Skandi Vegan Chick

Nothing says "fall" like a bowl of Butternut Squash soup and a fire in the fireplace

2010-11-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

I know winter is coming. I saw it on TV. I heard it from my friends in Minneapolis. They shoveled snow today. But here in central Iowa, the weather was so beautiful last week, I took advantage of some time off work and headed out with my camera, my watercolors, and a general sense of direction...North. It was a truly wonderful day, taking time to just meander down highways and gravel roads, following whatever caught my eye. The picture below was the last shot of the day when I pulled over to catch the flash of light that happens when the sun drops over the horizon.

There are quicker ways to make Butternut Squash Soup, but if you have the time, this is the way to do it! Oven roasting the onion, carrots squash adds to the autumn appeal of this soup: the oven warms the kitchen, the house is filled with delicious aromas and the vegetables caramelize, making them sweet and delicious.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered
1 small butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, optional garnish

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. Prepare and place onions and carrots in a medium bowl. Toss gently with olive oil, salt and pepper. Halve and seed butternut squash. Drizzle with seasoned olive oil poured off from onion and carrots. Place squash cut-side down on baking sheet. Dump onion and carrots onto baking sheet, spreading out to a single layer. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes or until vegetables are tender and begin to caramelize on the edges.

2. After vegetables have finished roasting, pour vegetable broth and water into a medium saucepan. Add roasted vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk and spices. Ladle soup in batches into blender; blend until smooth. Return soup to saucepan and reheat over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
Calories: 266
Calories From Fat: 87
Total Fat: 11.6g
Cholesterol: 1.6mg
Sodium: 1452.4mg
Potassium: 708.5mg
Carbohydrates: 36.5g
Fiber: 5.3g
Sugar: 5.7g
Protein: 6.8g

Canning Homemade Salsa

2010-09-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

It has been another weird and wet summer here in Iowa. And right from the get go, my tomato plants had black spot fungus on the leaves. For those of you who haven't seen that (lucky you!), it is a fungus that causes some branches of the tomato plant to brown and wilt. Based on my experience, it then seems like the tomato plant ends up putting all it's energy into trying to make new leave branches and never really gets around to making a lot of flowers. No flowers...no tomatoes. Last year, I was swimming in tomatoes at this time. This year, I've resorted to buying them at the farmer's market. I was lucky enough to be able to go to the downtown farmer's market in St. Paul, Minnesota and brought back a bag of beautiful, rich red tomatoes. My bell, chili and salsa peppers have been doing well in the new herb garden so I had plenty of peppers. And, we've been getting a steady supply of organic garlic and onions from the CSA (they are also having tomato problems this year).
I modified the salsa recipe from the site http://www.pickyourown.org/ to make sure I was using a recipe that had enough acidity to do a hot water bath method when I canned. The modifications were slight, so I want to make sure I am crediting them as the source! My modifications were to add a few drops of liquid smoke and I used my VitaMix blender to process the tomatoes. I didn't want to spend tons of time peeling, seeding and prepping the tomatoes if I didn't have to! I just topped and cored them, squeezed out the seeds, threw them in the blender and gave it a couple of pulses.
I shared this recipe with TLew's Aunt Linda in Vermont and she said her salsa turned out so fantastic that people are begging her to make more. She did remind me, though, that this is really more of a weekend day project than an after-school project. But, we both agree, the work is SO SO WORTH IT!

Home-made, Home-canned, Home-grown Salsa

Serving Size : 48 1/4 cup servings 12-half pint canning jars
Preparation Time: 1:00 hour
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Canning Time: 30 minutes total (15 minutes for each batch)
Resting Time after Canning: 24 hours

Instructions
10 pounds fresh tomatoes
1 28 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, diced
3 cups chopped onion
4 small red chili peppers, diced
1 medium green chili peppers, chopped
1 large head (6-8 cloves) fresh garlic, finely chopped
2 6 oz cans Tomato paste
2 cups fresh lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
1/8 tsp liquid smoke flavoring

Instructions
1. Wash and quarter the fresh tomatoes, gently squeezing out some of the seeds. Using a VitaMix blender or a food processor, process the tomatoes a couple of handfuls at a time...you'll know how much your machine can handle. I blend it fairly smooth to blend up the skins. As the batches of tomatoes finish, pour them into a large, non-aluminum pot. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste and stir to combine.

2. Place the onion, peppers and garlic in the blender or food processor. Process to a fairly fine dice (about 1/8 inch). Add to the tomatoes in the pot and bring to a gentle simmer.

3. Add the seasonings and lemon juice. It only needs to get hot, not boiling (180 F, if you have a thermometer). Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Taste the salsa as it cooks. I put a spoonful in a small dish and test it with a chip to make sure I don't over salt the salsa. Adjust the seasonings to your taste, adding chili powder if you like it hotter.

5. Fill sterilized jars with salsa to within 1/4 inch. Set the lid on and hand-tighten the ring around them. Be sure contact surfaces are clean and get a good seal!

6. Bring water in canner (or large stock pot) and keep water boiling. Place jars in water bath and keep them covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. Process the jars in boiling-water bath according to jar size and altitude (15 minutes for pints or half-pints at 0-1000 feet, 20 minutes at 1001-6000 feet, 25 minutes above 6000 feet).
7. NOTE: The USDA says the only change you can safely make in this recipe is to change the amount of spices and herbs. DO NOT alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe.
DO NOT substitute vinegar for lemon juice...vinegar is less acidic and could compromise the canning safety.

8. Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place overnight. I spread a dish towel on the counter and use that as my cooling space. You'll hear that wonderful *ping* a few seconds after removing the jar and setting it on the counter, which tells you that it sealed! You can remove the rings once the jars are cool or leave them on. Always check that each jar sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Any jar lids that pop up and down when you press them in the middle have not sealed properly and should be refrigerated and used right away. I ususally keep a close eye any that didn't *ping* and check them as they cool.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
Calories: 39
Calories From Fat: 3
Total Fat: <1g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 181.4mg
Potassium: 393.4mg
Carbohydrates: 9g
Fiber: 2.1g
Sugar: 4.5g
Protein: 1.7g

Comments: Adapted from the site www.pickyourown.org which specializes in locating pick-your-own farms and recipes for celebrating fresh produce!

Zucchini Invasion!

2010-09-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Zucchini. Zucchini. Zucchini-zucchini-zucchini. Say it enough times and it sounds funny. Which is a good thing, because when dealing with zucchini, it is important for one to maintain one's sense of humor. I sneak it into everything I can...marinara sauce, banana bread, stir-fries. Not that it isn't worthy in it's own right, but after a while, it's like a guest that just doesn't know when to leave. TLew grills slabs of it when he's barbequeing. I bake straight-up zucchini bread. I make oven-baked zucchini fries (which are so good it reminds me that I should post that recipe, too!). But, by now you know that on Saturday mornings, I love to bake muffins. These turned out yummy and returned my unwelcome guest back into guest of honor status. Everything that comes from the garden is good bounty and I know come February, I'll be missing my fresh zucchini. Well, maybe not the ones that turn into giant whales overnight!

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 egg substitute equivalents
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (vegan style!)
1 Tbsp sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon -- (optional), divided for topping among 12 muffins

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Run a whisk through until dry ingredients are uniformly mixed. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the applesauce, buttermilk, egg substitute (already mixed together), zucchini and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry, mixing until dry ingredients are just covered and folding in chocolate chips as you go. Remember, over-mixing makes tough muffins!

4. Divide muffin mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each one about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the tops with the cinnamon-sugar mixture if desired. Sugar in the raw (turbinado sugar) works well for this because the sugar crystals are bigger and retain their crunch as the muffins bake.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
Calories: 150
Calories From Fat: 27
Total Fat: 3.3g
Cholesterol: <1mg
Sodium: 325.8mg
Potassium: 104.4mg
Carbohydrates: 27.2g
Fiber: 1.6g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 3.9g

Comments: These muffins are a delicious way to handle the invasion of the zucchini from the garden! The recipe calls for buttermilk, but soy milk and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice can be substituted. There just needs to be some acidity to react with the baking soda to create lift in the muffins.

My First Kale Recipe

2010-06-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

One of the vegetables we've been receiving regularly from our CSA share is kale. The first couple of weeks, I avoided figuring out what to do with it by chopping it up and throwing it in with the baby bok-choi when we made a big stir fry. One of the guiding principles I established for myself when joining the CSA is that I want to try all of the vegetables that are made available to us, regardless of how unfamiliar they are, so just using it up was an achievement. Another principle is that we will use every bit of the produce we receive. No waste. No letting it linger in the produce drawer of the refrigerator. This week, when I dutifully picked up my clump of kale leaves, I vowed to explore it as an actual vegetable in its own right. I had the perfect opportunity when the guys decided to dig into the lettuce and make big Chicken Caesar salads. I based this recipe on one that I had seen using collard greens, golden raisins and orange juice. This recipe was simple, fast, fresh and delicious! Kale has a really chewy bite to it and a nice kind of smokey green flavor. I really loved how this recipe turned out and know I will use it often. Enjoy!

Soba with Kale, Garlic and Golden Raisins

Serves 1
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
3 cups loosely packed kale leaves, chopped (6-8 leaves)
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 medium lemon, for juice
1 cup soba noodles, cooked and drained
coarsely ground sea salt to taste

Instructions
1. Rinse kale, cutting off long stems. Leaving kale leaves slightly damp, roll leaves together loosely and cut into 1-inch wide ribbons.

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add kale and garlic slices. Using tongs, toss gently for 3 minutes.

3. Add raisins. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes.

4. Roll the lemon on the countertop for 15 seconds to make juicing easier. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from each half over the kale as it cooks.

5. Add the cooked, drained soba noodles and toss gently. Let cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add a quick grind of sea salt and serve.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------------

Calories: 426
Calories From Fat: 94
Total Fat: 10.7 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 162 mg
Potassium: 1330 mg
Carbohydrates: 82.5g
Fiber: 6g
Sugar: 23g
Protein: 14.6g

Our First Year in a CSA

2010-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

I spent time over the past 2 years doing some research and looking into joining a CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture). The concept is that you "buy in" with a local farmer to receive a weekly share of their produce. By committing to a weekly share up-front, the members help the farmer offset the risks that go with farming. Over a lunchtime jog, a friend recommended ZJ Farms, which was one of the two that I had narrowed down to. I was actually leaning away from this one because of the fact that they raise lambs for meat. There are many factors to weigh and consider when choosing a CSA and this was definitely one that I spent a lot of time debating about. In the end, I decided that facts are facts and people raise animals as livestock. While it is an important ethical decision for me not to eat meat, I shop at grocery stores that sell meat and the CSA is farm version of my grocery store in this scenario. If that sounds like a ratonalization, it isn't meant to be...I'm just sharing the thought process I went through to reach my decision. I feel really good about supporting the work and commitment that Susan and ZJ Farms make to growing and sharing fresh, organic, earth-friendly food, the practices they use and the philosophy they have.
Anyway, we are now in Week 3 of our Spring shares and absolutely love it! Every Monday, we pick up a variety of produce and a dozen eggs from the free range chickens. I make an assembly line of salads for lunches on Sunday nights and we usually make a big Asian veggie stir-fry for dinner early in the week. The simpler and cleaner the preparation, the better the flavor of the food comes through.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2010-05-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Last week, after weeks of unseasonably warm, sunny spring weather in Iowa, the weather took a turn for the cold and rainy worse. I was up early on a Sunday and decided it would be a perfect morning to turn on the oven (to warm up the house!) and bake some muffins. I found a can of organic pumpkin in one cupboard and some vegan mini chocolate chips in another. I whipped up a batch of these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins and mmmmmmm...they were delicious with a steaming cup of coffee. I kind of wondered what the guys would think of the flavor combo. Both husband TLew and #2 son DLew thought they were really awesome! Throughout the day, our dozen muffins dwindled down to 4...barely making it through two days. TLew even said to take a picture before they were all gone because he knew they'd make the blog.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 egg substitute equivalent
1 16 oz can canned solid-pack organic pumpkin
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegan mini chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Mix sugar, oil and egg substitute. Add pumpkin. In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in a pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serving Size: 12 large muffins
Nutrition
Calories: 185
Calories From Fat: 52
Total Fat: 6g
Cholesterol: <1mg
Sodium: 252.9mg
Potassium: 136.7mg
Carbohydrates: 31.3g
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 14.8g
Protein: 2.8g

Comments: The pumpkin and chocolate chip combination sound a little odd, but these muffins are delicious!

This is what I'm talking about! Grilled Veggie Lasagna...SO, SO GOOD!

2010-04-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

We had a get-together with TLew's side of the family last weekend when the kids were home from college. My mother-in-law always makes delicious food and the guys love Grandma's cooking. She was making lasagna, so I offered to bring a pan of veggie lasagna. I know the vegetarian "thing" can be hard for people to figure out and the vegan thing...that's totally intimidating. Offering to bring a dish is a great way to take the pressure off the hosts (even when they're family!) and gives them a chance to sample a vegan dish. Both of our sons tried it (as "seconds") and everybody else took a little half-piece to try. Everyone liked it a lot (although I know my mother-in-law isn't a fan of mushrooms!). This was the first time I made this recipe and I LOVED it!! It didn't take any longer to make than a regular lasagna, but that does take some time so I would suggest starting early or making it ahead.

Grilled Veggie Vegan Lasagna

Comments: Grilling the vegetables is worth the extra effort. The smoky, grilled flavor deliciously complements the sweetness of the tomato sauce.

Serves 12
Preparation Time: 1 hour; Cooking Time 1 hour

Ingredients:
----- Tomato Sauce-----
1 large onion, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp minced garlic

-----Grilled Vegetables-----
2 small zucchini, unpeeled, and cut in 1/4" slices
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled, and cut in 1/4" slices
1 large sweet red Bell Pepper, cut in 1" strips
8 ounces large white mushroom caps, well cleaned, and cut in 1/4" slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

-----"Cheese" Filling-----
12 ounces soft, silken tofu (1 box Mori Nu)
1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
10 ounces Follow Your Heart Vegan Mozzarella Imitation Cheese (1 package)

12 whole wheat lasagna noodles, cooked according to directions

Instructions:
----- Grilled Vegetable Preparation -----
1. Heat grill to high heat. While grill is heating, place cut vegetables into a zip top baggie. Add olive oil, salt and pepper.
2.   Place eggplant and red pepper slices on grill. Watching carefully so vegetables don't burn, grill vegetables until cooked. Remove to a platter.
3. Using a grill pan or basket, grill mushrooms and zucchini slices until cooked. Remove to a platter.
4.   Turn off grill and set vegetables aside to cool.

----- Tomato Sauce Preparation -----
1.   In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil until tender and transparent (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper. Add minced garlic and cook 1 more minute.

2. Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and salt. Stir together well and reduce heat to low. Let simmer 10 minutes.

----- "Cheese" Filling Preparation -----
1.   Open the box and drain liquid from tofu. Place the block of tofu into a medium mixing bowl. Add basil, parsley, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast.   Mix together using a fork until mixture resembles the consistency of ricotta cheese. Set aside.
2.   Slice the block of Follow Your Heart Mozzarella Imitation Cheese into 1/4" slices. Set aside.

----- Assembly and Baking-----
1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Ladle 1/2 cup of sauce into the pan and spread evenly over bottom. Layer with 4 lasagna noodles noodles will overlap), 1/2 of the cheese filling, 1/2 of the grilled vegetables, 1/2 of the mozzarella slices and 1/3 of the tomato sauce. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining lasagna noodles and sauce.
3.   Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer until edges are bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before cutting.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 620
Calories From Fat: 124
Total Fat: 14.7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 988.4mg
Potassium: 1128mg
Carbohydrates: 97.6g
Fiber: 10.9g
Sugar: 7.9g
Protein: 28.1g

Don't forget to serve this with a beautiful glass of your favorite red wine...and it's always better on a beautiful eveing out on the deck. Cheers!

Spring Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

2010-04-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

This was a quintessential spring weekend in Iowa. Crabapple trees went from bud to bloom overnight. Tulips are standing straight and proud. The ornamental pear tree flowers opened up and perfumed the air. The pea plants dutifully sprouted in the garden. Everything looks lush, fresh, and new. Both of our sons came home from college for the weekend, along with our oldest son's fiance and our 18-month-old grandson. Weekends like this are rare and joyful!
Kabobs on the grill and couscous were the request for Friday night. Along with that, we had hummus and pita chips, seasoned olives, and this delicious Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad. I shared some of the salad with my sister (also a recent vegan convert) and she loved it as much as I did. It made a wonderful Sunday night supper after the kids all headed back.

Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1/2 tsp salt
3 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
6 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions:1. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and quinoa. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature and fluff with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice. Add tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, and parsley. Stir in quinoa when cooled.

3. Serve or store in refrigerator and serve cold.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 328
Calories From Fat: 149
Total Fat: 16.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 486.4 mg
Potassium: 753.1 mg
Carbohydrates: 38.1 g
Fiber: 6.1 g
Sugar: 4.8 g
Protein: 8.5 g

Cooking Tip: This makes an excellent filling for whole wheat pitas served with hummus, avocado slices and good black or green olives.

Fancy FrenchToast Breakfast

2010-03-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

One of the things I've missed since going vegan is French Toast. This recipe tastes even better than the egg-dipped version. It gives the same baked texture and crisped finish. I use diagonally cut slices of TLew's homemade French bread (which he makes with half whole-wheat flour) to give the most surface area. The leftover soy milk mixture gave me the idea of dipping and toasting the banana alongside the French Toast. Keep the heat at medium or even medium-low to let the toast get cooked through and browned. Another method would be to cook over medium-high heat and then finish it off in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Vegan French Toast with
French Toasted Bananas and Pecans

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 slices prepared

Ingredients

1 cup soy milk
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
dash cinnamon
4 large French bread slices (1 inch thick)
1 large banana
1/2 Tbsp margarine (such as Earth Balance)
2 Tbsp chopped pecans
2 Tbsp real maple syrup

Instructions
1. Whisk together flour, soy milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a wide bowl.
2. Heat margarine in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Quickly dip bread into soy milk mixture, covering both sides completely, but don't let it soak at all. Put into skillet and cook for approximately 4 minutes per side.
4. Slice banana in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise. Dip into remaining soy milk mixture. Put into skillet and cook alongside the French toast.
5. Serve 2 slices of French Toast topped with half the French toasted banana, real maple syrup, and sprinkled with pecans.

Nutrition information (calculated from recipe ingredients)
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 507.66
Calories From Fat 103.84 (20%)
Total Fat 11.99g
Saturated Fat 1.65g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 553.17mg
Potassium 567.63mg
Total Carbohydrates 86.88g
Fiber 5.55g
Sugar 27.47g
Protein 14.89g

Weekend Breakfast Scramble

2010-03-07T12:43:00.001-08:00

Weekends are all about relaxing, doing what you want when you want, and taking a little more time and enjoyment in all things. During the week, I usually eat thick-sliced, toasted homemade bread with peanut butter, some fruit and a big mug of freshly brewed half-caf coffee. On the weekends, after sleeping in a little, I'm ready for something more. More flavor! More variety! More substance! I just want More! Giving up eggs...in frittatas, omelettes, breakfast burritos...was a challenge when I went vegan. Now that I've finally figured out how to do a good Tofu Scramble, I haven't missed eggs for breakfast since. The key is in choosing the right kind of tofu for a scramble. Contrary to what I thought, the silken tofu doesn't really work. It is too fragile and doesn't have the right density or consistency. Once I discovered that using the "cake" style tofu (like West Soy Extra Firm or Melissa's Extra Firm), everything fell into place.

Scrambled Breakfast Tofu

This recipe calls for mushrooms and artichoke bottoms, but this is great way to use up odds and ends of veggies on the weekends. Just sauté the vegetables to the texture you like, add the tofu mixture, and scramble. Leftovers become breakfast for the week! Serve with multi-grain toast with jam. Add a cooked, crumbled vegan sausage patty or 2 for variety.

As a side note, if you haven't tried canned artichoke bottoms, they make a tasty addition to salads or pasta!

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

1 14 oz package extra firm tofu (West Soy or Melissa's "cake-style" give the best results)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup artichoke bottoms (1/3 can)
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tsp tamari sauce (or more to taste)

Instructions
1. Open tofu package and drain off water. Place in a medium bowl and break up with a fork. Combine nutritional yeast and spices. Sprinkle over tofu, lightly mashing with a fork until mixture is the texture of scrambled eggs.

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Cut artichoke bottoms into small bite-sized pieces. Add to skillet along with garlic and tomatoes. Use a spatula to stir frequently for about a minute (avoid over-cooking the garlic!).

3. Add tofu mixture to the skillet. Gently stir for 5 minutes until tofu begins to brown. Serve hot, seasoning with tamari sauce and ground black pepper.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
Calories: 218
Calories From Fat: 113
Total Fat: 12.7g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 170.7mg
Potassium: 398mg
Carbohydrates: 10.8g
Fiber: 5.2g
Sugar: 2.7g
Protein: 15.7g

Thinking Spring, Grilling Artichokes

2010-03-07T08:12:00.000-08:00

Here in Iowa, we are finally measuring the amount of snow on the ground in inches, not feet, which means we are ready for spring! Now, I'm a good Skandinavian girl and I do love the snow and cold of winter (TLew and I snowshoe every chance we get and this winter we've gotten a bunch!). But, on those first days when the breeze carries some warmth and there is a hint of green to the thatchy, muddy, snow-mound-dotted yard, we are ready to celebrate a "nearly 40 degree" day by grilling something!

It was our turn to have friends Mike and Jo over for dinner...and my first chance to come up with a vegan menu that I felt was mainstream enough to serve to non-veg friends. I decided on a baked penne pasta dish with homemade marniara sauce from last fall's tomatoes, but still wanted to do something on the grill. TLew offered to grill some of his homemade baguette slices for bruschetta. Excellente...but I still wanted to do something more. Artichokes are a classic "goes with Italian", but I had never grilled them. After making this recipe, they are now a classic "goes with Anything" for me and will be a regular on our grill. I served it it with grilled crostini and tomato bruschetta topping, a salad, baked penne marinara and a bottle of Sangiovese...it tasted like Summer! This is the best recipe for artichokes. Grilling provides a nice smoky flavor to compliment the artichoke, lemon and olive oil. The garlic, salt and pepper round out this flavorful dish. Refrigerate any leftovers and serve cold the next day. This is a delicious accompaniment to pasta, bruschetta, or other Italian dishes.

Grilled Artichokes with Olive Oil and Lemon

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Inactive Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 2 hours

Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 large artichokes

1 large lemon

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp garlic minced

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water. Squeeze the juice of half the lemon into the water, then toss the squeezed rind into the water. Trim the tops from the artichokes with a sharp knife. Trim the tough, lower leaves from the artichoke. Trim any remaining untrimmed leaf tips with kitchen scissors. Cut the prepared artichoke in half and place in the bowl of lemon water to prevent browning.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the artichokes to the boiling water and cook for 20 minutes. Lift cooked artichokes out of the pot and into a colander to drain.

3. In a medium bowl or a dressing shaker with a lid , whisk together the olive oil, remaining lemon juice and garlic.

4. When the artichokes have cooled slightly, using a spoon, gently scoop out the fuzzy choke from the center of each artichoke. Place the cleaned artichoke halves in a 13x9 glass baking dish. Pour olive oil mixture over the artichokes, season with salt and pepper freshly ground is best . Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high cooking. Lift the artichokes out of the marinade and let some of the excess oil drain back into the dish. Place them on the pre-heated grill. Grill the artichokes for 20 minutes, brushing with the leftover marinade and turning frequently until the tips begin to slightly char and grill marks are visible.

6. Serve hot from the grill with remaining olive oil mixture. Refrigerate any leftovers and serve chilled.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (the numbers look high, but most of the oil burns off during grilling)

Calories 273

Calories From Fat 239 (88%)

Total Fat 27g

Saturated Fat 3.7g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 449mg

Potassium 265mg

Total Carbohydrates 8.8g

Fiber 4.3g

Sugar .6g

Protein 2.3g

Grandma Grace's Banana Bread -- Veganized!

2010-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

We grew up with just one banana bread recipe in our house. The recipe came from my great grandma (my mom's dad's mom). By the time I knew her, she was a tiny little lady who had a parakeet named "Tweety", entertained us with an old hand-crank coffee grinder that magically produced quarters, and always had the most delicious banana bread when we visted. You could tell her recipe card was one of the 'good ones' in Mom's recipe box -- the edges were worn all the way around the card, the ink was faded and there were signs of splatters and spots that had been wiped off in an attempt to keep the card intact. It didn't really matter much that the recipe card itself had become mostly illegible because we all knew the recipe by heart. The secret in many banana bread recipes is to use sour milk, made by adding a teaspoon of vinegar to the quarter cup of milk. The vinegar reacts with the baking powder to help create more lift. The best part of the bread is the crusty edge that forms along the crack in the top.

Grandma Grace's Banana Bread - Veganized!

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Servings: 12 slices

Ingredients:
2/3 cups sugar
1 cup margarine (such as Earth Balance)
2 egg substitute equivalents
3 Tbsp soy milk
1 tsp vinegar
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8x4 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2.   In a small bowl, mix egg substitute according to directions. For example, if using flaxseed, whisk together 2 Tbsp ground flax seed with 6 Tbsp water. Set aside.
3.   In a separate small bowl, stir vinegar into soy milk to create sour soy milk.
4.   Beat sugar and margarine together until light and fluffy. Add prepared egg substitute and continue beating until well blended.
5.   Beat in sour soy milk and bananas, mixing well.
6.   Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to liquid mixture and let stand 20 minutes.
7.   Pour batter into pan. Bake for 60-70 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes after removing from oven. Remove bread from pan and cool on a cooling rack.

Nutrition Information Amount Per Serving
Calories 225.58
Calories From Fat 77.04 (34%)
Total Fat 8.78g (14%)
Saturated Fat 1.46g (7%)
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 293.68mg (12%)
Potassium 154.08mg (4%)
Total Carbohydrates 34.72g (12%)
Fiber 1.9g (8%)
Sugar 14.95g
Protein 3.05g (6%)

Love my Hubby...and his brownies!

2010-02-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

My husband TLew is an excellent all-around cook, but his specialties are grilling, making chilli, and baking. He bakes all of our bread from scratch using artisan baking techniques. I am so lucky to have fresh whole wheat baguettes, bagels, naan, and wheat sandwich bread popping out of the oven all the time! It usually gets me in trouble, because even though I know the "rule" is that it needs to cool an hour (to let the structure strengthen or something crazy and analytical), I just cannot resist stealing a piece while it's still hot and the crust is crispy...mmmmmm. The really great thing is that artisan bread is not enriched (meaning no eggs, milk or fat added) so it is naturally vegan!

Last weekend, though, he made a special treat: Vegan Brownies with Dark Chocolate Chips. As Paula Dean would say, "they were SO SO GOOD!" Using the egg-replacer made the brownies deliciously moist and dense. He thought they were even better than when he made them with eggs. He wisely doubled the recipe when he found out DLew (our college-sophomore son) was coming home for the weekend. I am giving the recipe as he made it...doubled and baked in a 13x9 pan because the results were so perfect!

Chocolate Brownies with Dark Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 Tbsp powdered egg replacer (like Bob's Red Mill)

12 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocal powder

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil. In a separate bowl, mix powdered egg replacer and water according to directions. Add prepared egg replacer and vanilla to sugar mixture and beat until creamy.
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder in a separate bowl. Run whisk through dry ingredients until combined. Slowly combine dry mixture into sugar mixture. Blend peanut butter into the mixture until combined. Stir chocolate chips into batter by hand.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes in preheated oven until edges of brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool before cutting into 24 brownies.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 182
Calories From Fat: 76
Total Fat: 8.9g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 90.1mg
Potassium: 60.1mg
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fiber: 1.6g
Sugar: 13.1g
Protein: 2.9g

Vegan Lessons: Read Labels

2010-01-24T09:07:00.000-08:00

Adopting a vegan lifestyle can be like learning a whole new culture. Many things that were normally taken-for-granted now require conscious decision making. Grocery shopping is one of those things. There are a lot of good substitute products readily available at the larger supermarkets (even in Iowa!) for things like deli meats, Buffalo wings, bacon, sausages, etc. However, I jumped to the conclusion that many of these vegetarian products are automatically vegan. I assumed that the Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties I had been buying, for example, were vegan. When I read the label, I was really surprised to see that they contained egg and milk ingredients. The same thing happened when I was reading the label for their Veggie Bacon Strips...after I got home. I realized that I had been looking at the front of the packaging, seeing the word 'Veggie' in the name, and thinking 'Vegan'. These products were great for helping me make the transition to a vegetarian diet, but I learned that I needed to re-evaluate the choices I had been taking for granted.
So, I spent a little time and did a little research. Morningstar Farms® has a very well-organized, informative website that categorizes its products and provides detailed nutrition information. One of the categories is Vegan products. I was happy to see that their Morningstar Farms® Meal Starters™ Chik'n Strips were on the list. My sister raves about their Morningstar Farms® Grillers® Chik'n Veggie Patties, so I'm looking forward to giving those a try. There are recipes provided for each product that inspired some new ideas about how to use these ingredients.
www.morningstarfarms.com
Another good brand of substitute products is Lightlife. All of the Lightlife products I've tried are vegan, but they also list the products on their website by special diets-vegan. I really liked their Smart Ground Mexican, Smart Deli Turkey, and Smart BBQ sandwich filling. Their site also has a recipe section that sparked some yummy ideas.
www.lightlife.com
I personally don't want to use substitute products all the time, but occassionally, adding a couple of slices of Smart Deli Turkey to my Veggie-Sprout Sandwich provides some good variety!

Crunchy snow days call for oatmeal cookies

2010-01-16T16:09:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to a tap-tap-tap on the front door. I peeked through the sidelight windows and spied the source...a woodpecker who was attempting to eat the pinecones in the wreath. I figured that it was a not-so-subtle hint from the discontented patrons that the birdfeeders needed filling. When I went out, jugs of seed in hand, to fill the feeders, the snow crunched underfoot. It had warmed up enough (up to freezing)that there was moisture in the air that had formed a frozen layer on the top of the snow. After a quick cup of coffee and some of TLew's homemade bread, toasted with strawberry fruit spread, we headed out to snowshoe. Wrigley, our adolescent Airedale, went into his crazy figure-8 Shriner run when we were out on the trail. It's good to get the crazy out!

Later in the day, it just seemed like the perfect time to bake some oatmeal cookies. Once I got the cookies in the oven, I made a pot of Gunpowder tea. It was a perfect combo!

Iced Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

Serving Size : 24 cookies

Ingredients
--------------------------------
Cookies
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed meal
3 Tbsp water
1 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp vegan margarine, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fiori di sicilia (citrus and vanilla
-- extract flavoring)
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
----- -----
Icing
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp Pumpkin spice soy creamer

1. To make cookies, whisk together flaxseed meal and water in a small bowl; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat margarine, brown sugar and sugar 1 minute. Add flaxseed and water mixture. Beat 2 minutes. Add applesauce, vanilla, and fiori di sicillia and beat until smooth. Stir in oat flour mixture until well combined. Stir in oatmeal.

3. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop cookies by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until cookies are just beginning to brown on top.

4. While cookies are baking, make icing by whisking together confectioners sugar and soy creamer until smooth. Icing should be thick, but pourable.

5. Spoon icing onto warm cookies as they cool on baking sheet. After 5 minutes of cooling, move cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
----------------------------------------------
Calories: 96
Calories From Fat: 19
Total Fat: 2.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 61.8mg
Potassium: 87.9mg
Carbohydrates: 17.4g
Fiber: 1.9g
Sugar: 6.8g
Protein: 2.5g

Cooking Tip: The fiori di sicilia can be replaced with vanilla extract or orange juice if you want to retain that delicious orange flavor.

Comments: Serve these orange spice cookies with a cup of hot gunpowder tea for a delicious afternoon snack.

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New Year, New Decade...2010

2010-01-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

2010 is starting out like a deep-freeze here in the Midwest. It snowed tiny little micro flakes this morning...it was so cold the snowflakes dehydrated as they were coming down. The cold alone makes it a perfect day for a warm, hearty soup. One of my faves is Split Pea Soup. I don't make it very often because I'm the only one who eats it. But this morning, husband-TLew made a big pot of chili for the guys to eat as they watch game after game of football today, so I was free to do my own thing...Shari's Split Pea Soup! It gave me a chance to use my new pressure cooker (Christmas gift from my mom) and cookbook, Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna J. Sass. I followed the instructions for her Split Pea Soup with Herbes de Provence so I could get the hang of how long to pressure cook the dried peas.

Shari's Split Pea Soup

Comments: The instructions are given for cooking in a pressure cooker, but split peas cook fairly quickly and don't require any pre-soaking so it could easily be made in a regular stockpot on the stove. I like my Split Pea Soup smoothie smooth, so I ladle scoops into a blender right when it is done cooking.

Serves 6
Serving Size: 1-1/2 cups Preparation Time: 15 mins Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 medium fennel bulb, diced
2 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
1 large potato peeled and diced
2 large carrots peeled and diced
2 cups green split peas, rinsed
6 cups warm water
1 tsp ground marjoram
1 tsp ground thyme
1 bay leaf
fresh ground pepper
sea salt in grinder

Instructions
1. Add olive oil to bottom of cooker. Add garlic, onions, fennel, parsnips, potato and carrots and cook over medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. As vegetables cook, season with fresh ground pepper and several grinds of sea salt. Add spices, bay leaf, split peas and water.

2. Lock the lid to the pressure cooker into place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 6 minutes. Allow the pressure to come down naturally by turning off heat and allowing to sit. This usually takes 10-15 minutes in my cooker.

3. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow any excess steam to escape. Remove the bay leaf. At this point, the soup may be "liquidy". Green peas thicken as the soup cools so stir to determine the consistency you like.

4. Using a ladle, scoop hot soup into blender until the blender is half full. Place blender on base and holding lid in place, pulse for several seconds until the desired thickness is reached. Remove lid and pour into serving bowls. Repeat with remaining soup.

Nutrition (calculated from ingredients by The Living Cookbook)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Calories: 265
Calories From Fat: 46
Total Fat: 5.3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 17.2mg
Potassium: 650.7mg
Carbohydrates: 40g
Fiber: 16.8g
Sugar: 5.3g
Protein: 16.2g

Serving Tip: Garnish with cooked vegan bacon strips that have been snipped into small pieces to add a smokey, salty flavor. I like to throw a handful of oyster crackers in to make it cement-mixer thick!