Garden Gumbo
Seaside-Stuffed Mirlitons
Gumbo z'Herbes with Cajun Tempeh Bacon
Black-eyed Pea Gumbo
Stuffed Eggplants and Not-So-Dirty Rice
Eggplant Creole
Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans

Creamed Turnips

My experience with turnips has been very limited. I've had them diced in vegetable soup and in tiny cubes in frozen turnip greens, but I've never let them be the star of their own dish. That all changed last night when I prepared Creamed Turnips, and my life was forever transformed.

Well, that's a bit of an overstatement, but I do think I will be using turnips a lot more in the future. The truth is that I had been harboring a vague fear of them because of a very bad experience with the similar-looking rutabaga. That fear arose again last night as I was chopping the turnips because they have a certain sharp odor when raw. But once they were cooked, any sharpness was gone and what flavor was left was delicate and delicious.

I've veganized and de-fatted this recipe from one of Alanna's at Veggie Venture; she, in turn, lightened it up from Elise's, at Simply Recipes. So, if you're also a little scared of turnips, notice the fine pedigree that this recipe can claim and give it a try! It's worth it.

Creamed Turnips

Water to cover
1 pound turnips, peeled and quartered (I used 4 turnips)
3/4 cup plain, fatfree soymilk
2 bay leaves
2 whole cloves
2 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon cornstarch
salt to taste
Sprinkle pepper (I used black because that's what I have; white would be prettier)
Sprinkle nutmeg

Begin heating your water as you peel the turnips. When the water's boiling, add the turnips and cook until soft. This may take more or less time depending on the age of the turnips; mine took about 25 minutes.

While the turnips are cooking, put the soymilk into a microwaveable container and add the bay leaves, cloves, and peppercorns. (I strongly recommend using a clear glass container--you'll find out why when you try to fish those peppercorns out later!) Heat the soymilk until it is just beginning to bubble--I heated it for about 2 minutes, stirring every 15 seconds. Watch it, and don't let it boil over. (You can do this on the stove if you prefer.) Set it aside until the turnips are done.

When the turnips are soft, drain them and put them back into the pan or into a large serving bowl. Using a potato masher, mash them well but don't worry about lumps at this point.

Mix the 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth. Remove the bay leaves, cloves, and peppercorns from the soymilk, and add the cornstarch mixture, stirring as you add it. Put the soymilk back into the microwave (or onto the stove) and heat it, stirring often (at least every 15 seconds), until it's bubbling and thickened, about 2 minutes in the microwave. Add salt and pepper to taste and a sprinkling of nutmeg.

Add the sauce to the mashed turnips. At this point, I used my super-powerful hand blender (immersion blender) to puree it to creamy smoothness. If you don't have one, you can put the whole mixture into a food processor or blender and puree. Check the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper if needed, and serve with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top.

I could not believe how good this was! The combination of cloves and bay leaves gives the turnips a great flavor that's not overwhelming. My husband pronounced them "very good" and my daughter...well, let's just say that if you can let your kids believe that this is mashed potatoes, they'll probably accept it better. I'm not saying to lie to them or anything, but it was hard to get E. to taste it at first; I swear she would have loved it if she hadn't known it was turnips.

And here's some great news for those of you counting calories: 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe) contains 60 calories; 1g fat; 2g protein; 13g carbohydrate; 0mg cholesterol; 86mg sodium (if you don't add salt); and 3 g fiber. As I figure it, that's .5 of a point for you Weight Watchers. Those following the Eat to Live plan can count one serving as half of their starchy vegetable for the day.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free diet

Top 10 Sources for Veggie Living

I'm happy that this blog is featured on Top 10 Sources for Veggie Living, along with several other great veg. blogs such as Chris and Darlene's, Isil's, and Rae's. Check it out, and catch up on the latest posts from their blogs and 5 others.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Vegan Bibimbab

When I moved here from South Carolina a little over 5 years ago, I had no idea that what I would miss most would be the Korean restaurants and grocery stores available to me there. If I had known that there were no Korean restaurants anywhere near here--and only one grocery store in a town too far away to visit often--I would, at the very least, have stocked up on kochu chang (also spelled gochujang and gochuchang), the spicy pepper paste that gives my favorite Korean dish, Bibimbab (aka Bi Bim Bap), its characteristic flavor.

Bibimbab consists of a bowl of rice with several separately cooked vegetables served on top. For non-vegans, bibimbab includes meat among the toppings and a fried egg over the top, but my husband and I would often go to our favorite restaurant and ask that the meat be replaced with tofu and the egg eliminated. We'd also ask that the little side dishes served with each meal be vegetarian. If you have a chance to go to a Korean restaurant, try getting your bibimbab prepared dol sot--cooked in a heavy stoneware bowl, the rice becomes almost crispy along the bottom. (I've been searching for an affordable source of these bowls for years and haven't found it yet; since each one weighs about 5 pounds, mail ordering them is not very practical.) [Update 3/2/06--Found 'em!]

When I make bibimbab, I usually prepare about 4 or 5 toppings for the rice. The rice is mounded in a bowl, and each topping is arranged in a wedge radiating down from a dollop of sauce at the top. Last night I made what I called a "modified bibimbab" with just three toppings. Hey, we're lucky to have it at all on a weeknight!

The toppings that you see above are Baked Tofu, Mung-Bean Sprouts Salad, and Ginger-Garlic Bok Choi, the recipe for which follows:

Ginger-Garlic Bok Choi

6-8 baby bok choi (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. rice wine or sherry (optional)
sprinkling of toasted, crushed sesame seeds

Prepare the bok choi by washing it well and chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Splash a little of the water into a wok or deep skillet, heat, and throw in the garlic and ginger. Sauté for about 3 minutes and then add the bok choi and the remaining water and stir. Cover and cook until the bok choi is bright green and tender-crisp, about 4-6 minutes.

Remove the cover and add the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine. Stir and serve, sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.

---

In the process of making the vegetable dishes, I discovered that we were out of that most necessary ingredient, kochu chang (or gochujang), a hot chili paste that's considered one of the essential seasonings in Korean dishes. But, thanks to Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian, I was able to whip up a surprisingly similar-tasting substitute. So, if you can't find kochu chang in your area, here's what you do:

Kochu Chang Substitute

4-5 tbsp. red or brown miso
1 1/2 tbsp. red paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients together well.

My husband pointed out that this was less spicy than the real thing, so feel free to add more cayenne. To make the kochu chang into the sauce for the bibimbab, you will need to add (whether you're using real kochu chang or the sub):

2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. toasted and crushed sesame seeds

Many of the dishes that make up bibimbab can be made ahead and served either cold or at room temperature. So, if you're better organized than I am, you can easily prepare most of this meal in advance and just cook your rice right before serving. It really is a meal worth going to some trouble for.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Adaptations

Last night I decided to try out a couple of recipes from other people's blogs.

Fiber at 28 Cooks had a great-looking recipe for Polenta Crackers, and I was in need of something to serve with guacamole, so I decided to give her recipe a try. The only major change I made was to leave out the 2 tablespoons of margarine the recipe called for and add a tsp. of ground flaxseeds and two tablespoons of water--and for herbs, I used whole cumin seeds, chipotle chile powder, and garlic.

My results weren't as crispy as Fiber's, though I'm not sure if that was because of the lack of margarine or because I didn't spread the polenta out thin enough. Nevermind--even though they weren't as crispy as they should have been, I still enjoyed these as a substitute for baked tortillas with guacamole. And I liked the little bursts of flavor the cumin seeds gave.

We ate the crackers and guacamole while our main dish baked in the oven: A Winter Ragout from my blogging friend Karina, the gluten-free goddess. I changed her recipe very little: removed the oil and used fewer sweet potatoes (because I had only one). I also used yellow tomatoes instead of red, so when I paired this dish with steamed orange cauliflower, we had a very golden meal. Here's the recipe as I made it:

A (Fat-Free) Winter Ragout

1 large sweet potato, scrubbed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cabbage, cored, sliced thin
1/2 peeled butternut squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt (optional) and ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes with juice
1 14-oz can white Northern beans, drained
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
For serving: pine nuts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large, oiled roasting pan combine the potatoes, cabbage, and butternut squash and toss with salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the whole tomatoes and their juice, breaking them apart with a spoon, and the white beans. Drizzle it all with balsamic vinegar, sprinkle with sage, and toss lightly.

Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and roast the vegetables for an hour, stirring several times during cooking. Check the potatoes and squash for doneness; they should be fork tender. Continue to roast for another 10 minutes, or until the veggies are completely soft. Serve in shallow plates sprinkled with pine nuts.

This was an amazingly sweet dish. The butternut squash and sweet potatoes really bring out the sweetness of the cabbage. And the whole house smelled divine. Thanks, Karina, for a great recipe!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Now Playing at a Blog Near You...

Guess who's doing a guest post over at A Veggie Venture? Hop on over there to find out! :-)

And thanks to AK for all her Veggie Evangelism!

Keywords: gumbo, okra, chickpea

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

The weather has been awful lately--cold and wet. Those of you who live north of here might say I'm being a big baby, but it's all a matter of what you get used to, and I'm not used to highs in the 40's. I'd been happily accepting days in the 60's and 70's as my Southern birthright when suddenly this blast of real winter knocked me back to reality: winter in the South is unpredictable, and I can't let myself get suckered into thinking it's over before it's actually arrived!



So last night, we needed something warm and comforting, and nothing says comfort to me like a bowl of hot soup. This one's a super-thick lentil soup, with hearty chunks of potatoes and carrots. It'll warm up anyone--even you folks up north who get "real" winter weather.

Rainy Day Lentil Soup

6 servings

2 cups lentils, uncooked
8 cups water or vegetable stock
1 med. onion, chopped
2 small carrots, thickly sliced
1 rib celery, chopped
1 large potato, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 bay leaves
1 vegetable bouillon cube (optional, if water is used instead of stock)
1 tsp. crushed coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt, to taste
2-4 ounces fresh spinach (chopped if large leaves)
2 tsp. Red wine vinegar

Pick over the lentils and wash.

Start the water or stock heating in the pressure cooker while you chop the vegetables. Add all ingredients except the garlic, salt, spinach, and vinegar into the cooker and bring to a boil. Seal the cooker and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before using a quick-release method to release the pressure. (If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can simply cook this on the stove until the lentils are tender, about an hour.)

Check to make sure the lentils and potatoes are tender; if not, cook, covered but not at pressure, until done, adding water if it seems too thick. Add the garlic, salt and spinach, and check the seasonings, adding more cumin and coriander as needed. Cook for just a couple of minutes to wilt the spinach. Stir in the vinegar at the end and serve.

I served this with some fresh Brussels sprouts seasoned with garlic (no photo but they look a lot like the ones I made with lemon-mustard sauce). It was a simple meal that all of us enjoyed. And my daughter said to tell you that it's kid-friendly! :-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Asparagus Vinaigrette

Last night I took an old favorite recipe for Asparagus Vinaigrette and changed it a little. The result wasn't as good as the original, but it's still a very quick, easy way to prepare asparagus.

Asparagus Vinaigrette
2-3 servings

1 bunch asparagus spears, tough ends broken off
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbs. pear vinegar
1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel
1/8 tsp. pepper

In 1-quart shallow microwavable casserole arrange asparagus spears; add broth. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients; cover and microwave on high for 30 seconds, or until spears are tender-crisp. Serve warm or chilled.

The original recipe uses raspberry vinegar, which I think tastes better in this recipe. Perhaps the combination of pear vinegar and lemon was just too acidic, without any olive oil to tone it down. Other vinegars, such as Spicy Pecan, might work well. I'll leave it up to you to experiment; I'm going to be roasting asparagus the next time I buy any!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

DiseaseProof.com

Thanks to DiseaseProof.com for featuring my recipe for Vindaloo Vegetables. And thanks also to alert reader Barbara for pointing it out. :-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Let's Call it a Cheese Sandwich

Recently Pete Wells, a writer for Food and Wine magazine, wrote an article that described most food blogs as opportunities for "hundreds of pointless cheese-sandwich meanderings." To illustrate what he considers a boring "cheese sandwich blog," he pulled quotes out of context from several blogs and caused a big stir among food bloggers. As a protest, Cheese Sandwich Day was born.

Well, I never eat cheese, and I rarely eat sandwiches, so I don't think what I write could properly be called a cheese sandwich blog. In fact, I'm sure that Wells, a guy who once wrote that "lard is the most elegant fat I've ever met," would consider my blog something much worse than a cheese sandwich blog: a freakishly health-conscious, nutritional yeast-pushing, fat-fearing, tofu salad sandwich blog!

I guess I should have made a tofu salad sandwich to express my solidarity with other food bloggers. They probably would have understood: I don't do cheese, and tofu is really soy cheese. But no. I had "a sense of purpose," which Wells says a blog needs. I wanted to rise to the challenge and make something vegan, something cheesy, and most of all, something not boring.

So I threw myself into the task with zeal. First I made my own "cheese." Then I made my own whole-grain/sweet potato flatbread (gluten-free, even, as though I don't already operate under enough food restrictions.) And finally I grilled my vegetables, because everyone knows a vegan, whole-grain, gluten-free cheese sandwich must have grilled vegetables!

In the end, my kitchen looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy had spontaneously exploded. Pots were coated with sticky "cheese" sauce, hand blender and food processor were caked with starchy residue, pans and cutting boards and serving bowls took up every bit of counter space. My husband, AKA "the dishwasher," was not amused. He would have preferred tofu salad. (Actually, he would have preferred bibimbab, which uses an equal number of pots and appliances to greater effect.)

So, was it worth it? How did it taste?

It wasn't bad. Actually, the "cheese" sauce was great (though I'm sure Mr. W. would quite literally rather eat lard). The vegetables, my standard recipe using rosemary, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, were good. The bread could have been better. In fact, my three components, sauce, bread, and vegetables, didn't really mesh well together. I think my sense of purpose may have led me astray this time.

Here's the rundown on what I did:

Millet-Sweet Potato Flatbread

I cooked one medium sweet potato and mashed it. Added about 3/4 cup of millet flour, 3 tbsp. corn starch, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Tried to knead it in the food processor, tried to roll it into a flat bread and put it in a skillet, but it fell apart. Put it back into the food processor with 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Spooned it into a hot skillet and cooked it on both sides until done. (Next time, I'll add some cumin and serve this as an accompaniment to Indian foods. It wasn't really large enough to use as a wrap.)

The Vegetables:

Eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, portabella mushrooms grilled like this.

Mozzarella-Style Cheeze

1 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cashew butter

Blend all the ingredients with a hand blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small sauce pan, and stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken, then let it bubble for 30 seconds. Whisk vigorously. Whisk in 2 T soymilk (or water). Drizzle immediately over vegetables or other food. (If you let it sit too long, you'll have to blend it again.) For vegan, almost fat-free cheeze, this was a real winner. I will be using this recipe in the future to make my daughter's beloved Mac and Cheeze.

So... I agree that it's important to try not to be boring. But a writer from a food magazine is not the final arbiter of what's interesting in a food blog. When you write day after day about what you're cooking or eating, chances are you're going to bore someone sometime. What's important is to love what you're writing about, and enjoy writing it. People who appreciate your ideas and recipes will find you and stick with you through the boring parts.

That's what Mr. Wells didn't understand: you can't evaluate a blog based on one line, one paragraph, or one entry. You have to look at its entirety--the body of knowledge it shares, the particular voice of its writer, and the responses of its readers. I just started this blog last month, so I'm still finding my voice. I just hope I'm around as long as some of the other blogs that fancy food writer found boring.

And now I must get back to cooking. I think I owe my husband some bibimbab!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free cheese sandwiches

Vindaloo Vegetables

I'm a big fan of one-pot meals. If I can put a lot of veggies and some beans into a stew and serve it over a whole grain, it's less work for me to prepare the meal and less clean-up for my husband, so we're both happy.

Last night I fell back on one of our favorite one-pot meals. It's an adaptation of a recipe from Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Slow cookers are fine when you are organized enough to set them up hours before you want to eat, but I can rarely think ahead 10 minutes, much less 10 hours. So I changed this recipe to eliminate the need for the crock-pot. I've also increased the seasoning and changed the way in which the ingredients are combined. And--naturally--I've taken out the oil. For the sweetener, I've substituted a date for the brown sugar the recipe originally called for; I find it gives the sauce a better flavor, and it's a less processed form of sugar.

Vindaloo Vegetables
(4-6 servings)

3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp. ginger, peeled and chopped
1 small date, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 lg. yellow onion, chopped
2 small carrots, thinly sliced
1 sm. green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cups small cauliflower florets
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (or one 15.5 ounce canned beans, rinsed and drained)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (salt is optional)
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed

In a blender or food processor, combine the garlic, ginger, date, coriander, cumin, mustard, cayenne, turmeric, vinegar, and 1/2 cup water; process until smooth and set aside.

Heat a large non-stick pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and one tablespoon of water, cover, and cook until softened, stirring often and adding more water as necessary to prevent burning--about 5 minutes.

Add the spice paste from the blender and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper, cauliflower, zucchini, and kidney beans. Cover and turn heat to low.

Put the tomato paste and 1 1/4 cup water in the blender and blend thoroughly. Add the tomato paste mixture to the vegetables, season with pepper and salt (if using), cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, but not mushy, about 20 minutes.

Add the peas and allow to heat through for about 5 minutes. Serve alone or over basmati rice or other grain.

(I always think the veggies are so much prettier before they're cooked so I had to include a shot of them here.)

If you're interested in the crock-pot version, you can see my fat-free adaptation of it on the Fatfree Vegan website. Fans of this recipe from the site may note that today's version contains extra cumin and coriander and a new ingredient--cardamom. What can I say? I'm always fiddling around with recipes, even old favorites. :-)



Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Brussels Sprouts Two Ways

Now that my Valentine's-induced hysteria is over, I can finally get back to writing about my new true love: Brussels Sprouts! Since our stores here have finally started carrying fresh sprouts, I've been cooking a lot of them, and I've learned why people say that fresh ones are so much better than frozen. I've also discovered that you hardly have to cook them at all--the preparation actually takes longer than the cooking.

My daughter E's favorite way to have Brussels is with cashew sauce (it's her favorite way to eat any vegetable) but, if she can't have cashew sauce, she prefers them plain. My husband and I also like them plain, but sometimes we like to dress them up with a little sauce. So, what I do is remove some of the sprouts right after they're cooked for E. and then add the sauce for the grown-ups. Here's the latest way we've enjoyed them:

Brussels Sprouts with Lemon-Mustard Sauce

1 pound Brussels sprouts
salt (optional)
freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup + 2 tbsp. vegetable broth
juice of half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. agave nectar, or other liquid sweetener

The trick to great Brussels sprouts is in the pre-cooking stage. Trimming off about 1/8-1/4-inch of the stem end and removing any discolored or shriveled leaves will make them much more tender. Then cut the sprouts in half, from top to bottom (through the stem end), to make them cook more quickly.

Spray a non-stick skillet lightly with oil and heat it over medium-high. When it's hot, toss in the sprouts and sprinkle them lightly with salt (optional). Stir and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, just until they brown slightly on the cut side.

Add the pepper and vegetable broth and cover. Cook, stirring every minute or so, for about 3-5 minutes, just until they are barely tender but still bright green. (I always grab one and taste it to check.) They should taste cooked, but not over-cooked, and the broth may have mostly evaporated.

At this point, I serve up a plate of them for my daughter (and nibble on a few myself). Then I mix the remaining tablespoons of broth, lemon juice, mustard, and agave nectar, pour it over the sprouts, and heat just until warm throughout. Serve immediately for best color and taste.

I think I'm going to start keeping a container of these in the fridge for snacks. Think about it: they're low in calories, high in nutrients, and taste great. It'll be a healthy snack for E.--and I need something to keep me away from that Valentine's chocolate! ;-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

An Empty Plate

Okay, one more Valentine's themed post, and then I'm over it!

Here's an odd fact about me: I collect unmatched pieces of dinnerware. Usually I find them cheap in thrift stores or on clearance tables, but I've got a few pieces from independent potters and artists.

My husband and I went out for our V-Day dinner on Saturday night, to a great Asian restaurant (one where you get to choose a huge, heaping bowl of veggies and they stir-fry it with the sauce of your choice). I've always loved the plates they use, and was thinking that I'd like to have one of the little triangle-shaped appetizer plates to use for taking food photos.

As we were leaving, I noticed for the first time that they had a display case with the different plates in it--for sale. It turns out that they were created by a local artisan, Gail Pittman. I saw the little triangle bread plate that I liked so much cost $17 but told my husband I couldn't see spending that much for one 5-inch plate.

I forgot all about the plate, but yesterday, when I opened my Valentine's present, there it was! I know someone is thinking, "He got you a plate? And you're happy about it?" Yes, I'm weird. But I really have all the jewelry I need, and I definitely don't need any chocolate (though he got me that too, to my dismay.) I was happy that he remembered something that I had said off-hand. And the little plate is so cute. I'm definitely going to have to make some spring rolls to go on it. So expect to see it again, filled, sometime soon.

Sweet Heart Toast

Instead of a Valentine's Dinner, how about a Valentine's breakfast? Or brunch? Or breakfast for dinner? Here's a simple idea that looks pretty on the plate. I took slices of regular whole-grain bread, cut them into heart shapes, made them into vegan French toast, and sandwiched a simple fruit mixture between them. Fresh strawberries are so romantic!

Here's how it's done:

Fruit-Stuffed French Toast
(serves 4)

Sliced whole-grain bread (about 8 slices)
1 cup Soymilk
1 Tbsp. Flour (may use corn starch)
2 tsp. Sugar
2 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Rum extract (may substitute vanilla)
8 large Strawberries, sliced (more for garnish)
2 Bananas, sliced
2-4 Tbsp. Maple syrup, to taste
1/8 tsp. Coconut extract

Cut the bread into heart shapes, if desired. Whisk together the soymilk, flour, sugar, nutritional yeast, salt and rum or vanilla extract. Dip slices of bread into the mixture to coat well, but do not soak. Heat an oiled, non-stick skillet and fry until golden brown and crispy on both sides.

While the French toast is cooking, mix the strawberries, bananas, syrup, and coconut extract together. When the toast is done, serve with fruit mixture between two slices of toast and more on top.

Since strawberries, like other berries, are high in antioxidants and phytonutrients, I decided to use this as my entry for Sweetnicks weekly event, Antioxidant-Rich Tuesdays (ARF/5-A-Day), that encourages us to eat our antioxidant-rich foods. If you're looking for other ways to prepare healthy fruits and vegetables, check out her round-up tomorrow.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free ARF 5-A-Day

Valentine's Dessert #2: Fatfree and Fabulous Fudgy Brownies

You've been so virtuous and faithful. Sure, your eyes have wandered and you've had a few impure thoughts, but you made a commitment and plan to stick to it. Yet, there's only so much temptation a person can take . . . .

Well, give in to the temptation and stay true--to your healthy diet! This Valentine's Day, indulge your craving for chocolate without straying from your commitment to a low-fat, vegan way of eating. You will be amazed at how moist, rich, and delicious a low-fat brownie can be.

Fatfree and Fabulous Fudgy Brownies

1/2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1-1/2 tbsp. hot water
3/4 cup lite silken tofu (firm), crumbled
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour or cake flour
1 cup unbleached cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional--depending on how nutty you like your brownies)

Mix the ground flax seeds with 1- 1/2 tablespoons of hot water and set aside. (Mixture will thicken slightly.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch glass baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.

Blend the tofu, water, maple syrup, cocoa powder, flax mixture, and vanilla extract until completely smooth. (I use a hand-blender, but you can do this in a regular blender.)

Place the remaining ingredients, except the walnuts, in a medium mixing bowl and stir them together until they are well combined. Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, and stir them until they are well combined. Fold in the walnuts, if using.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Completely cool the brownies in the pan. Cut and serve.

These are fudgy, not cake-like, brownies, and they're actually better the second day...if you can make them last two days! This is really as fudgy as it gets without added oils or chocolate chips, so you can indulge your sweet tooth without worry.

The nutritional breakdown, based on 12 brownies:

With 1/4 cup walnuts: 174 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (11% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium; 2 gm Fiber; 3 Weight Watchers Points

No nuts: 158 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber; 2.5 Weight Watchers Points

This recipe is an adaptation of Ultra-Fudgy Fudge Brownies. It was inspired by some evilly seductive photos posted by a gluten-free goddess, whose name I will not mention. ;-)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free weight watchers diet

Valentine's Dessert #1: Fruit Medley Cobbler

When you think of romantic Valentine's Day meals, the words "low-fat" and "vegan" probably don't spring right to mind. But they might after you try this luscious dessert, designed to feed your romantic spirit without wrecking your diet. The perfect follow-up to a candle-lit dinner, this cobbler contains 4 different fresh fruits--and heart-healthy oats as well.

Fruit Medley Cobbler
(serves 6)

1 cup blackberries or blueberries
2 apples, sliced
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 medium banana, sliced
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice

Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix the fruits together with the maple syrup and vanilla and spread evenly in an oiled 8x8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Combine the applesauce and sugar; then add the flour, oats, and spices. Mix well, and spread the mixture gently over the fruit. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

(I adapted this from a recipe in the Café Chimes Cookbook, a book so little known that Amazon has the author's name spelled wrong! But it has some great ideas and recipes, so maybe its popularity will grow.)

This dessert has 258 Calories, 4 grams of fat, 6 grams of fiber, and according to this calculator, 4.5 Weight Watchers points. You can cut the calories even further by eliminating the walnuts or raisins, but why? It's Valentine's Day--and walnuts are good for you!

In the mood for something more decadent? Stay tuned for Valentine's Dessert #2. Here's a hint: Nothing says love like chocolate!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Short Break

Just wanted to let you all know that if you don't "see" me here for a couple of days, I haven't fallen off the earth. My daughter has been out of school the past two days, so I'm hanging out with her and her friends.

I will leave you with a couple of photos and links to recipes. (If it seems that these are heavy on the refined grains, it's because we've been feeding extra children. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

Last night's dinner was my Fat-Free Pasta Primavera. This is fast-food, vegan style, and every kid I've served it to has loved it.

And breakfast this morning was...



Vegan French Toast with strawberries and real maple syrup. Yum!

I'll be back in a couple of days with more original recipes. And here's something to look forward to: I'm working on a few special recipes for an upcoming holiday. Any guesses which one?

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Non-Traditional Sushi (Brown Rice and No-Rice Sushi)

First let me say that what follows is not traditional sushi. Perhaps I shouldn't even call it that. For those purists out there, I officially rename this meal Interesting Stuff Wrapped in Seaweed. But for brevity's sake, I will refer to it here as Sushi.

Last night I made 5 different combinations of vegetable sushi, 4 with brown rice and 1 with no rice at all (especially for those of you following a low-grain or low-carb diet). I've been hesitant to use brown rice in sushi because I thought it would be hard to work with and not taste good, but I have to say that I think I've hit on the secret for delicious brown rice sushi: Lundberg Short-Grain brown rice. It may not look as pretty as traditional sushi rice, but we hardly noticed the difference as we were devouring these vegetable rolls last night.

To make the rice, I used more water than the Lundberg package suggests, at least a cup more. I started off 1 cup of rice in my rice cooker with the suggested 2 cups water, but when it was finished cooking and still not "sticky" enough for sushi, I added more water, hit the "cook" button, checked it when it shut off a second time, added more water, and just let it cook on the "warm" setting. The result was less sticky than sushi rice, but very workable. I removed it to a bowl to cool and added about 1/4 cup of sushi rice vinegar and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.


I won't bother to tell you how to roll sushi. I've tried to describe it elsewhere, and there are some great on-line tutorials, with photos, so if you don't already know the technique, it's easy to learn it. I will describe the various fillings (from left to right) :

1) baked tofu and red bell pepper
2) roasted asparagus and toasted pinenuts ( 1 pound asparagus tossed with 2 tbsp. soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, roasted at 400 F for about 6 minutes, turning once)
3) avocado
4) everything (all of the above)

and the low-carb version I promised you:


That's fresh baby spinach used instead of rice with tofu, pepper, asparagus, and avocado filling. (This is very light, like eating your salad wrapped in nori.)

Along with the sushi we had the remaining roasted asparagus (I roasted a whole bunch, and it was incredibly good), the remaining avocado, and some boiled edamame. It was a great meal, but the kitchen was a disaster afterward! I think I'll save my sushi-making for the weekend from now on.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free low-carb sushi

Chili with Baked Lime-Chipotle Tortilla Chips

Like most cooks, I'm endlessly adapting recipes. Last night, I took a favorite recipe that I had already adapted to be fat-free and adapted it even more, this time to use a whole grain instead of the bulgur wheat originally called for. The results were satisfying, though more time-consuming.


The original recipe, from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, uses bulgur wheat to give the chili some "meatiness." Since meatiness is not high up on my list of requirements for chili, I often leave it out of the recipe, and it tastes just as good, in my opinion. Last night I decided to replace the bulgur with hulled barley, which, unfortunately, takes longer to cook than bulgur. A lot longer. I'd forgotten just how long it took to cook: after letting the barley cook for about 20 minutes, I could see that it still needed at least 40 minutes more cooking time, so I decided to pop it into the pressure cooker to finish it off. After 10 minutes under pressure and 10 minutes waiting for the pressure to come down, the barley was finally cooked and I could proceed with the recipe at last.

So the recipe below assumes that you have cooked barley on hand. You could use pearled barley, which takes less time but is more processed. Or you use the bulgur--or go without. The hulled barley, in my opinion, tasted great, and gave the chili an interesting texture--not meaty at all, but firm, something to contrast with the softness of the beans. I'll definitely use it again.

So, the recipe:

Red, Gold, Black And Green Chili

1/3 cup hulled barley, cooked in 2 cups water and drained, liquid reserved
3 cups canned diced tomatoes -- undrained
3 tablespoons water
3 cups chopped onions
3 cloves garlic -- minced
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaping teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce (or other hot sauce)
2 green bell peppers -- chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 1/2 cups (1 can) black beans, cooked and drained
1 1/2 cups (1 can) red kidney beans, cooked and drained
salt to taste
limes and baked tortilla chips, for serving

Cook the barley beforehand. This can take upwards of a hour of regular, stove-top cooking, less if you pre-soak the barley overnight. To do it in a pressure cooker, cook unsoaked barley 20 minutes at high pressure and allow the pressure to come down naturally before removing the lid.

Heat the 3 tbsp. water in a large saucepan. Sauté the onions until they are soft; then stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, Tabasco, and bell peppers and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and beans to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the corn and the drained barley, adding some of the barley cooking liquid if chili appears too dry. Cover and simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Add salt to taste.

Serve with limes to squeeze on at the table and crunchy baked tortilla chips. (This makes about 4 very large or 6 average-sized servings.)

And about those chips:

Baked Lime-Chipotle Tortilla Chips

corn tortillas (about 2 per person)
fresh lime juice
chipotle chili powder
salt (if desired)

Preheat your oven to 375 F. Using a sharp knife, cut each tortilla into 4 quarters (you can do this quickly by stacking them and cutting them at once).

Place the tortilla pieces on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Brush the top of each chip with lime juice, and sprinkle with chili powder and salt (if desired). Bake, watching carefully, for about 7 minutes. Then, turn the chips over and bake for another 7-10 minutes, until they are crisp but not burned. Serve with the chili.

(Please watch them carefully! Most of my first batch burned while I had my eyes on the chili.)

This is a meal that most kids will love, and it's a dish that I often serve to meat-eating guests. Enjoy it with a big green salad. It's very warm and filling on a winter night.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Sesame Orange Coleslaw

I think I have a new favorite salad! To go along with last night's Thai Coconut Soup, I created this coleslaw, sort of a fusion of Chinese, Thai, and California (those oranges!) The little pieces of orange are explosions of sweet flavor amid the sesame-ginger seasoned dressing. I used three little clementines, but you could use any seedless orange, tangerine, or satsuma--even mandarin oranges from a can. I also used fresh-squeezed OJ, but the kind out of a box will work just fine, too.

Sesame Orange Coleslaw

1 bag (16 ounces) prepared coleslaw
1/2 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
3 small seedless oranges, broken into sections
2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon sesame seeds -- toasted
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 tsp. lime juice
2 teaspoons vegan sugar (or other sweetener)

Combine the coleslaw, bell pepper, and orange slices in a large salad bowl. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the vegetables. Allow the flavors to combine for at least 15 minutes before serving.

This is a truly delicious way to eat your cabbage, one of the World's Healthiest Foods. (Women, did you know that studies have suggested that women who eat more Brassica family vegetables, such as cabbage, have a much lower risk of breast cancer?) You can pump up the nutrition in this salad even more by using fresh cabbage instead of the bagged version.

Sweetnicks has a great weekly event, Antioxidant-Rich Tuesdays (ARF/5-A-Day), that encourages us to eat our antioxidant-rich foods. It's being hosted this week by Stephanie at Dispensing Happiness, so I'll be sending this recipe over to her.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free ARF 5-A-Day

Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms

Last night I realized that I had an open can of coconut milk that I needed to use soon--never a bad situation since coconut milk is one of my favorite foods. I decided to try to recreate the coconut milk and tofu soup I've had in Thai restaurants, while reducing the amount of coconut milk just enough to lighten up the recipe a little. (If you prefer to avoid the coconut milk completely, see the *note at the end of the recipe.)

I needed to work with the ingredients that I had in my kitchen, so I made some adjustments to replace some traditional ingredients I just didn't have. One was lemongrass. I didn't have frozen lemongrass, but I did happen to have a jar of dried lemongrass, so I used a couple of teaspoons of it in this recipe. If you have fresh or frozen lemongrass, by all means, use it. But if you don't have even the dried version, use a couple of teaspoons of lemon juice instead.

Another traditional ingredient that I don't have access to is Kaffir lime leaves, so I've used 2 teaspoons of grated lime zest as a substitute. If you're lucky enough to have the original ingredient, use two teaspoons of the leaves sliced thin.

Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk*
2 tsp. minced ginger
2 tsp. grated lime zest
2 tsp. dried lemongrass
1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchstick-sized strips (reserve some for garnish)
3 cups mild vegetable stock**
1/2 to 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste, depending on desired hotness
1 package (12-14 ounces) extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes (not silken tofu)
15 ounces canned straw mushrooms, drained and rinsed
2 tsp. vegan sugar or other sweetener
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
Salt to taste
Fresh lime juice to taste
Grated lime peel, for garnish

Combine lime zest, lemongrass, ginger, and coconut milk with stock in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the curry paste a half-teaspoon at a time, stirring well to combine and tasting as you go to make sure you don't make it too spicy. Stir in the tofu, mushrooms, sugar, soy sauce, and salt, to taste. Simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add lime juice (I used the juice of half a lime) and serve over rice, garnished with red pepper strips and grated lime peel, with extra lime on the side.

*A note about the coconut milk: I've had a lot of success substituting rice milk or soymilk for coconut milk; to replace the coconut taste, I add coconut extract, tasting it as I add it until it seems just coconutty enough without tasting fake. Bryanna Clark Grogan recently posted a coconut milk substitute on her blog; it uses silken tofu, almond milk, and coconut powder.

**A note about the stock: Choose a very mild vegetable stock or broth, one without an overwhelming flavor of its own. A good option is Imagine Foods No-Chicken broth.

This came out delicious--redolent of coconut, ginger, and red curry. Adding a squeeze of lime juice just before serving really makes the flavors pop. I tried to be conservative with the curry paste, but I still managed to get it too spicy for my daughter. She wound up eating just the tofu and mushrooms on a bed of rice. Oh well--more coconut broth for the grown-ups!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

After searching the supermarket every week for fresh Brussels spouts with no luck, I finally found them in a small, local grocery store. ("Shopping locally" turns out to be a good practice for more than one reason!) I've always said that I'm one of the few people who doesn't really mind frozen Brussels sprouts, but after cooking these fresh ones, I may have to change my mind. These had so much flavor!

I was worried that without oil the sprouts might burn, but as it turns out, they were fine with just a couple of sprays of olive oil. If you don't have one, you can buy an oil sprayer fairly inexpensively--or, I've been told, you can fill a regular household sprayer with oil, but I've never tried that. I used balsamic vinegar during the cooking also, and that little bit of moisture also helps prevent burning. The most important trick, however, is to halve the sprouts so that the cooking time is shortened.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 pound Brussels sprouts
olive oil spray
2-3 tsp. garlic
balsamic vinegar
vegan Parmesan (optional)

Begin by preparing the sprouts: cut about 1/8-1/4-inch off the stem end, and remove any discolored or dried leaves. Cut the sprout in half, from top to bottom (through the stem end).

Spray a glass baking dish lightly with olive oil. Add the sprouts and toss them with the garlic and a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar. Give them one quick spritz of olive oil, and put them in the oven. Roast at 375 F for 10 minutes, stir, and roast for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven, pour them into a serving bowl, and toss them with another teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Serve sprinkled with soy Parmesan, if you like.

We had these last night with corn on the cob, barbequed beans, and a salad, and they were a real treat. Thanks to Karina over at Gluten-Free Goddess for reminding me that roasted vegetables with balsamic vinegar is truly comfort food.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Homemade Soy Yogurt with Blackberries

A couple of days ago, I made soy yogurt using Bryanna Clark Grogan's recipe. Since I follow her directions almost to the letter, I won't repeat them here. I will say that it took my yogurt a lot less time than she indicates; after just 6 or 7 hours, mine was as tart as I was willing to let it get. I incubated it in a thermos placed inside an electric oven with the light on, so maybe that's the perfect temperature for yogurt.

Last night I whipped up a quick, healthy dessert. I took the soy yogurt (soygurt?), sweetened it with some agave nectar, and flavored it with a drop of vanilla. (I'm using this super-concentrated vanilla my mother brought back from somewhere in the Caribbean, so when I say a drop, I mean that literally; you may want to use more of the regular, American kind.)

I spooned the sweetened, flavored soygurt into fancy glasses (shown here is the Beefeater Gin Slant-Stem martini glass), dropped some blackberries on top, and drizzled it all with a little more agave nectar. It tasted delicious--and using fancy glasses makes it fun.

Agave Note: Vegans avoid all products made from or by animals, including insects, so honey is out. Agave nectar is a good replacement, though. You can find it in natural food stores and even some supermarkets now. The flavor is milder than honey, but it's actually sweeter, so you can use less.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Broccoli with Garlic

Along with last night's Rotini All'Arrabbiata I whipped up a quick side dish:

Broccoli with Garlic

1 head broccoli, cut into spears
3 cloves garlic, slivered or chopped
1/2 cup vegetable broth
splash of white wine
sprinkling of vegan Parmesan

In a little water, sauté the garlic over medium heat for a minute or two. Add the broccoli and vegetable broth, cover and steam until the broccoli is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of white wine, stir and cook for a minute more, and serve with a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan.

Easy and delicious, especially if you're a garlic lover!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Rotini All'Arrabbiata

First disclaimer: There's oil in this recipe. Olive oil. Not a lot of it, but it's there. So, if a little oil on a blog with the word "fatfree" in the title is going to send you into fits of apoplexy, please stop reading now. I don't want to be responsible for any heart attacks or random acts of mayhem.

Second disclaimer: This is supposed to be Penne All'Arrabbiata, but I was all out of penne. I won't lie to you. It tastes better with penne--something about the sauce getting into those little tubes. So, if you're making this at home, use the penne, even if you have to run to the store in the rain to get it. Don't be lazy like me.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way...



This is a dish that is near and dear to my heart. When I first started making this recipe, from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta by Marie Simmons, it contained a quarter cup of olive oil. At the time, a quarter cup didn't seem like that much. Oh how times have changed! Today I know that a quarter cup of oil adds over 13 grams of fat per serving. And the truth is, the recipe doesn't need that much olive oil. It does need some--the flavor just isn't the same without it--but you can get the fruity, rich taste of olive oil into this recipe without using a ton of it. When I made this last night, I used 2 teaspoons of my favorite extra virgin olive oil; truth be told, it probably would have tasted better with a tablespoon. I will leave it up to you to adjust the recipe to your tastes and comfort level.

Rotini (or Penne) All'Arrabbiata

2 tsp. olive oil
3 tsp. garlic, finely minced (use fresh, not the jarred; trust me)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp dried red pepper (use less if you don't like spicy)
1 28-ounce can plum tomatoes
salt
8 oz pasta (penne or ziti preferred)
2 Tbs parsley, chopped

Sauté the garlic and red pepper in the olive oil for about 3 minutes; do not brown the garlic!

Use a blender to puree the tomatoes. (I use a hand blender right in the can and leave them slightly on the chunky side.) Stir the tomatoes into the garlic mixture. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes; drain. Toss with the sauce and cook for a couple minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a good crusty bread. Serves 4.

Slightly embarrassing personal note: My husband and I call this Penne dell'Amore (but we don't know Italian, so don't embarrass yourself by calling it this.) I made it for him on the first trip we took together. We rented a rustic cabin in the mountains, and I brought all the ingredients and tools for making this dish, including the already-pureed tomatoes. We had the mountains spread out before us, good wine, and this exquisitely spicy pasta dish. It was magic.

Now, after 11 years, one child, several job changes, and a big move to another state together, we can still be instantly transported back to that cabin in the mountains by this simple dish. Try it with someone you love. Just don't leave out the olive oil.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food

Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup

I tend to find a recipe I like and stick with it, so I've fallen into a vegetable soup rut lately. I've been making the same Bean and Vegetable Soup for a long time--it's easy and we all like it--but sometimes I have to remind myself that there are other options out there, and some of them might be great.

So when I saw the Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup over at Alanna Kellogg's incredible blog, A Veggie Venture, I thought that this might be the time to expand my horizons and try a new vegetable soup. It didn't hurt that Alanna had marked it as a favorite recipe and named it as the best soup on her blog for January. Or that it's filled with fresh veggies and nutrient-rich cabbage. I decided to give it a try, with one little addition: I added a can of cannellini beans to turn this soup into a one-pot meal. I also increased the seasoning slightly because of the increased volume of the beans, but otherwise, this soup is exactly as Alanna posted it.

Garden Vegetable and Bean Soup

6 cups fat-free vegetable broth (but I used Imagine Un-Chicken broth)
cooking spray
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 teaspoons garlic (from a jar or substitute four cloves minced garlic)
1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound frozen green beans
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
generous grinding of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 large zucchini, diced
1 19-ounce can (2 cups) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (may substitute Great Northern Beans or any white beans)

Sauté the carrots, onion and garlic in a large sprayed or non-stick pot for about 5 minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zucchini and cannellini beans and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the beans are tender. Add the zucchini and cannellini and cook until the zucchini are tender.

Simple though it seems, this soup was wonderful. And--attention parents--it is kid-friendly! When I asked how she liked it, E. was so busy spooning it into her mouth that all she could do was give me a thumbs-up signal. She asked for a second bowl, and she's got leftovers in her thermos for lunch today.

Even with my addition of beans, Weight Watchers members and people following Eat to Live or the McDougall Program can enjoy this without guilt. I figure this as around 8 average-sized servings (three of us had 2 servings last night, and there were 2 servings left over for lunches today). Based on 8 servings, the nutritional breakdown, as close as I can figure it, is 86 Calories; trace Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 17g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 448mg Sodium; 5g fiber; 1 WW Point.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free diet

A Simple Stir-fry

Stir-fries are one of the dishes that my family and I usually have regularly, about once a week. But for the past 3 weeks, we haven't had it once. Why? This blog. You see, though I know how to make a stir-fry and think I make a pretty darn good one, I don't use a recipe and I never make it the same way twice. Also, it's a little difficult to describe how to do it, particularly if you're not measuring and you're tossing things in according to taste. I've been avoiding making stir-fries so that I didn't have to write about it here. Crazy, huh?

Until last night. Finally the family (and sanity) prevailed, and I gave in and made a stir-fry. And no, I did not try to keep track of amounts. So I can tell you the basic ingredients I used, but not exact amounts. Here goes.

First of all, I started by burning the tofu. This was not a planned flambé. I like to put baked tofu into my stir-fry, but somehow I put it in the oven and forgot to take it out (probably the fault of that second glass of chardonnay). So don't do that. (Burn the tofu, that is. You can have a second glass of wine if you want.) The burned tofu did make a passable jerky that my daughter and I snacked on while the meal was cooking.

Since I didn't have tofu, I went with my second option: TVP. Short for Textured Vegetable Protein, TVP is a soy product that, when re-hydrated in a tasty broth, has an uncanny resemblance to meat. Last night I used a light-colored chunk variety that mimics chicken. To rehydrate it, I take a cup of it, pour about 1 1/2 cups of water or vegetable broth over it, add a little soy sauce and sesame oil, and microwave it, stirring every couple of minutes, until it's soft. This probably takes 5 minutes, but I never watch the clock. Then I set it aside, keeping it in the liquid, which I will use in the sauce.

I usually use about 2 pounds of veggies for the 3 of us. Last night I used about a pound of broccoli (florets and sliced stems), a couple of carrots, a red bell pepper, a bunch of green onions, and a couple of ribs of celery. I chop them into stir-fry-sized pieces.

I start the stir-fry by putting a little water into my non-stick flat-bottomed wok and cooking a couple of teaspoons of garlic and some minced ginger for a couple of minutes. Then I add the broccoli and carrots (and any other long-cooking veggies I'm using). I put a little more water in the wok (1/8 cup maybe) and cover it to let those veggies steam for a few minutes. (Such is the reality of oil-free cooking: stir-frying is more like "stir-steaming.")

After I've given the long-cooking veggies a couple minutes head start, I add the slower cooking vegetables and stir and cook them until they are tender-crisp. Then I add the TVP (reserve the liquid) and any canned vegetables I plan to use; last night I added straw mushrooms and water chestnuts, but baby corn and bamboo shoots are other possibilities.

Then I add a sauce. Here's where the measurements and ingredients get really variable. I take whatever seasonings I plan to use and mix them with the TVP water (if I had used the baked tofu, I'd mix them with a cup of water or broth). Last night I mixed a large spoonful of Szechuan sauce, two spoonfuls of hoisin sauce, and an extra dash of sesame oil into the TVP liquid. I mixed that in with the vegetables, and while it was heating I mixed a teaspoon or two of corn starch with a little water. I added that to the pan, stirred, and cooked just until it was slightly thickened.

When I do this right, it all goes very quickly so that the vegetables don't get too soft. Having the ingredients pre-chopped and right by the stove helps. Skipping that second glass of wine doesn't hurt either.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

French Lentil and Portabella Stew

After seeing several recipes that call for French (or Puy) lentils, I bought a bag of them...and then promptly forgot where I'd seen the recipes. So I searched and searched yesterday for some delicious way to cook these interesting looking lentils, but nothing I saw looked like what I had conjured up in my imagination: a hearty, French country-style stew with fresh rosemary and mushrooms and wine. That's when I realized that I already had the recipe in my head. Why was I looking for something in print to validate my vision? So I set off to the kitchen to cook this stew the way I wanted to, writing down the ingredients as I went.

French Lentil and Portabella Stew

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
6 ounces Portabella mushrooms, sliced or chopped
4-5 cups vegetable broth
1 cup (200 g) French lentils, rinsed
1-2 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (or about 2 tsp. dried, crushed or crumbled)
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
generous grating of black pepper
2 ribs celery, chopped
4 small or 1 large red potato, cubed
2 carrots, sliced
1/4 cup red wine
salt to taste

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, begin cooking the onions over medium-high heat. Add a little water, if you like, to prevent sticking. Stir the onions until they begin to brown (we're going for caramelized onions without the oil), about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, covered but stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their juices.

Add 4 cups of vegetable broth (I used Un-Chicken broth from Imagine Foods, but you can use your favorite broth). Stir in the lentils and remaining ingredients, except the wine and salt. Cover and cook until the lentils are just tender (they'd be al dente if they were pasta), about 20 minutes.

When the lentils are barely tender, add the red wine. (I used a nice yet inexpensive Merlot, but you can use whatever you like, as long it is a wine you can drink--not one of those horrible "cooking wines" you find in the grocery store. If you are not a wine drinker, you can leave this out, but I like the taste it gives to the stew.) If more liquid is needed, add a little more broth. Check the seasonings and add salt to taste. Cover and simmer until lentils and vegetables are all tender, at least 15 more minutes.

I cooked this early in the afternoon and left it simmering on the stove for a while. One of the neighbor kids dropped by and marveled, "It smells delicious in here." And indeed, it did!

This would be excellent served with a hearty chunk of bread (unfortunately, we didn't have any.) I served it alongside some steamed, home-grown broccoli (with cashew sauce). It made a simple, delicious meal.

Now for the Children's Review: E. loved it! She told me to be sure to add it to the Kid-Friendly list. I even packed some in a thermos for her lunch today.

About the lentils: French lentils hold their shape better than regular brown lentils, but if you can't find any, brown lentils will work in this too. Just adjust the cooking time as regular lentils cook more quickly.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free