Lazy Chickpea Curry

In a hurry? Or do you just not feel like cooking today? Then this is the dish for you. Healthy, delicious, warm for a cold day- and it only requires minimal prep time.

Chickpea Curry

1 can Chickpeas
1 can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 Onion, sliced into thin rounds
1 Carrot, sliced
2-3 cloves of Garlic
1 teaspoon Red Curry Powder
1/4 teaspoon Hot Madras Curry Powder
1/8 teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

Sauté the onion in water or olive oil. Add the garlic, diced tomatoes (including juice), 1 cup of water, chickpeas, and spices. Simmer for about ten minutes or so. After the liquid has been reduced, turn off the burner, add the tomato paste, and let sit for a few minutes to let the flavor meld.

Serve over a piece of toast, brown rice, or in a wrap.

Enjoy!

Reader's Digest

Reader's Digest is one of my favorite magazines. I admit, I mostly read it for the jokes ("How many fisherman does it take to change a lightbulb? Five, and you should have seen the size of that lightbulb! Five of us almost weren't enough!"... No? Not funny? Fine.), but I also love reading the health section. And this week, I was especially happy: there was a little blurb about vegetarians!

I'll recap.

In a study by Dean Ornish, MD, and Elizabeth Blackburn, MD, subjects ate a low-fat, vegetarian diet, walked for thirty minutes a day (six days a week), and used stress-reducing techniques. In doing so, they reduced their LDL cholesterol levels and exhibited a 29 percent increase in telomerase, an enzyme responsible for repairing and lengthening telomeres (protein complexes on the ends of chromosomes). Higher telomerase levels are not only critical for immunity and longevity, but they decrease your risk of heart disease and cancer. So, the conclusion? Follow a low-fat vegetarian diet, of course!

But what constitutes a "low-fat" diet, anyway?

Well, first off, it does not mean no fat whatsoever, so you can go ahead and have that peanut butter sandwich. Low fat simply means no more than 30% of your calories should come from fat. For a 2000 calorie diet, that translates to about 66 grams a day. Not too bad, right?

An easy equation to figure out your maximum daily value of fat...

Calories a day x .3 = Calories from fat
Calories from fat / 9 = maximum grams of fat

Just make sure your fat is good fat. Nuts, seeds, high quality oils (olive, etc.), and avocados are all excellent sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Try to limit your intake of saturated fats to a maximum of about 20 grams for a 2000 calorie diet (or 10% of Calorie intake).

A Vegan Thanksgiving, 2008

I love fall. It's a time of beautiful colors...



And pumpkins!



I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, and I hope you got to spend it with someone you love. Being vegan and eating with an omnivorous family can be a little tense at times, especially if you have recently turned vegan (or vegetarian), but, if you come armed with delicious food and a good attitude, it will work out in the end.

Here's what was on the menu for me:

Pumpkin Scones



1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup vegan margarine (such as Earth Balance), softened slightly, but still cold
2 cups pureed pumpkin*

You can use canned pumpkin (just be sure to get 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix), or you can bake your own. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Split the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds and strings. In a rimmed, oven-safe glass dish or roasting pan, place the pumpkins cut side down in one cup of water. Bake for about 90 minutes until the flesh is very tender. Let cool. When safe to handle, and scoop the flesh out into a food processor and puree.

For the scones:

Preheat the oven to 425°F or 400°F convection.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and soda, ginger, and cinnamon. Cut in the margarine (I like to break it up in chunks and basically knead it into the flour with my hands). Once the margarine is incorporated, stir in the pumpkin. Mix well, and knead a few times so that the dough holds together.

Transfer the pumpkin dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead a few more times and form the it into a large circle that is a few inches thick. With a pastry knife, divide the dough into twelve even slices (cut the circle into fourths, then cut each fourth into thirds).

Now here is the only mildly tricky part. Separate the twelve pieces (it can be a little like trying to get the first piece of cake out perfectly!). Place onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet, and bake for about 12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Tzimmes with Pecans and Raisins



This dish was great. Everyone loved the pear/sweet potato combination, and it is definitely going to become one of those dishes that I will make every year.

Adapted from Veganomicon.

2 pounds sweet potatoes (about two medium/large), chopped into chunks
2-3 Bartlett pears, chopped into chunks
1/2-1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons mirin (get a good one, not the kind with cornsyrup)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1/2 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly oil a large, rimmed baking sheet, and toss in the sweet potatoes and pears to coat. Sprinkle on the mirin, maple syrup, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins, and stir to distribute evenly. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about thirty minutes. Stir, replace the foil, and bake for about thirty minutes more. Stir every now and then. Serve warm.

Fall Loaf



This lovely loaf will fill your home with the fresh scent of sage.

1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup rice mixture (such as Lundbergs), or brown rice
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, finely ground
1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 slice of whole wheat bread, crumbled
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (or sage)
1/2 teaspoon ground celery seed

Place the lentils, barley, and rice in a medium-sized pot and cover with about three cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer for 45-55 minutes. Take a peek at them every now and then to make sure they do not run out of water.

When the grains are almost done, sauté the onions in water or oil. Add the celery and sauté one or two minutes more (the celery will add a nice crunch to the loaf, so don't sauté too long).

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large oven-safe dish, toss together the cooked grain, onions and celery, ground almonds, crumbled whole wheat bread, poultry seasoning, and celery seed. Mix well. Then add the tomatoes, including their juice. It depends on how moist your loaf is at this point, but you will probably want to add a cup or so of water. The loaf is going to cook for a while, and you don't want it get too dry.

Bake uncovered for about an hour.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Banana Bread

Ever eaten a raw cranberry?



They will make you pucker up like none other (trust me, there is a reason cranberry juice has so much sugar!). But here, in this lovely, festive bread, they provide the perfect contrast ti the creamy sweetness of ripened bananas without the use of too much sugar. Plus, cranberries are packed full of cancer-fighting, immune system-boosting, heart-protecting antioxidants, and studies show that they may even prevent urinary tract infections! (because I know you've been so worried about them.) So what have you go to lose? Eat up! Your body and taste buds will thank you.




Cranberry-Banana Bread

4 ripe bananas, mushed*
1/8 cup canola oil
1/4 cup apple sauce
1/2-3/4 cup sugar, depending on the level of sweetness you like
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
A pinch or so of cloves
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup or so fresh cranberries


*To mash: place peeled bananas into a gallon sized zip-lock bag. Squeeze out the air, zip tight. Now, mash with your fingers until they are mushed to your desired consistency (I recommend leaving them a little chunky). Cut one of the bottom corners of the bag to squeeze out all of the banana goodness into a bowl.


Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, oil, apple sauce, sugar, and vanilla. Stir well.

Next, add the spices. Smell that cinnamon. Yum.



Now, stir in the baking powder and salt, then gently add the flour. Mix until just combined (you don't want to form too much gluten), then fold in the cranberries.



Pour into lightly oiled, 9x5" loaf pan or a bundt pan. Place in the warm oven, bake for 50-55 minutes (until the edges begin to pull away from the sides, or a toothpick comes out clean). Serve warm, or cool part way on a rack and place in a zip-lock bag or other container to keep it moist.

Avocados and Chocolate?

I love birthdays... especially when I get to bake the cake!

Last weekend was my brother's twenty-first birthday. A fan of everything chocolate, I had to make sure his cake had extra chocolatey goodness.

Glazed Chocolate & Avocado Cupcakes

Yes, you read that right. Avocado. You wouldn't believe how moist and rich it makes these little bundles of deliciousness.

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour*
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled**
1 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup soymilk
1/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

Icing
1/2 cup soft silken tofu, drained
3 Tbs pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup semisweet vegan chocolate chips, melted

*I usually bake with half whole wheat flour and half unbleached white. It turned out well for me with this recipe

**the bigger the better!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (not convection). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with foil liners (I prefer foil because it doesn't stick to the little cakes, but you can use paper if you so desire!). In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl or in a food processor, purée the avocado, maple syrup, soymilk, oil, and vanilla until creamy and smooth. Pour the avocado mixture into the flour and mix well.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before attempting to glaze.

For the icing: Blend the tofu, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Add the melted chocolate, and blend until smooth. This will turn out almost like a pudding (in fact, you could eat it just like pudding!).

To glaze: dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes into the icing, pulling straight out to form professional-looking peaks at the top (mine didn't turn out so well this time because I was pressed for time and I did not let them cool completely!). If you would like the glaze to harden, simply place the cupcakes in the refrigerator for about five or so minutes, and voila, they're ready for devouring!

Oh, and I apologize for the terrible picture. Like I said, I was pressed for time, and I wanted to snap a quick shot before they disappeared!

Tears of a Chef

Favorite knife. Check.
Cutting board. Check.
Sunglasses.... Check!



Alright. Bring on the onion.

You may laugh (and I admit, I do look a bit ridiculous chopping onions with giant sunglasses on...), but dammit, it works. If I don't wear them, I always end up with big, fat, salty tears pouring out my face like a water fountain. Which makes my makeup run. Which invariably ends up my eyes. Which makes them sting like fire. Which makes me rub them with my onion juice-covered hands... Which- well, you get the picture. So, yes, even though people my laugh, I don't care. You can go ahead and "tough it out like a man," but I will continue to wear my sexy, rhinestone-studded onion glasses.

If you are nerdy enough to want to know why they make you cry, I will gladly explain the evilness. As soon as you commence the chopping, the onion cells release enzymes that decompose other substances in the onion (among them amino sulfoxides), and the remnants quickly arrange themselves into a volatile gas. The gas eventually reaches your eyes, reacts with the H2O that keeps them moist, and forms a mild sulfuric acid. In order to dilute this acid and prevent damage to the eye, your body produces tears. And, if you are like me, when this happens, you like to rub your eyes... but this actually makes the irritation a lot worse, of course, because of the onion juices all over your hands.

You can try all the other "remedies" such as breathing through your mouth, sticking your tongue out, or even chewing gum (vegan, of course!), but let me save you the pain: they do NOT work! Onion glasses. They are the only way to go.

Yummy Veganomicon Muffins

These healthy muffins taste almost like banana nut bread. They are perfectly moist and delicious, and they definitely did not last very long in my house!

Adapted from Veganomicon

Banana Wheat Germ Muffins

1 cup soy milk (vanilla or plain)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 very ripe large bananas
1/4 scant cup oil
1/3 cup natural sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup wheat germ
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecans, optional
1 carrot, grated, optional

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the soy milk and vinegar together. Set aside to curdle.

Mash the bananas in a large bowl and stir in the soy milk mixture along with the oil, vanilla, and sugar. Mix well. In another medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nuts. Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill the cups 3/4 full and bake for 22 minutes. Remove from oven and place them on a cooling rack once they are cool enough to handle. Enjoy warm, cold, or even toasted!