30 days of vegan: my favorite vegan eggs

Recently I posted my musings on my favorite breakfast food- the burrito. In it, I blithely said go forth and find one of the many, many copycat recipes on the web that rely on kala namak and turmeric to impart eggy color and flavor. 

But that was lazy of me. And a bit disingenuous. When I first endeavored to go vegan, I knew meat would not be a problem for me. I've never been a meat fan, even in childhood. I always went for the most processed meats: sausages, hot dogs, things that didn't seem like meat. A slab of flesh always freaked me out. One encounters weird flavors, textures, chewy, slimy, stringy bits. Gross.

I always thought cheese would be the really hard thing. I've had love affairs with whole branches of cheese. In the fake cheese realm, varieties such as Swiss do not translate nearly as well as cheeses like Cheddar. Parmagiano and Romano are struggles, too. The substitute recipes often have Italian herbs or spices, as if to say, we know this isn't going to work, the best we can do is remind you of a food with real cheese in it. 

But I got over cheese (thanks in no small part to nutritional yeast). It turns out the very hardest thing for me to abandon was the humble chicken egg.

I have always loved eggs. As a kid, while my classmates sat at tray tables watching cartoons and guzzling down sugar bomb cereals, I was feasting on fried eggs and bacon, scrambled eggs and toast, omelets stuffed with ham and cheese, or my beloved creamed eggs. I come from farmer stock. I spent a lot of days and nights sleeping under the roof of my maternal grandparents. They raised chickens and ate a lot of eggs. So really, eggs are my soul food.  The prospect of giving them up was, ultimately, the most difficult choice. The heavy-handed treatments that are the gold standard for vegan eggs in the online cooking sphere- heavy with garlic and onion powder, turmeric, soy sauce or liquid aminos- while not unappetizing, scream "I am not eggs" to this egg lover. And so a suitable egg substitute has been my philosopher's stone.

I've settled on tofu as a base, just like the most popular variants out there. But I forgo the firm and extra-firm refrigerated packs for the silken tofu-based shelf-stable aseptic packs. All of the aseptic grades you find are based on silken tofu, though you can find soft, firm and extra-firm varieties. My favorite for this dish is firm.

Of all the common flavorings used for tofu eggs, I have found only black salt, nooch and butter to be indispensible. I don't like turmeric for the coloring agent; in terms of flavor, I prefer annato or saffron. Both impart delicate color and flavor- exactly the mood I want to strike with simple scrambled eggs.

There are different ways to achieve the flavor and texture of butter. Cooking the tofu in coconut oil mixed with nutritional yeast works nicely. But I find using a plant-based butter-like spread to be perfectly fine.

I prefer a healthy grinding of black pepper, but that's a personal choice.

So, here's how you make my delicate, simple take on classic scrambled eggs.

Ingredients

• 1 brick of aseptic pack tofu- any grade is fine, but firm is probably best
• 1 tsp black salt
• 1 tbl plant based butter, or 1 tbl coconut oil
• 1/2 cup plant milk- I prefer organic, unsweetened soy milk with no fillers
• 1 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
  
• 1/4 tsp annato or a healthy pinch of saffron
• 2 tbl nutritional yeast
  

Method

1. If using saffron- heat the plant milk in the microwave for 15 seconds. Add the saffron to the milk and set aside to bloom.
2. Put the tofu, salt, flour, baking powder, nutritional yeast and milk in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
3. At this point, you can add any veggie additions. Some ideas are sliced green onion, diced roasted red pepper or tomato, precooked broccoli florets cut small, or thinly sliced cooked mushrooms.
   
4. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium. add the butter or oil. use a brush to coat the pan entirely.
5. pour in the mix. This will lower the temp of the pan. Give the mix two minutes to cook. Turn heat to medium low.
   
6. This is when you can decide if you want it omelet or sandwich style, or scrambled. If scrambled- break the disc up into large pieces and start tossing them gently. Break them up a second time if you want the pieces smaller. They should be starting to brown, but not completely set. If going for an omelet, begin checking the edges. the flour and baking powder give them a little structure, so you should be able to flip as one whole disc. But be careful to not overcook, this is why we've turned the heat down. The top should be lightly browned. Give the bottom another minute to do the same.
   
7. Remove from the pan to a bowl or plate covered with a lid until ready to serve. If you are melting vegan cheese on top for sandwiches, put it on now and cover.
8. Enjoy!
   

30 Days of Vegan: Breakfast Burritos

Is there a more perfect food than a burrito? Right off the bat, it has portability going for it- something I apreciate it because I rarely want to sit down for a meal. Just how I'm wired I guess. The burrito is like a Rhumba: it has key ingredients and signature moves that define the category, but beyond that, the sky is the limit. It can be made up of almost anything. It varies from the Guisado, basically in a stew in a tortilla- to the Mission, with its massive girth and plentiful rice and beans; to the Chimichanga, essentially a fried burrito; to Korean versions. And what is Moo Shu, if not a stir-fry burrito with paper-thin pancakes and plum sauce? The breakfast burrito is yet another variation, and can consist of whatever you like for breakfast wrapped in a tortilla. 

I tend to be pretty trad about mine: they are usually a combination of beans and avocado, sometimes with cheese, sometimes with potato or rice, slathered in taco sauce or salsa. But I've been known to take last night's curry, wrap it in a tortilla and call it breakfast. My choice of bean is usually black, but I go for pintos and red beans too. Avo is pretty much a requirement. Stacey's organic are the best vegan premade tortillas on the market. Violife makes an excellent shredded cheddar-like product that is my current choice for breakfast burritos. I recommend pico de gallo or corn relish as additions, and taco sauce or homemade salsa as condiments. But honesty, like its cousin the sandwich, almost anything is possible.

In terms of preparation, I don't have fixed directions for that, though I follow general guidelines. Generally I like to get all of the ingredients that should be warm heated up before wrapping, Further cooking is for the benefit of the tortilla or to melt any cheese. I prefer avocado to be sliced thinly and plain as opposed to chunked or made into quacamole- makes for a more consistent flavor and it's easier to layer with other stuff. 

If you lightly oil and salt the tortilla and cook them on cast iron, they take on a delicious, crispy character. You can also stovetop grill them for some retention of tenderness with flavorful sear lines and good inside warming. If you make your own tortillas or find raw tortillas at the store, you simply must try baking them in the oven for an incredible taste experience. Heck, even using the microwave works. I'd suggest lightly wetting the tortilla, wrapping it in a towel and 'waving the tortilla for ten seconds, then filling and building, rewrapping and giving it another 20-40 seconds depending on size.  

I gravitate toward the grilling method and a "soft taco"-sized tortilla that yields a burrito about  2" in diameter and 6-7" in length. Anymore is too much for me in the morning. But you probably like something else! And that's the great thing about burritos.Wrap one up in parchment paper and take it on your next morning journey.

30 Days of Vegan: Date-pecan-oat Energy Balls

 

It's winter- which makes it prime cookie season in the Salmons household. If I'm not making cookies, we're buying cookies and filling up our cookie jar with vanilla sandwich cookies, chocolate-covered graham cracker cookies, coconut chocolate ring cookies, crispy chocolate-coated mint cookies, you name it. One day recently after cookie #5 I realized I needed to do something. As opposed to just eating nuts and fruit all day, I decided to make a cookie-type thing more to my tastes, and came up with this vegan energy ball. 

 Why energy ball? Mainly because all of the ingredients- except for the oats- are pretty potent sources of the main unit of nutritional energy- calories. "Date paste-" which is basically what I'm making in the food processor here- weighs in at 79 cals per ounce. One ounce of "pecan meal" will provide 198 cals. and oat meal, a paltry 19 calories, which is what saves these balls from going a bit too far in that direction. Traditionally, the fruit and nut

components of energy balls are roughly equal. I wanted to combine coconut and pecans and make them grain free, but I'm out of coconut, so decided to go with oats. I'm glad I did- the depth of the toasted oat makes the flavor a bit more complex. Next time I'm looking for a snack with coffee or tea, I'll have no problem swapping a pecan sandy for a couple of these guys.

 Ingredients

• about 8 dates- enough to make roughly 1/2 cup of pureed dates
• 1/2 cup minus 2 tbl pecan halves or pieces
  
• 2 tbl oats- I used rolled quick oats
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Heat a 10" or smaller skillet on medium heat. after a couple of minutes, put the oats in the pan, spreading them out. Using a spatula or turner, mix the oats around every minute or so. wherever the heat is hottest, you'll begin to see some color. mix it constantly after this for a max of another minute, then remove from the pan to a small bowl. Let them cool. Assemble your food processor.
2. Next, pit the dates if necessary. Snip the dates into 1/2 inch pieces and put in the food processor carafe. Then add the pecans. add the vanilla and salt. 
3. The next step depends on the oats you use. If you use old-fashioned rolled oats, add the oats to the carafe, reserving a teaspoon. I used quick cook which are thinner, so I added a teaspoon of the oats to process along with the other ingredients and reserved all the rest for later. You can reserve them all if you want more whole oats.
4. Process ingredients in pulses until it begins to clump together.
5. Add the rest of your oats and process briefly until oats are incorporated.
6. Form the balls in whatever size you want, but I chose to make mine about the diameter of a nickel, maybe a smidge larger. Quarter-sized might be more standard.

Store in the fridge. They will get a bit sticky over time, but if they start out refrigerated, they still look pretty good by tea time.

I estimate one of the nickel-sized balls to provide about 77 calories. Not bad!

30 days of Vegan: Creamed tofu eggs

 It's been a tough winter. COVID is still everywhere, but we are at the point of the pandemic where we have to go to the office anyway. Russia has invaded Ukraine. I've had work-life balance problems trying to go to grad school and work full time at the same time. Our youngest is a senior in high school, and after over a year of lockdown and virtual learning and masking up, she's been anxious to have the life any kid at this age should have, though that comes with its own set of dangers and challenges. I'm stressed. I've got the makings of a winter muffin top, my hormones are all out of balance, and I have oral surgery coming up. I find myself increasingly wanting to retreat to comfort things, including comfort foods, but I've just got to get a grip. For the next thirty days, I've decided to go strictly vegan and focus on habits and meals that make me feel good but don't add to my cold-season bloat. 

I'm interested in recreating some of the foods my family would make that I found utterly comforting, and near the top of my list is creamed eggs. No breakfast made me feel more at ease than this old-fashioned marvel on a cold winter's morning. 

I've looked in cookbooks to find any mention of this dish- the preparation, which seemed quite fancy to me as a kid, is apparently not in the egg dish pantheon. But I have found recipes for it in charity cookbooks of a certain age. I've heard these called "housewife cookbooks" but that term feels a little derogatory. Most often the function of these spiral or comb-bound books of amateur recipes was fundraising for social groups or churches. Exploring them makes me feel like an anthropologist: they form a massive cooking underground, made of common dishes with a personal twist, original inventions, or everyday meals just as delicious as more formal dishes but not fancy enough for proper cookbooks. It's a shame too, because it's this private area of inspired, impromptu meals that give us joy on a daily basis, with off-the-cuff combinations that just work: cream cheese and marmalade on a bagel, smoked fish and dill nipped into scrambled eggs, or egg nog in the morning coffee.

In the original of my memories, creamed eggs are hard-boiled and peeled, the whites and yolks separated. A cream sauce is prepared, usually well-salted and peppered. Toast is made, buttered, topped with chopped whites, which are then smothered in the cream sauce, and the yolks are run through a ricer to top. It's finished with a healthy dash of paprika.

In my version. I've scrambled half a brick of firm tofu. Now, recipes for scrambled tofu are a dime a dozen on the interwebs. But some are not so good. The seasonings, though, most people agree on, so probably no surprises. Where recipes frequently go catty-wampus is not leaving the tofu alone to brown, which is in indispensable part of the flavor profile; and not adding the seasonings as a liquid mixture. Doing so makes the tofu creamy and unctuous. Tossing the flavors in dry don't allow them to distribute properly, and run the danger of burning, which makes the dish bitter. Yuck!

The cream sauce is a simple affair with vegan margarine, flour and soy milk. I an not sponsored by them, but the very best soy milks for making cream sauces are Edensoy and Westsoy, the organic and unsweetened varieties of both, in aseptic packs. Refrigerated carton milks employ two big no-nos for me: sweetening them- even "unsweetened" soy milks can have added sugar!- and thickeners, which complicate and sometimes ruin textures of cooked dishes. Edensoy and Westsoy haven't abandoned those of us who actually cook with soy milk.

I serve it on toast and topped with my favorite vegan cheese. You probably already have a favorite!

Ingredients

For the scrambled tofu:

• half a brick of firm or extra-firm tofu- the kind that you find in the refrigerator case. Nasoya is my favorite.
• 1 tsp oil (I used olive)
• 1 tbl nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp black salt (kala namak)
• 1/4 tsp garlic granules or powder
• 1/4 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1-2 tbl water

For the white sauce:

• 1tbl vegan margarine
• 1tbl AP flour
• about 1 cup soy milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat a small to medium pan to medium. Add the oil.
2. Crumble the half brick of tofu into the pan. Do not press it beforehand. It's ok if there is some liquid. Leave the tofu in chunks perhaps 1" in diameter. Leave it to fry for at least 5 mins.
3. In a saucepan, melt the vegan margarine. add the flour and whisk until incorporated.
4. Add the milk a little at a time. Whisk until smooth. Let it come to a light boil, take off the heat and cover.
   
5. Flip the tofu. The bottom sides should now be toasty brown. Let it brown another 2 mins.
6. Combine spices in a small bowl. Add the water to the spices to make a paste, and drizzle on the tofu. Using a spatula, incorporate the liquid thoroughly. As you do, break up large clumps so the texture is uniform- I usually aim for  1/2" chunks. 
7. Take off the heat and cover. Toast a slice of bread.
   
8. Stir sauce. Add salt and pepper to the sauce to taste.
9. Place toast on a plate. I like to butter it, but it's not necessary. Top with as much tofu as it will hold. 
10. Ladle sauce on top.
11. Add shredded or a slice of vegan cheese of your liking. The heat of the ingredients should at least soften the cheese. For more melt and slightly softer toast, microwave on high for 15 seconds.

Slice into quadrants or triangles. Serve with whatever you like. Crinkle fries left over from last night tasted great to me. But you can certainly opt for, say, mashed cauliflower, sauteed beets, a shredded carrot and cabbage salad, a little sauerkraut- I think a variety of things would go well with it.

 

 

Bold but gentle: low-acid chili

A while back my son surprised me by asking to have a wedge pillow like the one I sleep on. I pried a bit and he admitted he had problems with acid reflux. Poor guy! That's usually my department. For a while he'd been avoiding foods he's traditionally loved, like spaghetti and pizza, and dumb me did not connect the dots. So ever since I've felt free to unleash my inner Koufman groupie and serve more modified low-acid foods for dinner.

A recent party plan of Abbey's presented an interesting challenge: make a chili that everyone would like. Abbey is no fan of chili, but I am- despite my ongoing issues with reflux. Many a time I've had to make chili for one or forgo it altogether. This time I was determined to make an all-purpose chili with some specific objectives: (1) it would not burn the acid-sensitive folks, (2) it would be good enough even non-chili people would like it, (3) would be vegetarian to accommodate some guests but (4) also taste good on a hot dog.

The one ingredient that really seems to irritate the digestion of the reflux-prone is tomatoes. It was forgone that there would be no tomatoes in this chili. Not a problem: the original dishes that can be considered the antecedent for today's chili had, of course, chiles as a main ingredient- and frequently the only non-meat ingredient, except for perhaps onions, some masa, and herbs like wild oregano or epazote. Tomatoes were not really part of the equation and meat was the main attraction- so in addition I would have to add some things to make up the meaty flavor. I needed something zingy, yet mild, to stand in for tomatoes and came up with a compromise that would help fulfill multiple needs. I blistered two red bell peppers, mostly peeled them, and processed them in a food processor until smooth. I used a can of the one ready made mild, red enchilada sauces that had no tomatoes (The brand I found was Las Palmas, and their sauce is quite good). The roast red pepper sauce and the enchilada sauce, along with some faux-beef broth, formed the base of the chili. Then I borrowed from my own bag of chili hacks- none "secret" exactly, but some perhaps not intuitive, and came up with a chili that, I am happy to say, pleased everyone!

Bold-but-gentle chili (low acid, low fat, vegan)

The Ingredients

1 tbl olive oil
2 cans of red beans
1/2 to 1 sweet potato, roasted, or equivalent in cooked diced sweet potato
1 can of mild red enchilada sauce with no tomatoes (check labels or look for Las Palmas)
two cloves of roast garlic (from a head of roast garlic- you do roast heads of garlic, right?)
one medium yellow onion
1 tbl Worcestershire sauce (not vegan, there are vegan varieties though)
2 tbls premade black coffee (dark roast, again for our acid-sensitive friends)

2 tbls corn meal
1 tbl nutritional yeast
Enough not-beef bouillon (check label if you are gluten sensitive) to make 2 cups of broth
2 cups water
2 tbl ground cumin
1 tbl chili powder (I used Frontier spices, which contains oregano cumin and garlic powder)
1 tbl brown sugar

The Method

Put a stock pot or enamel pot on a burner set to medium low. Preheat the oven to broil.

Wash the red peppers and place on a cookie sheet.

Peel the onion and cut into medium to fine dice according to your tastes.

When the oven is hot, place the peppers in the oven, top rack, as completely under the flame/element as possible.

when the stock pot is warm, add the olive oil, coat the pan bottom, and add the onion. cook until translucent and starting to brown, about 7 minutes. stir periodically.

Check the peppers. When the sides facing the broiler are blistered and mostly black, rotate 45 degrees and repeat, checking every few minutes and rotating until all sides are done.

Microwave 2 cups of water or bring to boil in a pan. When it is hot, add the bouillon and let it sit for a few minutes. Stir to consistency when the bouillon is blooming and looks loose.

Blanch the peppers in ice water, then peel (or use the paper bag method, which I never knew about until Abbey told me what I was doing was strange!). Do not completely peel, leave a little of the burnt skin for the flavor. Seed and stem the peppers. Toss them in a food processor and whizz. They should be wet enough to form a thick sauce, but if needed, add a tablespoon of water.

when the onions are about done, add the spices and let them toast for 30 seconds. Mash the roast garlic into the pan and mix it all together into a paste.

Add the can of enchilada sauce and the pepper sauce. Turn up to medium high and bring to a boil.

Dice the sweet potato (how much depends on how much you like sweet potato) and add. Break up the sweet potato some but not completely. The chunks of sweet potato will serve as our diced "tomato."

Add the beans, spices, and brown sugar, then turn it back down to low to bubble.

Add the nutritional yeast, worcestershire sauce, corn meal, and coffee. Let it continue to bubble for a least five more minutes while the corn meal dissolves into the chili.

By now the chili is starting to thicken. Thin it with the broth to the consistency you'd like. For me it took about a cup and a half of broth.

Five more minutes to bring the broth to temp.

Please let me know if you try it and how it turns out.

Dyspepsia? Try this iced tea

60 million Americans suffer from some form of dyspepsia- the generic term for digestive unrest. The typical prescription is a proton-pump inhibitor- the same drugs we now know cause a whole raft of diseases down the road, like dementia and osteoperosis. Why? Turns out if you inhibit acid, you don't digest your food- hence no nutrients, hence all of the bioprotective aspects of food are severely limited.

Unless you have acute symptoms that need to be controlled as quickly as possible, a better course might be to ingest foods known traditionally for their digestive aid. In this tea recipe, I combine the power of turmeric and other digestion-friendly spices, honey, ginger and green tea to produce a delicious iced tea that Abbey dubs "Michael's pumpkin pie iced tea." it does contain coconut cream, which some people can be sensitive to for its high fat content. Feel free to substitute whatever milk or cream that suits your digestion best.

ingredients:

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp powdered ginger, or pulverized fresh ginger
1 tbl honey
green- loose or matcha (or black) tea
coconut or other milk or cream, to the top

method:

brew a cup of the tea of your choice according to the usual sort of directions- just big enough for a traditional CUP, NOT MUG, of tea but you want it to be on the strong side, so whatever tea you'd put in a mug is fine.

as the tea is brewing, add the spices. let them sit in the tea five minutes after the tea is finished brewing.

now the tea should be hot, but not blazing. add the honey and mix until incorporated.

Prepare a tumbler with cubed or crushed ice.

pour the fortified cup of tea in the tumbler. Top it off with the milk or cream of your choice. mix.

Enjoy! I have periodic problems with indigestion- some days it's pretty awful- but this tea never fails to calm things down and soothe my insides. I hope it does the same for you.

Delicious homemade fiber snack bars

Fiber is an essential part of any diet, but especially someone who suffers from acid reflux. Fiber keeps things moving along, and one theory is reflux occurs when food that is not digested rapidly- a big ol' steak, for instance- just sits there in your stomach. Fiber helps with that situation. So my problem is I'm always on the prowl for high-fiber snacks- particularly, fruit and nut bars. But they are so expensive! This led me to recently purchasing some dates with the vague idea of making bars and using dates as the thing that holds them all together. If I can't manage to act on an idea, there eventually comes a point at which I need to just wing it or drop it. So, I winged it.

Unlike I lot of things I just wing, this didn't just sit in the fridge waiting for me to decide I didn''t want to look at it anymore. They were good! But something else was going on- it seemed like for every one I ate, three disappeared. Out of the blue Abbey said she had nothing but these bars for dinner. That's how much she likes them! I think you will too. And think of all that healthy fiber!

Makes one 12x12 inch pan.

A handful of Medjool dates- 6-8 ought to do
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pepitas
1/8 cup sunflower seeds
1 tbl water or vegetable oil
3 tbl sesame seeds
1/4 cup of dried fruit of your choice
optional: 1/4 cup coconut flakes- toasted briefly in a pan is nice, not necessary

Pit the dates, if needed. Process the walnuts, dates and oats together until sticky but crumbly. Add a little water or oil if it's needed to help everything combine. You might have to push it down occasionally with a spatula. Include the optional fruit if it's big, like prunes or apricots. Transfer the contents to a bowl. Mix in the remainder of ingredients except the sesame seeds. Put 1/2 the sesame seeds in a 12x12 baking dish. Press the mixture into the bottom and flatten with a spatula. sprinkle the top with the rest of the sesame seeds and press into the bars. Chill for at least an hour, then cut into pieces the size of your choosing. Enjoy!

Dymystifying dairy-free diets: it's not about dairy substitutes

I recently conducted a conversation with my favorite researcher, Google:

"Hey, Google, I'm interested in dairy free diets. whatcha got?"

"May I recommend cashew sour cream?"

"Ew, no. Just a diet that is dairy-free. That's the only requirement."

"Ok. How about shaved brazil nuts instead of parmesan?"

"Why would I do that?? Sounds bizarre. C'mon, Google, there are so many ways to eat that wouldn't involve dairy in the first place. What about diets like that?"

"So... you want soy ricotta, almond ricotta, or cashew ricotta?"

"......?"

There really is no way to ask a search engine to look for dairy-free diets that somehow does not invoke dairy in some way. Which. ok, I guess makes sense. But it indicates a fundamental problem not only with search engines, but also how we think of dairy. It's so ubiquitous, it's hard for westerners to even imagine a day without it, even if only a simulation.

Let's think about this differently: What are your favorite dishes? List everything you like, then put it in rough order. Now, put a check by those which actually involve dairy. Hopefully it's not everything!

Here are ten of my favorite foods that do not invoke the spectre of dairy, nor should they:

• Pad Thai
• Baked tofu with broccoli
• White bean soup with rosemary
• Hummus, falafel and pita
• Vegetable rice pilaf
• Vegetable fried rice
• Papadzules (and mock Papadzules)
• Tomato soup with crostini and herbs
• Chinese peanut noodles with garlic and greens
• Tofu bacon with toast and broiled tomato
• Zaru Soba

Gave you a bonus 11th there.

Maybe this post is more a thought experiment than anything. I just really think in order to consider eliminating something from the diet, you'll be more successful not trying to eat substitutes. This perpetuates dependence on the ingredient. One day you'll realize grated nuts on pasta kinda sucks, and just go back to using parmesan. It would be a lot more successful to make Lentil loaf and a salad (#12!) and just forget about cheese for a while. Do you agree?

Pantry raid: Shortcut Vegan Cherry Chili

black beans, cooked. 2 cups maybe

the whole jar. ingredient list is short and vegan.

approx. 2 tablespoons

dice a medium sized onion

I like Amy's because it's all veg, no wheat gluten filler.

maybe a tablespoon, not much. Also add 2 tsp cumin and 2 tbl cherry preserves- trust me on this one.

If slow cooking: just toss it in the crock and give it a stir. add 1/3 cup water. 

Additionally:

1/3 cup water might be needed on the stovetop too, just check the thickness periodically.

If you are cooking on the stovetop, you can thaw the burger in advance. If crocking, check in an hour or so and break it up then.

Cook on low for 4 hrs if using a slow cooker, OR cook at a low bubble for 30 mins.

Low Acid Vegan Afro-Asian Fusion: Sweet potato peanut noodles

I've had vocal cord damage for about a year now, so it seems clear if I don't be pretty strict with myself, I'll never recover from my LPR episode. I was in the mood for something easy and comforting tonight, and one of my go-to comfort foods is peanut rice noodles. I was going to use palm sugar to sweeten it, but I had just made a batch of sweet potato to put in the puppy's dinner, among other things, and I felt a sudden urge to use some as the sweet element in my recipe. In no time I had visions of a variation of peanut noodles with some African flair. Peanuts, sweet potatoes, and coconut all find themselves in African cooking, so it seemed natural. I have to say the result was delicious, so I felt compelled to share.

Ingredients

One sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 box rice noodles for stir fry
peanut butter and dry roasted peanuts
unsweetened coconut flakes
soy sauce
fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation

Steam the sweet potato until tender. Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions. In the bottom of your individual serving bowl, spoon a tablespoon of peanut butter, two tablespoons of dry roasted peanuts, two tablespoons of coconut, and a tablespoon of soy sauce. When the sweet potato is done, use 2-3 tablespoons of the sweet potato water to mix your ingredients into a sauce. add chunks of sweet potato and partially mash, if you want. Otherwise just put a serving of rice noodles on top of that. Top with a generous pinch or two of cilantro and serve.

If I didn't have acid issues, I'd mix in some lime juice, chili flakes or chili-garlic paste, and fresh garlic if you didn't use the paste. If you're not vegan or vegetarian, a teaspoon of fish sauce would be nice, too. This made a pretty smooth sauce, but coconut milk would make this recipe super-creamy. I just didn't have any handy. Whatever you decide, I hope you find this recipe inspiring.

Vegan Banana Muffins! Again!

Hey!  After a long break, we're back to the blog.  We spent last summer working hard, getting Michael out on morning walks, lifting weights, taking walking breaks during the day.  We started eating vegetarian as well.  We kept this up well into the fall, and sometime in November Abbey went vegan.  Michael, too, but with perhaps a few digressions.  In spite of several health problems, Michael has lost about 60 pounds!  He's feeling pretty good now and I think he's ready to share his story.

Our first post is the ever present banana muffins that our family so loves.  We have a lot of new ideas and recipes to explore, so stay tuned!



Banana Muffins

Ingredients
3-4 ripe smashed bananas
1/3 cup safflower oil (or other vegetable oil)
3/4 cup sugar
EnerG Egg Replacer--1 egg's worth made with warm soy milk instead of water
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
couple grinds of pink Himalayan salt, or a pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cup of spelt flour

Directions
1.  Mix the wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl:  mashed banana, oil, egg replacer, sugar.
2.  Use a large measuring cup to mix the spelt flour with the baking soda and salt.
3.  Pour dry ingredients into wet, lightly mix until incorporated.
4.  Divide evenly into a prepared muffin pan.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 mins.
6.  Test for doneness with a small knife or toothpick.  If it comes out dry, they're done.

Great with a bit of Earth Balance butter.  Our dog, Milo goes crazy when we bake these!  He'd rather have these than a big juicy steak any day.  Our daughter ate at least four of these before dinner tonight.

Low-Acid, Low-Fat Vegan: Peanut Rice Noodles

Low-acid, low-fat vegan: That has to be the most specific dietary niche ever. It certainly is the most specific diet I have ever had. And yet, in the limitations, I have found surprising room to breathe.

This dish is not acid-free, nor is it fat-free. It is, however, devoid of the average GERD trigger foods, and its only source of fat comes from the peanut and sesame products, which don't amount to very much in this dish, just enough to help coat everything in delicious creamy goodness.

It's also gluten-free, if that matters to you.

Bonus: this dish came together in ten minutes, literally. Number of pans involved: one.



Ingredients

2 oz. rice noodles, cooked
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks or matchsticks
1 medium carrot, peeled, then shaved in strips with the peeler
2 large or 4 medium button mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 heaping tbl peanut butter
1 tbl soy sauce (I used tamari, which is wheat-free)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup water
a small handful of cilantro, chopped

While the noodles boiled, I cut up the vegetables and started them in the pan on medium high heat. I did not use oil, but you might, depending on your vessel. I used a well-seasoned iron skillet and did not have to use any.

The carrots I processed simply by peeling, and discarding that, then continuing to use the peeler on the carrot until I ran out of carrot. I just tossed those in after the zucchini, peanuts, mushrooms and garlic had been cooking for a couple of minutes because I wanted them just barely crunchy.

I was taking this to work, so to make the sauce, all I did was put the peanut butter, sesame oil, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and water in a to-go container and stirred it a bit. When the vegetables were done, I mixed the whole lot together some more until the sauce was a creamy consistency.

Note, if you are not a vegetarian, some Nam Pla (fish sauce) would go very nicely in this sauce.

I folded in the noodles with chopsticks, then topped it off with cilantro. Then it was ready to pack off to work.

Cilantro, zucchini and carrot in particular are very alkaline vegetables, so they help bring down the acidity of your stomach when it is digesting. The rice noodles, like wheat pasta, bread, or potatoes, bind with the acid and helps carry it out of the stomach as well. This is why a piece of dry toast can be so soothing to the GERD sufferer.

I hope you give this recipe a try, and that you find it soothing.

Veggies for Breakfast: Sweet Potato Hash

We've been trying to incorporate more vegetables into breakfast. Abbey made a dish yesterday that involved simmering tomatoes and onions,  adding beans, then poaching an egg on top of it. That inspired to me to get up this fine Sunday morning and make a dish we have been discussing recently, a sweet potato hash. It's savory, sweet, creamy and delicious. Plus, the way I've made it, it's vegan.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
green onions
1 cup of Gimme Lean, sausage style
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbl vegetable oil of your choice

Microwave the sweet potato. I used a pretty big sweet potato and cooked it on high for 9 minutes, which was just about right.

Meanwhile, saute the bell pepper and Gimme Lean in a skillet. use 1 tbl of the vegetable oil if needed. If you have a nonstick pan, dry saute. Set aside when done.

Dice the cooked sweet potato, and saute it with the vegetable oil. keep an eye on it, it can burn because of its sweetness; but leave it alone mostly, so a crust will form. Add the cumin and paprika.

When the sweet potato has some nice browned bits throughout, add the Gimme Lean and pepper back in and warm through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place in a serving bowl and snip green onions- green parts only- over the dish, about 2 scallions in total.  Parsley or red pepper flakes might be nice too.

It was a satisfying and hearty way to start the day. It will add some nice variety to our breakfast lineup, too.

The Vegan Experiment, pt 3: strange players

Asian BBQ Tempeh with stir fry and Vietnamese salad

Here's another vegan dish that was tasty enough to blog. We were inspired by this recipe at Go Vegan Meow, but, as usual, put our own twist on it.

Marinade

3 tbl soy sauce
3 tbl cooking sherry
six cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbl ketchup
1 tbl brown sugar
2 tsp sriracha

Korean BBQ Sauce
2 tbl gotchujang
2 tbl ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbl brown sugar
1 tbl cooking sherry

1 brick of tempeh, sliced in 1/2 strips
Rice noodles

For the stir fry:

1 head of broccoli, trimmed and sliced
2 carrots, sliced on the bias
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 tbl high heat vegetable oil

For the Vietnamese salad:

romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
big bunch of cilantro
1 tbl rice vinegar
2 tbl salad oil
1 tsp sugar

Method:

Mix the marinade ingredients together. toss with slices of tempeh and arrange on a baking dish. Marinate for at least an hour. In the meantime, mix the ingredients of the Korean BBQ sauce.

Boil some water in a large pot. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and saute the tempeh until browned.  two minutes before the tempeh is finished, spoon in the Korean BBQ sauce. In another pan, stir fry the vegetables. When the vegetables are crisp done, remove from the pan. Cook the rice noodles and drain.

mix the salad dressing ingredients with the cilantro and lettuce. Build a bowl by adding noodles, then stir fry, and tempeh. Add a bit of the salad on the side.

Full disclosure, Abbey didn't have the Vietnamese salad, just the cilantro. The Vietnamese salad was a very last minute inspiration on my part, but I really liked the addition. Maybe you will too.

Tofu salad lettuce wraps

The last time we made eggless egg salad, we were repurposing leftover scrambled tofu. This time, we made it from scratch, and it turned out better than ever.
Ingredients:
One brick of tofu. We used extra firm.
1 cup diced sweet yellow onion
1 cup diced sweet red bell pepper
handful of parsley, chopped
a squirt of yellow mustard
1 tsp. turmeric
pinch of salt, couple grinds of pepper
1/2 cup- 3/4 cup vegenaise
paprika
sweet pickle relish
Method:
Drain the tofu. The way I do this is with two piles of paper towels. I pat it dry first, then place it on a plate covered with several folds of paper towels. Then I place several folds of paper towels over the tofu, then place another plate with a weight on top. A large can of soup works for this. Leave it for a half hour, then disassemble, flip the piles of towels over, and repeat.
While waiting for this to happen, dice the vegetables and put them in a large mixing bowl. Add the mustard, turmeric, vegenaise, and parsley. Mix.
Take the drained tofu and crumble it directly into the bowl. mix again until thoroughly incorporated.
To serve, make a sandwich or a lettuce wrap, like we did.
The way I finished mine (and I liked quite a bit) was spooning a bit of the sweet pickle relish onto the finished plate, then dusting it with paprika. You could just incorporate those into the mix, of course. Feel free to add what you might to an egg salad sandwich, like slices of tomato.
We loved it! Hopefully you will too.

Quick and Easy: dressed up frozen pizza

There are some common denominators among the variously aged gourmands in our household, but one consistently stands out: we love pizza. In fact, a little too much in my case. Since I am approaching fifty, I find it's impossible to indulge in all of my old habits in the manner to which I have become accustomed. I've had to make modifications to cut down on calories, fat and carbs.

When we decide to throw in the towel and just get pizza, we do follow the conventional route sometimes and hop on a laptop and order something. But more often than not, we pick up frozen pizzas at the supermarket. One choice that everyone loves is the frozen product of a local pizza purveyor, Shakespeare's Pizza (please do visit them if you are ever in the Columbia, Missouri area- they are amazing). But what Abbey and I usually grab for ourselves is an Amy's soy cheeze pizza. It's not too big for two people to reasonably share, for one thing. The crust is what I believe the pizza trade would call "hand tossed-" not too thin, not too thick. Most importantly, Amy's uses a soy cheese for this pizza which, if I may be frank, is an exception to the rule: it does not suck. It melts nicely, has a pleasant, mild flavor, and complements the crust and sauce perfectly.  Also, there isn't a ton of it, but there is enough to provide structure and grip for the multiple toppings we usually put on there ourselves. It's the only pre-prepared pizza (that I know of, I should stress) that allows me to take the easy way out for dinner and be somewhat healthy at the same time. And I am all for that!

Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing

So one of the things that really drove me to veganism in my pursuit of a healthier way of eating was a long, torrid love affair with cheese. I've been obsessed with cheese as far back as I can remember; ask me to recall my fondest childhood memories, somewhere in that list would be pizzaburgers (burgers topped with marinara, provel, and a sprinkle of dried parsley on top) and the ubiquitous green cans of Kraft brand parmesan I sprinkled on everything. My interest in cheese never waned, only got more intense as I grew up and became a man. I went through obsessive phases revolving around both expensive cheese (I can still smell in my head my first encounter with Sage Derby) and cheeses altogether more pedestrian (melted American in toasted cheese). When I went vegetarian for a decade in my 20s and 30s, it was not a problem at all; as long as cheese was still on the table, I could put up with just about any kind of dietary restriction. As my waistline bloomed, I realized my cheese relationship was far from healthy, in more ways than one; and as I rounded my forties, I finally understood we really needed to part company if I were to ever reach optimum fitness in my life again. It's just one of things I can't do casually. It really is all or nothing, at least it has been so far in my life.

Fine. No more cheese. I can do this! Right?

Well, actually, I have finally reached a place where I can say yes- but for the first month of our vegan phase, I was not sure at all, and I spent considerable time (and expense) trying to find a substance to stand in for cheese. I just didn't know any other way to eat. That's not true, strictly speaking; I am fully aware of, and versed in to some degree significantly dairy-free cuisines like Chinese. But I had a daily habit, and I was not used at all to not getting my fix. So I started hanging out at health food stores, thinking over the faux cheeses. I dabbled a little randomly, and was stung by some pretty awful substances. I started reading reviews online- yeah, there are fake cheese reviews, and there are a lot of them, and there is no clear consensus. But a few names have stood out. There are people who like Daiya; actually, Abbey is one of them. I don't mind it providing a backing role if there are a lot of ingredients in the dish, but I don't like its flavor to be obvious in any way. Not exactly what you'd call enthusiasm.

I stumbled upon reviews of something called Teese, which was available in a variety of flavors and compared favorably price-wise to many products. The only problem was, living in the hinterlands, I had to mail order it. To my surprise, it does not need to be refrigerated; it showed up at my door loving nestled in some styrofoam peanuts. I refrigerated it before opening it, anyway, perhaps out of habit more than anything. Then the fateful day came when we decided to use the mozzarella Teese on a homemade pizza. I was not crazy about it, nor was Abbey. Strike one. Then the opportunity came for the Cheddar style stuff to add a bit of cheesy flair to some chili. I sliced some and put it on the dinner table. "What's that?" my youngest son was instantly curious. I told him it was a cheese substitute. He sniffed it, took a bite, and looked disgusted. "Ew!" he exclaimed.  Undaunted, I tried heating it a little before adding it to my chili. This very quickly filled the house with the aroma of warm Teese. "It smells like gym socks!" someone said, and I had to agree with them.  If it wasn't the smell or taste, it was the texture- either grainy (when cold) or gummy (when warm)- honestly, what I mostly felt about Teese was it was as if aliens invented it in their lab based on an earthling's description- as if the maker had never actually tasted cheese.

Sigh. If this was the best, or nearly best, cheese substitute the vegan food industry could provide, I thought I'd be better off avoiding cheese-centric dishes altogether. That was the best decision I could have made. I've had to rethink how I prepare meals and I'm finally getting a handle on a wide enough variety of dishes that I don't feel like I'm suffering. Plus, I think moving beyond recreating dairy and meat-free omnivorous staples is a necessary step for anyone looking to radically change their diet for the long haul. But in order to make this change permanent, it was necessary to master a few dishes that possess dairy-esque states of creaminess, but aren't trying to be something that they aren't- like the extremely tasty Hurry Up Alfredo recipe at Vegan Yum Yum that isn't Alfredo at all, but is a delicious thing unto itself that I find amazingly gratifying. I don't let that kind of meal dominate my palate, but it does make my cheese banishment less of a big deal. And I certainly don't plan on resorting to alien lab cheeze anytime soon.

Update: Veggie Slices are the bomb. Even for an avowed cheese lover such as myself. The smoked provelone style is ahh-maa-zing.

Vegan Chili

If you've read the archive of this blog, you know more chili recipes were inevitable- this time, it's completely vegan. It worked out really well, so I thought I'd share.

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tbl olive oil
approx. 4" of a roll of Gimme Lean sausage style
2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can of mild enchilada sauce
2 15 oz. cans of red beans
1 tbl unsweetened cocoa
1 tbl sweet paprika
1 tbl cumin
1 tbl dried oregano
1 tbl brown sugar*
1 tbl prepared black coffee
2 tbl corn meal
salt to taste

*Use genuine unrefined brown sugar to avoid bone char filtering.

Saute the onion in olive oil until starting to turn clear. Make a space in the middle and add the dry seasonings. Let them toast a minute, then add the Gimme Lean.  saute together 5 mins. Then add the coffee, enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Cook on medium low for about 10 mins. Whisk in the corn meal and stir, constantly, for another 10 mins. Then add the cans of beans and stir for another 5 or 10 minutes.

(Mostly) Vegan Megapost

Phew, it's been a whirlwind start to Autumn around here. This is the time of year that family birthdays kick in, and once October lands the school events start hitting. Can you tell I'm feeling slightly bruised? Only a little of this fall's bounty was bruised- most of it has been perfect and delicious. Pumpkins have been robbed of seeds and are queued up for carving, tomatoes melted into amazing sauces, and herbs have added just the right kick to savory dishes and provided a lovely bouquet to the air around the house.

Abbey started the season off with a traditional carrot cake and cream cheese frosting for her mom's birthday, which was decadent and delicious. The cake itself was vegan, consisting of oil, spices, flour, carrots and sugar. No eggs or dairy. Though Abbey made a traditional cream cheese frosting for her mom to enjoy, I'm sure a tasty frosting could be made with Earth Balance and Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese. Next up was my mom's birthday. That day we had a blackberry cake (it had buttermilk, but still amazing) and two appetizers. The first was crostini topped with pesto and fresh tomatoes. The pesto was not vegan- there was a small amount of parmesan- but again, it easily could have been, either omit the cheese entirely or substitute a combination of almond meal and nutritional yeast. Although I've made quite a few pestos with no cheese and they were all fine.

Next, we had veggie meatballs in sweet and sour sauce. I modified the traditional recipe found over at About.com's Chinese Cooking pages, substituting pineapple juice for the water. after heating the sauce and letting it thicken, I tossed in thin slices of baby carrots, diced onion and green pepper, and some nice off-the shelf veggie meatballs from Veggie Patch. I poured that into a crock pot a little in advance so the vegetables would cook a bit.

Most of our weekday meals this week have been noteworthy. Abbey has made creamy soups with white beans before, and we got to enjoy one this week made with spinach and nutritional yeast. that's a piece of ciabatta doused with olive oil parked in there. We cooked the beans in a heavy dutch oven to the point that they were falling apart; all we had to do was stir and they instantly made a creamy base. She tossed in a thawed chunk of spinach and it was practically done.

Here's the third dish we made with pesto this last week- a pasta salad (high fiber Piccolini penne from Barilla) composed of cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, vegenaise and a drizzle of olive oil. Abbey topped it with shreds of basil, salt and pepper.

Many years back, Abbey and I had a favorite Chinese spot near the campus where we worked. They had some pretty good dishes, but the one the towered above was their rendition of Lo Han Jai. Also known as Buddha's Delight, it's a savory vegetarian combination of Chinese vegetables such as lotus root, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and cloud ears; bean thread; tofu and soy sausage of some sort. It's a like a festival of healthy things in a bowl; traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year's, presumably as a sort of toast to the diner's health. Hankering for that flavor, Abbey found a recipe which we adapted according to available ingredients. We baked cubes of tofu, then stir fried snow peas, sliced baby bellas, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, napa cabbage, bean thread, and added a simple sauce of soy sauce and vegetable broth (Imagine's Organic No-Chicken Broth was delicious for this purpose). It was fantastic.

Finally, Abbey came to the rescue for lunch the other day- I was trying to squeeze physical therapy and lunch into one hour; if it weren't for Abbey, I would have gone back to work hungry. She took some locally grown tomatoes and made a Spaghetti Pomodoro with them. The pasta was Racconto whole wheat spaghetti, the sauce consisting of tomatoes, whole black olives and olive oil. Nothing else was needed or desired.

I guess that's it for now! At least it is according to my camera. Abbey just whipped up an amazingly healthy granola that might be popping up here pretty soon as it has an impressive list of healthy ingredients, including buckwheat groats, flax, oats, pumpkin seeds and cashews.