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!

Dairy part 3: What's in that glass?

From Wikipedia: "Milk is an emulsion or colloid of butterfat globules within a water-based fluid. Each fat globule is surrounded by a membrane consisting of phospholipids and proteins; these emulsifiers keep the individual globules from joining together into noticeable grains of butterfat and also protect the globules from the fat-digesting activity of enzymes found in the fluid portion of the milk."

Mmmm... Fat globules. Sounds delicious.

Simply put, milk is a white, opaque liquid produced in the mammary glands of female mammals for their newborn offspring. Each species of mammal's milk is different, and rightfully so. A cow most certainly does not have the same nutritional requirements as a cat, a dog, or even a human, and as such, milk is tailored to each individual newborn.

Take your average Holstein cow, for example. At birth, she will weigh about 55 pounds, and during the next three months (most calves will be weaned at this time), she will put on 195 more pounds for a total of 250 pounds. Compare that to a human child who weighs an average of six pounds at birth and puts on a mere 7 more pounds during the first three months of life.

Let me just emphasize this one more time: Cow milk is perfectly designed to bring a newborn 55-pound calf into a hefty 250-pound three-month-old. Human milk, six pounds to a healthy thirteen. Once we are weaned from our mothers, we have absolutely no more need for milk, and in fact, two thirds of the world cannot drink milk after infancy.

Moving on.

So, fat globules, protein, calcium, lactose... What else is there?

Hormones

Cows, when left alone, naturally produce about sixteen pounds of milk a day. However, with the help of hormone injections (such as recombinant bovine somatotropin or rBST), that production has increased to 50 pounds per day. Not only does this significantly shorten the life of the cow (the other culprit being the need to be frequently impregnated to keep up the milk production), but all of the added hormones may also be adversely affecting your health. More research needs to be done, but the hormones in milk are linked to obesity, early pubescence in girls, cancer, and endocrine disorders such as diabetes or hypothyroidism.

rBST also raises the levels of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), a protein hormone that is identical in cows and humans. Although it occurs naturally in humans, new research (such as the Harvard-based Nurses' Health study) suggests that elevated levels of this hormone are associated with breast, colon, and prostate cancers.

In the European Union and Canada, the use of injected hormones is illegal, but yet absurdly enough, our FDA continues to give them a thumbs up.

If you think buying organic milk or other milks free of added hormones, do not fall into the trap of thinking they will be hormone free. This simply is not the case. All milks have naturally occurring hormones, and these are still a significant threat to your health.

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/12.07/11-dairy.html


Feces

Cow feces are perfectly allowable in milk. Why? It is simply too hard to keep the manure out of the milk. Feces are full of nasty bacteria, and while pasteurization may take care of some of the them, occasionally there are contaminations which result in food poisoning from e.coli, salmonella, etc. Never drink raw milk. It is very unsafe.

Blood

From McGill University: "Mastitis (Mast: breast, itis: inflammation) is defined as an inflammatory reaction of udder tissue to bacterial, chemical, thermal or mechanical injury. Mastitis may be infectious caused by microbial organisms or noninfectious resulting from physical injury to the gland. The inflammatory response consists of an increase in blood proteins and white blood cells in the mammary tissue and the milk.

Contagious mastitis can be divided into three groups:
1- Clinical mastitis
2- Sub-clinical mastitis
3- Chronic mastitis
1- Clinical mastitis
Characterized by the presence of gross inflammation signs (swelling, heat, redness,
pains). Three types of clinical mastitis exist.

1.1- Peracute mastitis
Characterized by gross inflammation, disrupted functions (reduction in milk yield,
changes in milk composition) and systemic signs (fever, depression, shivering, loss of
appetite and loss of weight).
1.2- Acute mastitis
Similar to percute mastitis, but with lesser systemic signs (fever and mild depression).
1.3- Sub-acute mastitis
In this type of mastitis, the mammary gland inflammation signs are minimal and no
visible systemic signs.
2- Sub-clinical mastitis
This form of mastitis is characterized by change in milk composition with no signs of
gross inflammation or milk abnormalities. Changes in milk composition can be detected
by special diagnostic tests (see below).
3-Chronic mastitis
An inflammatory process that exists for months, and may continue from one lactation to
another. Chronic mastitis for the most part exist as sub-clinical but may exhibit
periodical flare-ups sub-acute or acute form, which last for a short period of time.

Only relatively few udder infections result in “clinical mastitis” in which the udder is noted to be abnormal and the quality of milk secreted is altered. The vast majority of mastitis are “subclinical."'

This means the majority of mastitis goes unnoticed, and therefore the white blood cells (pus) end up in your glass of milk (and other dairy products). Not only is this pus in your glass, but so are residues from the antibiotics used to treat mastitis. In humans, this can cause severe allergic reactions and microorganisms to become resistant, therefore making antibiotics ineffective when needed to treat infections. Even now, scientists are having a hard time battling these mutating, antibiotic resistant microorganisms.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=9D808AD46A08242F93EF689273BE068F.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=313045
http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/biosynthesis.html
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/abstract/159/9/1129

Fat globules. Feces. Blood. Antibiotics. Hormones.

Got milk?

Polenta and Vegetable Stew, Tempeh Chili

Polenta and Vegetable Stew

This is a great stew for when you have a lot of fresh vegetables in your fridge, and for when you want to try out your mandoline. Although not required, a mandoline makes things go much more quickly. Use your 1/4 inch attachment.

Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:

1 large carrot, sliced into 1/4 inch matchsticks
1 large yellow squash, sliced into 1/4 inch matchsticks
1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch matchsticks
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced into rounds
10 oz. mushrooms
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup black olives, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, including juice
1 or 2 cans navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup polenta (grits)

Bring 8 cups of water to a boil, add carrots, and boil for a minute. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with ice water. After a minute, add the zucchini and squash. Cook for one minute more, drain, and immediately pour into the ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Sauté mushrooms in water (or oil, if you prefer) for about 5 or so minutes. Add the leeks, sauté for five minutes, and stir in the olives and garlic. After a minute, stir in the tomatoes with the juice and beans, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

While the stew is simmering, start cooking the polenta in a separate, small pot. First, pour the polenta into the pot and stir in four cups of salted water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, and keep stirring! It will be thick and porridge like when done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir the veggie mixture into the stew and simmer for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve over the polenta. Enjoy!

Tempeh Chili

I love the texture tempeh offers this perfectly seasoned chili.

Serves: a whole heck of a lot, but it freezes well!

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
2 celery stalks
1 can tomato paste
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 package tempeh
1 scant tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp maple syrup
1 small jalapeño, optional
1 can of red kidney beans, optional

Sauté the onion and carrots for one minute in water (or oil, if you must) for about five minutes. Stir in the celery and jalapeño and sauté for a few minutes more.

Purée the tomatoes with juice in a blender until smooth. Stir the puréed tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, oregano, 1 teaspoon of the chili powder, two cups of water, and the red kidney beans, if using, into the onion mixture. Sprinkle on some pepper and salt to taste. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir every once in a while.

In a food processor, lightly pulse the tempeh, red pepper, remaining chili powder, and garlic together until crumbly (don't overdo it). In water, or oil, sauté the tempeh mixture until browned. When done, add to the tomato and onion sauce along with the maple syrup. Simmer for about 8 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Scoop into bowls and serve with some quality bread if desired.

Hummus

What better to go with pita bread than hummus?

Hummus

1 can chickpeas (AKA garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
juice of one lemon, about 3 TB
1 or 2 TB tahini (sesame paste)
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 TSP cumin or more, depending on what you like
1/2 TSP tamari
water
1 TB plain soymilk, optional

Throw all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth, adding tablespoons of water every now and then if needed. A word of caution about the garlic: it may not be strong at first, but the flavor intensifies! I'm a garlic lover myself, and I love lots of garlic, but this is plenty, trust me. Oh, and the tablespoon of soymilk just makes the hummus creamier. Plain rice milk or soygurt can also be used.

Dairy Part 2: Cancer

Dairy may increase one's risk of prostate cancer.

It's a scary prospect, isn't it? This tremendous "health food" causing cancer? How could that be? But the government said it was healthy!

Prostate Cancer

In a 2008 study on 142,251 men in Europe, the relationship between the consumption of animal foods, protein and calcium versus one's risk of prostate cancer was studied. After an average of 8.7 years, what was found? Those who consumed the most dairy products had the highest risk of this cancer (2727 incident cases of prostate cancer, 541 of which were advanced-stage disease). (I find it ironic that calcium from dairy products was also positively associated with risk, but not calcium from other foods... I think of all the poor men blindly following the governments recommendation to eat 3-A Day for "strong bones," all the while increasing their chances of prostate cancer...)

This study observed inverse associations with higher intakes of plant foods.

This in particular concerns me. My father is an avid dairy eater... He eats several servings of sour cream, buttermilk and/or skim milk, cheese and blue cheese dressing every day while shunning most plant foods (besides potatoes, of course). He's really worrying me.

Next up: What,exactly, is in that glass of milk and lactose intolerance.

Pita Bread

Finding vegan pita bread where I live is a nightmare. Why does honey have to be in everything? I can't take it anymore. Hummus just isn't the same without the pita! Anyway, I've finally broken down and I'm going to try my hand at baking this ancient, Middle Eastern bread. (If you know anything about me, then you know I have to change the original recipe, but, of course, that does not always work out so well!)
So, that being said, here goes nothing. You need a HOT oven for this.

Whole Wheat Pita

2 1/2 tsp quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water (warm, not scalding! If it stings your finger when you hold it in the water for a bit, it is too hot!)
3 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

First, grab a small bowl and stir the yeast, sugar, and a teaspoon or so of flour together. Slowly pour in the 1/2 cup of warm water and stir until sugar dissolves. Let sit for about ten minutes until the yeast/flour mixture is nice a frothy.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the three cups of flour and salt together. Make a depression in the middle, and when the yeast is ready, gently pour it into the depression. Slowly add the rest of the water and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until well combined and doughy.

Next, prepare the kneading surface (I use a plastic pie-crust-making mat) by covering it with a generous amount of flour. Have the bag of flour ready because you will need to frequently add more to keep the dough from sticking to everything. Transfer the dough to the prepared surface, and knead for about fifteen minutes until elastic and not sticky. If you don't know how to knead, I'll try to explain, but if my instructions don't suffice, google "how to knead bread."

Step 1: First, cover your hands with flour. Using the heel of your hand, compress and push the dough away from you, and then fold it in half back towards yourself.

Step 2: Next, turn the dough 90 degrees, and repeat step 1, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.

Step 3: Keep repeating steps 1 & 2 (get into a rhythm and put some weight into it!) until the dough is nice and elastic. You'll notice the difference, don't give up.

It will look something like this:



Okay, so once the dough is kneaded, coat a large bowl with oil (vegetable, canola, olive, etc.) and transfer the dough. Turn it gently until coated. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and allow it to sit and rise for three hours (or until doubled in size) in a warm place.



Now for the fun part.

Roll the dough out into a long rope and divide into 10 or 12 small sections (divide into thirds, then halve, and halve once more).




On a floured surface, form them into balls, transfer to a plate, cover, and let sit for ten minutes. Preheat the oven along with your baking sheet to 500 degrees F. Make sure the rack is at the very bottom of your oven.

With a rolling pin, roll out the balls until they are about 5-6" across and 1/4 inch thick.

Like this:



Place them on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 4 minutes (they should puff up a bit). Flip them over and bake for an additional 2 minutes. Once out of the oven, gently push the puff down and store in airtight plastic bags. They should keep for about a week in a bread box or for about a month in the freezer. The great thing about pita bread is the little pouch that forms in the middle. You can spread on some quality hummus, stuff it full of your favorite veggies, and devour. Or, dunk it in soups, make chips... whatever you like! Enjoy!



I have so much fruit right now... I'm trying to figure out what to do with it... Smoothies? Fruit salads? Grilling? I'll let you know!

Ahh-may-zing Nutty Oatmel Cookies

These are absolutely delicious! My family downed three or four of them apiece in just a couple of minutes. I warn you: they are very addictive!

Nutty Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 medium/large banana, well mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Stir the flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, and spices together in a large bowl. Gradually add the margarine (you can soften this a bit to make it easier to stir), peanut butter, banana, vanilla, raisins and chocolate chips. Mix well.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper (or spray with cooking spray), and spoon out rounded spoonfuls of the dough. Press down on them with your fingers to flatten slightly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes and let cool before moving them to a cooling rack. Makes anywhere from 12 to 20 cookies, depending on how big you like them.

(I did get a picture of these, but it was terrible and promptly after taking the first shot, I knocked the cookies into the sink and a big bowl of water. Sad day. But, the good news is the ones pictured above look very similar...)