Personal Polenta Pizza

It was Friday night, and I was in the mood for pizza. But I've been strong, sticking to my resolution to eat healthier, and I knew I needed something lighter than the standard crust. You may remember that I've already used potatoes as a pizza crust; this time I wanted something a little more crust-like yet still gluten-free. I finally settled on polenta.

I'd seen a lot of recipes for polenta pizza that, unfortunately, all seemed to come out more like polenta casserole, but I thought with a little tweaking I could make a polenta crust that would be more like an actual crust--crispy and sturdy enough to eat out of hand. In my version, the polenta is first cooked, then baked, then baked again with the pizza toppings. The crust is sturdy enough to pick up--if you're careful. (If you're not, you may wind up with a lap full of pizza toppings!) It still tastes like polenta, so if you're looking for an authentic-tasting, gluten-free pizza crust, this isn't it. But it did the trick to quell my pizza cravings; maybe it will have the same effect on yours.



Personal Polenta Pizza
(printer-friendly version)

3 cups water
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
generous grating of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon each basil and oregano
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)

about 1/2 cup pizza sauce
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 green pepper, sliced
1/2 small red onion, sliced
about 8 mushrooms, sliced
3-4 ounces vegan sausage, cooked (or gluten-free alternative)
sliced black olives (optional)
2-3 cloves garlic

Preheat the oven to 425. Oil two 8 or 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of parchment paper.

Put the water, cornmeal, salt, and seasonings into a large microwavable casserole dish or 1-quart measure. Cook at full power for 4 minutes. Stir well and cook again at high power for 2 more minutes. Stir again and cook at high power for another 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir in the optional oil, and beat with a spoon until completely smooth.

[Non-microwave option: Cook in a medium-sized pot on low, stirring frequently, until very thick.]

Spread the polenta evenly in the bottom of the two pans. (If you have any leftover, save it for another use--or make another small pizza.) Place the pans in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

While the crust is cooking, prepare your toppings and sauce. I used a simple tomato paste-based sauce (3 tbsp. paste, 2 tbsp water, garlic, oregano, basil to taste) because I wanted something thick and not watery. Your favorite spaghetti sauce can be used. Sauté the vegetables lightly in a non-stick pan until onion begins to soften.

After 12 minutes, take the crusts out of the oven and invert them onto a large baking sheet, side by side. They should fall right out of the pan with the parchment paper stuck to them. Peel away the parchment. Spread each crust with pizza sauce (don't use too much or they will be soggy) and top with veggies and vegan sausage. Sprinkle with chopped garlic.

Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, until toppings look done. Lift off the baking sheet carefully using a large spatula and your hand--they are not sturdy like regular pizza, so be careful not to let your toppings slide off. Cut into 4ths and serve.

Serves 2. Each serving, excluding oil spray & optional ingredients and using 3 tbsp. tomato paste and Gimme Lean "Sausage" contains 308 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 486mg Sodium; 8g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core + 1/2 point for the Gimme Lean*/ 5 Flex Points

* WW lists Gimme Lean H@mburger as Core but not the Saus@ge, which is strange because the Saus@ge has fewer calories.

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

Watching Your Weight? Eat Soup!

Green on Green Soup

I love soup, especially during cold weather. In the winter, about every other meal I make centers around soup. I tend to favor thick, chunky, meal-in-a-bowl soups, primarily because I'm too lazy to make lots of different courses. But if I had all the time and energy in the world, I would like nothing better than to start every meal with a light, vegetable-based soup.

As it turns out, both hearty soups and brothy ones can be valuable tools to those of us who are trying to lose weight. Researchers have found that people who begin their meals with a simple vegetable soup eat about 20% fewer calories than those who don't. It doesn't matter if the soups are chunky or pureed, only that they're low in fat and calories (no cream soups). The water content of the soup is the key--it adds volume to fill you up. If you think you can get the same effect by having a glass of water with your meal, think again; the phenomenon seems to work only when the extra water is part of the dish.

Main-dish soups are also great for dieters. Adding some beans or other high-protein ingredients increases the soup's "staying power"--the length of time it satisfies your hunger--and turns it into a one-pot meal. Soups that are already protein-heavy, such as split-pea or lentil, can be lightened up with the addition of vegetables or can be served as the main dish along with salads or other vegetable sides.

Even if you're not watching your weight, soups are one of the healthiest things you can eat. Cooking vegetables in a soup releases nutrients into the broth, making it rich with vitamins and other nutrients. And by pureeing a soup, you can increase the amount of vegetables you eat in a meal without having to eat until you're stuffed.

Since I started writing this blog, I've made a lot of soups, but only a few of them have become staples. Though it's one of my newest creations, North African Chickpea and Kale Soup quickly became one of my family's favorites; it packs an amazing amount of nutrition and flavor into a quick-cooking soup. Among my old favorites is Ethiopian-Inspired Red Lentil Soup, a hearty, filling soup that will leave no one hungry. What both these soups have in common is that they rely on blends of spices that some people might call exotic. I believe that creative seasoning is what makes soup worth eating; you could make a soup with the same basic ingredients over and over again but if you vary the spices, it's a different soup every time.

Now, having said that, I have to admit that the soup that I make on a weekly basis--my go-to meal when I'm in a hurry or lacking inspiration--is neither "creatively seasoned" nor varied. It's actually...embarrassing. At least one night a week I throw together this soup that doesn't even need a recipe because it's concocted entirely from packaged ingredients. Shocking! I keep all the ingredients on-hand so that I can make this whenever the need arises--once I actually served it to guests, when they arrived too late to take out to dinner. They liked it so much they even asked for the recipe. I wasn't about to give it to them, but I'll let you in on the secret.



Susan's Dirty Little Secret Soup
(printer-friendly version)

Some people eschew frozen vegetables, but they are often more nutritious than fresh ones that have been shipped from far away. They're usually flash-frozen at the farm, resulting in more nutrients being preserved; vegetables that are allowed to age before cooking lose some of their nutritional value.

5-6 cups vegetable broth (I use Imagine No-Chicken)
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 16-ounce cans beans, rinsed and drained (I usually use 1 Great Northern and 1 Kidney Bean)
2 1-pound bags of frozen vegetables (my favorites are California Blend [cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots] and Italian Blend [zucchini, Italian green beans, broccoli, red pepper])
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
a shake or two of hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
black pepper and salt to taste
OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup small pasta OR 2 cups diced potatoes OR 1 cup frozen corn or other starchy vegetable OR 1/2 cup of quick-cooking grain (pearled barley, millet, or quinoa) or cooked rice

Put 5 cups of vegetable broth and all remaining ingredients into a large pot and cook until vegetables are done, about 20-30 minutes. If the soup seems too thick, add more broth.
Taste and adjust seasonings before serving.

This can also be made with 2 pounds of whatever fresh vegetables you have in the house, as in the photo above which includes zucchini, cauliflower, and kale.

This makes at least 8 servings, and though the nutritional breakdown will vary depending on the ingredients you use, if you stick to vegetables-only (no pasta or packaged meat substitutes) I think it constitutes a Core recipe for Weight Watchers and, if not a "free food," a very low-calorie one on most healthy eating plans.

---

There are so many delicious soup recipes on other blogs that no one should ever have to go without soup. Here are a few I've added to my "must-try" list (adapted as necessary to be fat-free and vegan):

Roasted Allium Soup at One Hot Stove (with links to lots of Nupur's other great-sounding soups)
Lentil & Chestnut Soup at Albion Cooks
Charred Tomato Soup at Tinned Tomatoes
Hot and Sour Cabbage Soup at VeganYumYum
and Alanna's amazing list of soups submitted to Soup's On at A Veggie Venture

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free diet Weight Watchers

A Taste of Things to Come

Sneak-preview photo from Vegan Express

I'm holding in my hand an advance copy of Vegan Express. Those of you who have been following this blog for a while have surely heard of this latest cookbook by Nava Atlas--primarily because I took the photos for it (and haven't stopped bragging about it!)

I'm thrilled about the way the photos turned out, but I'm even more impressed with the book as a whole. So today, I want to set aside the photos and tell you 10 reasons why you should own this book:

1. Light, airy layout that's fresh and appealing...
2. ...and filled with Nava's delightful illustrations.
3. 160 delicious recipes...
4. ...that take less than 45 minutes (and often less than 30) to prepare.
5. Nutritional analysis of every recipe. (A personal fave.)
6. A pantry supply list tailored to the recipes in the book.
7. Menu suggestions accompanymost recipes.
8. The best and easiest chocolate frosting ever!
9. Crazy low price at Amazon.
10. 8 pages of full-color photos. (Just sayin'.)

The book will be released in exactly 3 weeks, but you can pre-order yours today. But if you want more evidence, check out a few of the book's recipes on the web. Nava has gone back to blogging, and the Berry-Apple Skillet Crumble pictured above is her current Recipe of the Week. Also be sure to check out the Jerk-Spiced Seitan she posted last week, as well as the two recipes previously posted here, Pasta with Roasted Vegetables and Olives and Sweet and White Potato Salad with Mixed Greens.

Probably what I like best about this book is that it is busy-person tested. Nava wrote it while raising a family and working on her graduate thesis, a sure sign that these recipes fit right into a hectic lifestyle. They could easily fit into yours!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food

Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran

Sometimes a recipe comes along that's so spectacular that you feel compelled to climb your way up to the top of the nearest alp and sing like Julie Andrews, giddy and overflowing with such love for the world that the power of your emotions threatens to send you skidding down the mountain on the backside of your lederhosen.

Or you could just blog about it.

Either way, this is one of those recipes:



I know it doesn't look like much, a little lumpy and gloppy and overly orange, but this combination of red lentils and cauliflower tastes out of this world, all because of panch phoran.

Panch phoran (also spelled panch phoron and panch puran) is a Bengali blend of five spices-- fenugreek, mustard, kalonji (nigella), fennel, and cumin, in equal amounts. (In Bengal, radhuni would be used instead of mustard, but it's not available in the U.S.) You can buy this spice blend in Indian grocery stores or you can make it yourself. Since I would have had to go to the Indian store to buy fenugreek and kolonji seeds, it was just as easy for me to pick up the pre-mixed package for $1.99.

It may well be the best two bucks I've ever spent. I've cooked with 4 of these spices before and love them alone and in combination with other seasonings, but somehow combined, they turn into a kalidoscope of flavor. Each bite tastes different from the next--first a little cumin combined with mustard, then fenugreek with fennel, and so on, the flavors shifting and blending with each other and the other ingredients. I'm not equal to the challenge of describing their flavors, but Barbara at Tigers and Strawberries devoted an entire post to panch phoran that's sheer poetry. She writes:

When I drop those seeds into a pan of hot oil with a sizzle and a clatter, I am called backward to a time long ago and forward to a time that never was, into memory and dream, into a familiar strangeness. When I smell the wafting song of their voices coming together, I find myself very much at home.

It was thanks to Barbara's evocative essay that I went searching for panch phoron last week. After looking at recipes online and in some of my cookbooks (particularly Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian), I decided to make a fairly standard dal and add the seasoning to it. Including cauliflower was a last minute idea--I just love a one-pot meal, so if I can get my vegetable and protein all in one pot, I'll do it. I can't find any precedent for mixing cauliflower and masoor dal, so don't consider this an authentic Bengali recipe. Just consider it delicious--and kid-friendly, if my daughter is any indication. (It's probably the first time she's ever taken cauliflower to school in her lunchbox.)



Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran
(printer-friendly version)

If you want a more assertive panch phoran taste, grind an additional 1/2 tablespoon of it and add it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

1 1/2 cups masoor dal or red lentils
4 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon canola oil (or canola oil spray)
1 tablespoon panch phoran
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ginger paste (or 1 tsp. minced ginger)
16 ounces diced tomatoes (or 1 can)
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets)
1/2 cup water

Pick over and rinse the lentils and add them to a pot with the water and turmeric. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the dal is tender, about 20 to 35 minutes. When done, add salt and set aside.

While the dal is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Heat a large, deep skillet, preferably non-stick. When hot, add the canola oil and shake it to spread it around. Add the panch phoran and stir. (You may instead use oil spray; spray before and after adding the panch phoran.) When the first seed pops, immediately add the onion, garlic, pepper flakes, and ginger paste. Stir and cook until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, and water, and stir. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes.

When the dal and cauliflower are both done, add the dal to the cauliflower mixture. Stir well, and check seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve hot, over rice if desired.

Makes about 6 servings. Per serving: 193 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 34g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 378mg Sodium; 16g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core (or 3 Flex points).

---

Once you try panch phoran, I hope you'll be as excited about it as I am. If so, here are a few recipes you can use it in:

Kale with Panch Phoran from Tigers and Strawberries
Bengali Red Dal Curry from Kalyn's Kitchen
Pumpkin and Potato Curry from Indian Food Rocks
Aloo Rasedaar from The Budding Cook
Bengali Cauliflower and Potato Chechki from Bon Appegeek

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

Dried Fava Bean and Fresh Fennel Soup with Polenta

Several months ago, I was shopping in a local supermarket, one I don't often visit, and came upon a shopping cart filled with bags of dried beans with a sign that said "2 for $1." There were 2-pound bags of garbanzos, black beans, and lentils and 1 1/2-pound bags of a bean I didn't recognize. I took a closer look and found that they were fava beans, but unlike any that I had seen before, they were yellow. The only time I'd ever cooked dried fava beans, they were covered by a thick, brown skin that had to be peeled off, a tedious and time-consuming process. These beans looked like they lacked that tough skin, so I tossed a couple of bags into my cart, figuring that one day I'd find a use for them.

For months afterward, they languished in my freezer. (I store beans and grains in the freezer ever since a nasty insect infestation taught me not to trust them to my pantry shelves.) But this weekend I was searching my cookbooks for new ways to use the fresh fennel I'd just bought when I stumbled upon this soup recipe in Viana la Place's Verdura (a goldmine of fennel recipes, by the way). The recipe called for the fava beans to be soaked and then peeled, but I figured that my habas (the Spanish word for peeled fava beans) would make things much easier. Easier is good because this soup, though simple, requires a long, slow cooking time and adding peeling to the process would make it into an all-day production.

Of course, I made a few changes to the recipe. I omitted the quarter cup of olive oil, doubled the amount of fennel, and altered the seasonings just a touch; and, since I'm avoiding processed foods, I left out the pasta originally called for. I contemplated using a whole grain instead, but in the end I thought it would be easier and more in keeping with the Sicilian background of the recipe to serve it over cubes of grilled polenta. D and I absolutely loved it, though I have to warn you that if our daughter is any indication, this soup is not kid-friendly. The strong licorice flavor of the fennel was too much for her, and after choking down a few bites, she asked for a PBJ sandwich (her least favorite sandwich--that's how much she hated this soup).

I know that most people aren't going to be able to find fava beans--I don't know if I'll be able to find habas again myself--but I think that large, dried lima beans, cannelini beans, or great northern beans would all make excellent substitutes, especially if you use a hand blender or food processor to puree the beans before the fennel is added. If you're afraid of too much fennel taste, feel free to use only one bulb instead of two. I also think this would be good with some kale or other vegetables added. I served it with a green salad as suggested by the original recipe, but with some kale, broccoli, or cauliflower, it could become a one-pot meal.

Dried Fava Bean and Fresh Fennel Soup
(printer-friendly version)

In Sicily, this soup is called Maccù.

1 pound fava beans (or other beans)
3 quarts water -- divided
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt to taste
2 fennel bulbs
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Soak the fava beans overnight or use a quick-soak method (cover with 2 inches water, bring to a boil for one minute, remove from heat and let stand for an hour). Drain.

(If you're using unpeeled fava beans, peel them now.)

Put the fava beans into a large pot with 2 quarts of water, the fennel seeds, and salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon). Bring to a boil; reduce heat to very low and simmer, uncovered, until beans start to break down, about 1 to 2 hours. As they cook, mash them against the bottom and sides of the pot to form a coarse puree. Keep cooking until beans are thick and porridge-like:



While the beans are cooking, prepare the fennel by removing the tops from the bulbs and chopping the feathery fronds. Measure out 2 tablespoons and set aside. Remove the thick outer layers from the bulbs and quarter. Cut out the tough core that begins in the middle of the bulb and extends to the bottom:



Slice the bulbs thinly and set aside.

Once the beans have broken down and become thick, add the fennel slices, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chopped fronds, the red pepper flakes, and 3 cups of the remaining water. Cook uncovered until the fennel is tender, about 30 minutes, adding more water if it gets too thick. Add salt to taste. Serve over cubes of grilled polenta, chunky pasta, rice or other whole grain, sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of chopped fennel.

Note: To grill polenta, cut into slices and cook in a lightly-oiled, non-stick skillet until golden on both sides. Cut into cubes to serve.

Makes about 6 servings. Soup without polenta: 283 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (0% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 72mg Sodium; 6g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core (or 5 Flex points).

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free Weight Watchers

Potato "Gatto"

Thank you so much for all the wonderful responses to my my anniversary post. I'm happy and a little amazed to hear how many people love green smoothies, and because of one reader's comments, I'm going to try adding collard greens to mine. All I stand to lose is my lunch. (Well, that came out wrong; I meant by pouring it down the drain if I don't like it!)

One of my blogging resolutions was to post more bad recipes, and though this doesn't qualify as bad, it's one that could stand to be improved. It's a veganization of a recipe in The Italian Country Table for "Gatto" Di Patate, a layered potato casserole:



The original recipe (conveniently posted here) includes a quarter pound of salami, a cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and a half pound of mozzarella. When I decided to veganize the recipe, I noticed the animal products, of course, but I failed to take into account how much of them there were. Also, I concentrated my efforts on making up for the strong flavor of the salami without considering the creaminess of the cheese. I used porcini mushrooms and roasted red pepper to make up for the loss of the salami and nutritional yeast in the potatoes to add a little of the cheesiness of the Parmesan. Those were fine substitutions (though I think that sundried tomatoes might pack more punch than roasted peppers), but I probably should have gone a little further and substituted something for the mozzarella that originally topped the layer of onions. The casserole was a little on the dry side and would have benefited from some cheesiness.

So, what I recommend, particularly if you are cooking this for guests (or picky family members), is this: Top the layer of onions with a cheese sauce such as this one. If you are not following a fat-free eating style, consider using one of the packaged vegan mozzarella cheeses. Also, if fat doesn't bother you, a little Earth Balance Margarine would help moisten the potatoes. And adding a little diced veggeroni or soy pepperoni to the potatoes would really make the veganized version more like the original.

Like I said, though, this wasn't a bad recipe; my husband D and I ate it all, over several days. E and her friend, however, weren't thrilled with it. E did not like the bread crumbs (she never does), and her omnivore friend just didn't care for the whole thing. The crumbs are heavily garlic flavored--I used 2 cloves--so if you don't like garlic, definitely use only 1 clove. If you're following Eat to Live or Weight Watchers' Core plan, you can even leave the breadcrumbs off (though they are what D liked best).



Vegan Potato "Gatto"
(printer-friendly version)

"Gattô" comes from the French "gâteau," meaning cake; think of it as a layered cake of potatoes.

3 pounds Yukon gold or red potatoes
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 onion, diced
olive oil spray
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko (or gluten-free bread crumbs)
3/4 cup plain soymilk or other non-dairy milk (fatfree preferred)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced
1 1/3 cups frozen green peas, thawed

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and simmer 25 minutes or until tender all the way through (pierce with a fork to check). When they're done, dip out 1/2 cup of the cooking water and drain.

While the potatoes are cooking, rehydrate the porcini mushrooms according to package directions. (I cover them with hot water and soak for about 25 minutes.) When they are completely rehydrated, drain them, reserving the liquid, and chop coarsely. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter or fine mesh strainer and set aside.

Spray a non-stick skillet with the olive oil, and heat it. Add the onions and sauté until they are browned. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper to taste, then remove them from the pan. Give the pan another quick spray and add the minced garlic and panko. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes or until the panko has browned slightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Mash the potatoes in their skins until slightly lumpy; then stir in the soymilk, nutritional yeast, roasted red pepper, diced porcini mushrooms, and half of the peas. If the potatoes seem dry, add some of the mushroom liquid and/or potato water. You want them to be fairly moist. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Spray an 8-inch casserole dish lightly with olive oil. Spread half of the potato mixture into the dish, followed by the remaining peas and the onions. Top with the rest of the potatoes, smoothing the top.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until hot throughout. Top with the bread crumbs, pressing them into the potatoes slightly. Bake another 10 minutes and serve.

Makes 8 generous servings. Per serving: 219 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (3% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 47g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 78mg Sodium; 5g Fiber. 4 WW Points. (Core +3 points for the breadcrumbs)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

A Toast: 2 years and 400 Posts!

I considered letting my two-year blogging anniversary go by without mention until I noticed that this post would be number 400, and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have the two mileposts occur on the same day. To toast the occasions, I've whipped up something delicious, healthy, and...um...green:

It's been two years, and what do I have to show for it? Well, obviously, there are the 400 posts, most of which are recipes. Beyond that, I'm older, fatter and, I hope, wiser. I've learned a lot more about cooking by researching recipes and ingredients, as well as by reading your comments and blogs. Plus, I believe that my photography has improved a little and if not, perhaps my eye for photography has improved enough to convince me that I need to take some actual classes; there's only so much you can teach yourself!

I started the blog on an impulse (don't most blogs get started that way?) but with each passing month I've grown more committed to improving it in every way possible while still keeping my original focus: low-fat, whole foods-based vegan cooking that tastes like it isn't good for you. Earlier this year, when the website hosting costs increased so much that I could no longer justify the blog as just an expensive hobby, I took on an advertiser. I hope that most of you don't mind this necessary evil--it was either allow advertising or get a job at Wal-Mart (and you can probably guess how I feel about Wal-Mart). As an added bonus, the income from the ad is going to help pay for the aforementioned photography classes, so perhaps the end result will be a more beautiful blog.

Since it is also the beginning of a new year, I decided on a few blogging resolutions:

• I resolve to take more chances, get away from the tried-and-true seasoning and ingredient combinations that I've come to rely on, and experiment more.
• I resolve to delve more deeply, do more research, and write more about the background of the recipes and less about my family. (That one, folks, is going to be hard.)
• I resolve to post more bad recipes--because sometimes people learn just as much from what not to do. Plus, they're funnier.

On a personal note, I've been advised by my doctor to get myself in shape, so I'm resolving to get away from my computer and kitchen more often and exercise. I'm also resolving to eat healthier so I'll be following the Eat to Live plan all the time, not just when it's convenient. And since I'm combining it with Weight Watchers' Core plan (they're more alike than you'd think), you may start seeing WW points listed in the nutritional info. But don't worry: This isn't becoming a Diet Blog, so don't expect the D word to pop up here again.

Now about the drink we're toasting with: Green Smoothies (or Blended Salads) are all the rage on the Eat to Live program, and I resisted them for a long time. The first time I heard that people were blending spinach into their smoothies, I thought I was going to upchuck. But then I tried it, just a few leaves at first, and found that what they said was true: you really can't taste it. It's a great way to get a little more greenery into your...er...d-word. Some people use kale and other greens (mustard, ew), but spinach is about as far as I'm willing to go. If you haven't had one, give it a try. It's a great way to infuse yourself with a lot of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber--and you don't even have to chew!



Jolly Green Smoothie

Use whatever fruit you want in this. Banana will make it creamier, while berries will make it look muddier but taste delicious.

1 cup pineapple, frozen, unsweetened
1 cup frozen mango chunks
3 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups, packed, or as much as your blender will hold)
about 1/2 cup water or other liquid

Put all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Add more water if necessary to get the blades moving. Drink and enjoy!

One serving: 201 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 52mg Sodium; 7g Fiber.

Here's to another year of FatFree Vegan Kitchen and to all of you readers who make writing this blog so much fun.

To your health!

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Creole Black-eyed Peas

Last year, a cold made me feel so miserable that I didn't even think of having my traditional New Year's black-eyed peas until a few days into the new year. This year I was determined to have them on New Year's Day, despite the fact that a sizzling, burning short in our breaker box had knocked out most of the electricity to our all-electric house. Though last year had turned out perfectly fine despite the delay, this year I wasn't going to take any chances, even if it meant cooking on our little Coleman camp stove.

All right, all right. Actually, I'm about as superstitious as a pair of old boots. And as I've mentioned before, I'm not really big on traditions (or maybe I just like to pick and choose the traditions I follow). The truth is, I just like black-eyed peas, the long-simmered kind you make from dried beans, not the canned variety (which are fine for ordinary meals but nothing special), and the beginning of the year reminds me to go ahead and make them. When I was growing up, my mother made black-eyed peas, greens, and corn bread for lunch every New Year's Day, and carrying on the tradition brings back good memories. Even though I probably turned up my nose at it at the time, these days it's a meal that epitomizes comfort food to me.

My mother isn't fond of heavy seasoning (and truly, black-eyed peas are flavorful enough that a minimalist treatment is all they need), so she would probably never think of adding so many ingredients to her peas. But she grew up in Alabama where she learned the art of plain cooking, while I grew up in Louisiana and fell in love with embellishments: the "trinity" of onion, bell pepper, and celery and the heat of a little cayenne and hot sauce. In this "Creole" take on black-eyed peas, the seasonings combine in a nice, thick gravy that envelops the peas like a cream sauce and actually isn't spicy at all, as long as you keep the hot sauce to a minimum. Even my mother would approve.



Creole Black-eyed Peas
(printer-friendly version)

This is so much faster in a pressure cooker, but if you don't have one, soak your peas overnight and follow the instructions at the end of the recipe.

1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
5 cups water
15 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke flavoring

Spray the bottom of a large pressure cooker with a light film of oil. Over high heat, sauté the onion until it begins to brown; add the bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the black-eyed peas and water, seal the cooker, and bring to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally.

Once the pressure is down, open the cooker and add all remaining ingredients except Liquid Smoke. Cook for 15-30 minutes, until peas are completely soft and thickened. Add the Liquid Smoke and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve hot over rice with more hot sauce on the table.

To make without a pressure cooker, soak the peas overnight in cold water. Drain. Follow the directions for sautéing the vegetables. Then add all ingredients except liquid smoke to the pot, along with enough additional water to cover the peas by one inch. Cook until peas are completely tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, adding more water as necessary. When they're tender, add the Liquid Smoke, cook for 5 more minutes, and serve over rice.

Makes 6-8 servings. For 6 large servings (not including rice), each contains 299 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (6% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 58g Carbohydrate; trace Cholesterol; 481mg Sodium; 12g Fiber.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Golden Spice Pancakes

Thanks to everyone for your notes of concern. After three days without heat and two without any power at all, we finally got our electricity turned on at 8:00 last night--just in time to save our tropical fish, who were not looking so good. Getting the electrical panel fixed wasn't a problem, but dealing with the overworked building permit office and the bureaucracy-bound power company was a nightmare. It took a day and a half after everything was fixed to get them to come out and turn the power back on. The whole ordeal is almost enough to make me want to run away to the woods and build my own solar power generator.

Fortunately, in the days leading up to our power outage I was able to get a little cooking done. On Sunday morning, I made these fluffy, lightly spiced pancakes, based on the Basic Pancakes recipe in Bryanna Clark Grogan's The (Almost) No Fat Cookbook. Someone recently asked in the comments if there were any fat-free vegan cookbooks, and the answer is a resounding Yes. For years, (Almost) No Fat and another Bryanna book, 20 Minutes to Dinner, were my fat-free bibles. Her recipes have just the right balance of healthiness and deliciousness, something mine can only aspire to. As far as I'm concerned, she will always be the queen of low-fat vegan cooking.



Golden Spice Pancakes
(printer-friendly version)

For these pancakes, I've added freshly grated orange peel to ramp up the fresh orange taste and spiced the batter lightly with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. I prefer the spice to be just an accent to the orange, not overwhelming, so if you want really spicy pancakes, you'll have to add more.

1 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat; ww pastry flour is another good option)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon orange rind (freshly grated orange peel)
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

Spray a non-stick frying pan or griddle lightly with canola oil, and begin heating it on medium-high. Meanwhile, mix all the dry ingredients (flours through cloves) and add the rind, juice, and raisins to a well in the center. Mix briefly, just until combined (a few lumps are okay).

When the skillet is hot, drop the batter by quarter-cupfuls and cook until the tops are beginning to bubble. Turn and cook a couple more minutes until the underside is golden and the inside is cooked. Serve immediately.

Makes about 10 pancakes. Each one contains 121 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 269mg Sodium; 2g Fiber.

Without raisins: 109 Calories (kcal); trace Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 268mg Sodium; 2g Fiber.

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone. I certainly hope your 2008 is going better than mine. We woke up this morning to find that our heater and other large appliances weren't working. Looks like we're going to need an expensive new breaker box which we won't be able to get until tomorrow at the earliest. So until then....brrrr, it's cold, even in Mississippi, where the overnight low is expected to hit 25 F. Even more distressing, my stove isn't working so I haven't been able to make our traditional good-luck black-eyed peas. Soon I'm going to check and see if our camp stove can handle a pressure cooker. What we don't need this year is any more bad luck!

But you don't want to hear about that. I'm sure you're more interested in learning the winner of the copy of My Sweet Vegan. Every time I run one of these contests I end up feeling guilty that I can't give everyone who entered a prize; I'd love to play talk show host and announce that everyone in our studio audience is getting a copy, but I'm afraid that our family budget just won't allow that. So we had to draw one winner, and as usual I let E. do the honors. And the winner is...



...Diane (aleka333)! Diane says she's never commented before, but see what good things happen when you come out of lurkdom? After taking out duplicate comments (so that everyone had an equal chance), there were 131 contenders*, and like I said, I wish I had a book for every one of you. But don't despair--I have more giveaways planned for the new few weeks, so keep checking in.

Also, if you live in the Fairfield, Connecticut, area, you're in luck: Hannah will be signing books and bringing sample baked goods to three locations. Here's her schedule:

January 5 - 2pm - Barnes & Noble
January 12 - 2pm - Kitchen Corner
February 2 - TBA - Borders

Those of you in other countries who were hoping to win the book because it's not available in your stores might be interested in knowing that Amazon, Vegan Essentials and Cosmos Vegan Shoppe all are selling the book and will ship it worldwide. With the current state of the US dollar, you may even be getting a bargain!

Thanks to everyone who commented. I love hearing from you (even if I have to kind of bribe you into it!) I wish you all a healthy, happy, peaceful new year!

*(I hid the comments on the original post to protect all the people who left their email addresses from spammers.)

Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free