tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-207376632010-03-17T22:45:41.389-05:00Sinlessly Delicious: Adventures in low-fat vegan cooking. Over 500 vegan, vegetarian recipes from award-winning Jackson, MS, food blog.SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.comBlogger564125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-32877656657083573512010-03-05T10:40:00.000-06:002010-03-05T10:40:59.279-06:00

I love this time of year, when I can go to the grocery store and buy as much asparagus as I want without taking out a second mortgage on my house. But the problem with asparagus, from a food blogger's standpoint, is that it's a vegetable that tastes best when prepared simply. Its delicate flavor needs no more adornment than, maybe, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt, and its texture is

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-38586392801029495912010-02-25T13:42:00.000-06:002010-02-25T13:42:35.903-06:00

I'm coming up for air. I've spent the past couple of days working on the redesign of Fatfree Vegan Recipes, the website that spawned this blog. Although the really tricky stuff like coding and css and, for all I know, nuclear particle acceleration was done by a very talented web designer at E. Webscapes, I've had the incredibly mind numbing (and eye straining and finger cramping) job of copying

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-59758696643899652372010-02-14T12:36:00.001-06:002010-02-14T22:25:09.923-06:00

What can I say about these cookies? Should I start with the fact that they contain no white flour, only oatmeal and whole wheat? Or is it more important to note that they're sweetened with pure maple syrup? Or should I remind you that since this is the FatFree Vegan Kitchen, they contain no added oil or margarine, only the fats that are naturally present in the oats and other ingredients?No. If

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com85tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-9104578589306418182010-02-07T12:12:00.002-06:002010-02-07T12:29:53.008-06:00

I don't usually write about the Superbowl. Heck, I wouldn't usually even know it's going on, but this year it is a Very Big Deal around here. After 43 years, the Saints have made it into their first Superbowl, so there's about 43 years worth of celebrating to do, and if there's one thing New Orleans does better than anyone else, it's celebrate.That celebratory spirit can be felt even as far

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-30996345961194492512010-02-03T10:18:00.004-06:002010-02-18T07:43:11.051-06:00

Special note: I've just announced a new project I'm working on on the FatFreeVegan Facebook page (hint: it involves Nava Atlas and a new cookbook). Check it out, and while you're there, become a FB fan in order to receive updates, interesting links, and sneak peeks of upcoming posts.When my friend and frequent blog commenter moonwatcher recommended Anna Thomas' new book Love Soup, I knew I had

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-67613236999587000112010-01-27T08:51:00.003-06:002010-01-27T11:08:57.428-06:00

In the winter, I suddenly find all of my favorite fruit desserts—smoothies, sorbets, frozen yogurts—completely unappealing; just the thought makes my teeth hurt and makes me want to curl up in a blanket. So besides just eating fruit as nature intended, well-rinsed and with a napkin to catch all the juices, I rely on a few simple recipes to transform plain fruit into warm, healthy desserts. Of

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-15705286702400451202010-01-20T10:22:00.003-06:002010-01-23T09:30:04.695-06:00

One of my favorite ways to cook collard greens—and the best way to get my daughter to eat them—is to simmer them in soup. There's something magical about adding a huge pile of greens to a pot, an amount so big that the lid can barely be squeezed shut, and then coming back a few minutes later to find that the greens have melted into the soup. It's a disappearing act that intrigues even my

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-80371419478484080642010-01-11T14:51:00.003-06:002010-01-11T20:20:23.024-06:00

Sometimes I get carried away with combining ingredients when I should just keep it simple. After reading in Saveur about roasting radishes, I ran right out and bought some. And then I thought, why not roast some pearl onions and garlic along with them? If I'd stopped right there, I probably would have been more satisfied with the results, but instead I had to think, "How can I make this

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-2480859375148122812010-01-04T09:57:00.003-06:002010-01-09T10:27:59.316-06:00

Welcome to 2010! It's a new decade as well as a new year, and perhaps because of that, more people than usual are making resolutions to eat healthier. From PCRM's 21-Day Vegan Kickstart to my own Eat-2-Live Group's "Happy New You Challenge," lots of us are pledging to stick to a healthy lifestyle.Yes, you read that right: Us. I'm on the bandwagon, too.For the next six weeks, I'll be following my

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-27063930594518971252009-12-28T08:56:00.007-06:002009-12-30T09:19:32.186-06:00

There are certain recipes that fall into a category I call "Louisiana Church Potluck Dishes." These are dishes that I grew up eating regularly because they were staples at the monthly "Family Night Suppers" at the church of my youth. I remember sampling delicacies like baked cushaw, mirliton supreme, and eggplant casserole without knowing what the heck they were, but hey, they tasted pretty

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-1155338354294367302009-12-20T17:44:00.001-06:002009-12-20T18:05:57.657-06:00

I hope you enjoy this "rerun" of a recipe I associate closely with Christmas. It's my low-fat, veganized interpretation of the fig-filled cookies my husband's grandmother always made for Christmas. D looked forward to those cookies every year, and once he married a vegan, his grandmother often made a special egg-free batch just for us. Sadly, she's no longer with us, but I think of her

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com74tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-72072089126530644782009-12-14T13:37:00.008-06:002009-12-17T07:53:51.556-06:00

Most of the holiday food traditions in my family seem to involve oranges. October through January is citrus season in southeastern Louisiana, or at least in my parents' garden, so both Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrated with plenty of citrusy dishes like ambrosia, cranberry relish (with raw orange peel included), lemon pies, and wassail.During the holidays my mother often brews up a pot

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-36690985945851183272009-12-07T08:12:00.002-06:002009-12-11T07:44:07.906-06:00

When I returned from my cruise, one of the first things my daughter said to me was, "I'm really glad you're home, but I just wish you cooked as well as Dad!"Gee, thanks a lot. And huh???So I asked exactly what her dad had cooked while I was gone. "Mac and Cheeze, spaghetti, Chili Mac...." I immediately noticed a theme--no, not that he was mostly using my recipes but that he was cooking her

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-51482070783474502802009-12-01T12:38:00.001-06:002009-12-02T08:09:14.523-06:00

I'm back! Sorry to leave you without new recipes for so long, but I have to admit that I needed a vacation. Now that I'm home and Thanksgiving is over, I have lots of plans for new recipes. Unfortunately, right now they're just plans, so in the meantime, let me tell you a little about my cruise (and a lot about the food!)As an early Christmas present, my parents took my sister and me along on

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com63tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-89087564953043664032009-11-14T12:41:00.004-06:002009-11-14T13:04:13.396-06:00

I'm leaving you—and my husband and child—for a little over a week. By the time you read this, I will be cruising the Caribbean with my parents and sister. But at least I'm providing you with a new holiday dish (and the family with leftovers). Since I won't be getting back until just before Thanksgiving, too close to create a dish, photograph it, and post the recipe before the big day, I decided

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-4391150713194188452009-11-09T09:29:00.005-06:002009-11-25T08:28:35.232-06:00

My daughter and I go kind of pumpkin crazy this time of year. It starts when we see the first small pie pumpkins in the grocery store and she convinces me that we just have to have one. She takes it home, decorates it with permanent markers, and then refuses to let me cook her work of art. (Since it's now covered in toxic ink, I'm not too eager to cook with it anyway.) She then demands that we

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com88tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-24085423624391637242009-11-02T08:53:00.004-06:002009-11-06T08:31:45.099-06:00

I don't post a lot of stir-fry recipes because, as I've mentioned before, I tend to make them by feel, adding whatever amounts of vegetables and sauce feel right. Since I usually use the same basic ingredients, most of my stir-fries taste about the same. But not this one. Adding a miso-based sauce to my stir-"fried" veggies (they're really stir-steamed) took this easy dish to a new level. And

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-13400490609523918902009-10-26T11:23:00.003-05:002009-10-26T12:24:21.793-05:00

I used to love biscuits. I was raised on my mom's Bisquick biscuits and sometime during college graduated to baking and devouring Southern-style biscuits made with White Lily flour and lots of butter or margarine. Living alone in my tiny student apartment, I would bake up batches of huge, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits on the weekend and eat them all by myself, and it didn't take long

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com50tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-91099736543320868202009-10-19T10:41:00.007-05:002009-10-20T07:30:04.581-05:00

At the farmers' market a couple of weeks ago, I picked up two butternut squash that were each about the length of my hand. Since I love roasting butternut with a touch of lemon, I was considering cooking them in that tried and true (but unimaginative) manner when I got the idea to roast one of the squash and mix it in with my favorite grain/seed, quinoa. The results were a light and lemony side

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com55tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-80694129566077227392009-10-13T08:26:00.005-05:002009-10-14T15:46:35.946-05:00

(A huge thank you to all of you who have donated to Farm Sanctuary so far. We're almost 3/4 of the way to our goal!)Unlike a lot of people who love to cook, I don't tend to pick up cookbooks and read them like novels. The majority of the cookbooks on my shelves are there for reference only, useful when I need to check an ingredient's preparation or cooking time. But Delights from the Garden of

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-83171202268255240812009-10-08T10:18:00.007-05:002009-10-18T22:31:14.544-05:00

My daughter E had her first turkey when she was in preschool. Her class was learning about Thanksgiving, coloring pictures of turkeys and folding paper into pilgrims' hats, and her father and I decided to start a family tradition so that when it was time for her to stand up and tell the class about her Thanksgiving dinner, she would have something to share. So we got our first turkey. Her name

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-8726756417276070692009-09-29T14:38:00.002-05:002009-09-30T07:59:54.521-05:00

With okra, as with most things in life, size does matter. When you're talking okra pods, smaller is better—tender and tasty. Let them grow too big and they become tough and woody. However, when it comes to the plants themselves, bigger is definitely better. After a summer of more garden failures than I care to count, the little plot beside my house somehow managed to produce a small crop of

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-48477125848682756822009-09-21T11:55:00.004-05:002009-09-21T22:19:09.100-05:00

High Noon Café, the only vegetarian restaurant in Jackson, Mississippi, where I live, serves the most unusual veggie burgers, bright red with beets and soft in texture from the tofu. The first time my husband recommended I try one, I was afraid to order it, but once his burger came, I couldn't resist sampling it. The sandwich comes piled with so many extras--vegan cheese, sun-dried tomato

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-56824869451762368852009-09-14T14:20:00.004-05:002009-09-15T08:15:35.949-05:00

I love barbecue, but I have to admit that I don't always take the time to make my own sauce. The bottled stuff is so quick and easy, though I have yet to find a brand that I really like. I may stop using bottled barbecue sauce completely, however, after concocting this zesty new recipe. It has every flavor I look for in a bbq sauce: sweet, tangy, smoky, and spicy. And because the sauce is

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20737663.post-25931488530539498012009-09-10T22:01:00.003-05:002009-09-10T23:10:57.424-05:00

While I personally didn't manage to coax a single squash out of my insect-infested garden this summer, some of you are lucky enough to be reaping in piles of the stuff. So the zucchini part of this recipe is for you. The basil part of it is for me: next to okra, it's the most prolific crop I managed to grow this year. Combined, the two summery ingredients seem made for each other, the basil

SusanVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16706612777547235769noreply@blogger.com57