Freshly Vegetarian

I'm A Vegetable Farmer + A Savory Chickpea Flour "Quiche"

Ashley See — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:06:48 -0800

Nervous. Excited. Anxious. All three of these adjectives describe how I'm feeling before my first day of organic farming. As of 8 a.m. tomorrow, I will begin as one of eight farmers on a medium-sized vegetable farm outside of Washington D.C. Coincidentally, tomorrow is also my birthday, and I can think of no better gift than one of a new job, especially one that will teach me all about food!

A few months ago, I mentioned I had an interest in farming, but at that point I hadn't interviewed for this position. Now, here I sit back on the East Coast, in an on-site stone house feeling a bit like tomorrow is the first day of school. Common feelings once again arise, such as: 'I hope I fit in' and 'What should I wear?' Nerves aside, there's something amusing about a girl that's never grown a tomato that's going to organically farm for a season!

Laughs aside, I'm incredibly excited for the next six months -- I'll be working here through the end of October -- as touring the farm today with my new colleague left us wondering what various baby plants, shrubs and the like would one day grow up to be. Every nook and cranny had things I didn't understand. Before today, I thought I knew a fair amount about vegetables. I now realize the enormous amount I have to learn about vegetables is truly humbling.

Onto the quiche.

I'm not a quiche girl. I've never been a quiche girl. Even in my days of eating eggs by the truckload did I ever take to quiche. Yet, for some reason, when I stumbled upon this recipe, "Besan" in Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking, I had to run to my kitchen to see what an eggless quiche is all about. Answer? Delicious. And so you know, this is good warm or cold, especially when your favorite hot sauce is added.

Jaffrey describes this as:

This dish resembles quiche only in as much as it is like a set custard that can be cut and served in sections. There the similarity ends. If you have a socca in Nice and can imagine something similar made out of chickpea flour but much thicker, then you have the Kutchi dish called besan.

Noodle arms beware: this baby calls for being stirred for 20 minutes straight, and after the first five minutes it thickens considerably, to the point where you may want to have someone...anyone...as back-up in case your arm(s) need a break.

Usha's Mother's Besan (A Savory Chickpea Flour Quiche)
Serves: 6-9 depending on what it's served for (i.e., snack, side dish, main)
Source: Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C chickpea flour, sifted
3-4 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed to a pulp
1/2 t fresh ginger, finely grated
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t turmeric
1/2-1 t cayenne pepper
1 medium-sized onion
5 T oil
5-6 dried or fresh curry leaves
2 t salt
1 T lemon juice
1 T fresh parsley, minced
1-2 fresh hot green chilies, minced
1/4 C grated fresh coconut

Directions:

Put the sifted chickpea flour in a bowl. Slowly add 4 1/4 cups water, a few tablespoons at a time. Stir as you do so, breaking up all lumps with the back of a wooden spoon. (If the batter still has lumps in it, put through a strainer.)
Combine the garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric and cayenne, according to your taste, in a small cup. Add 1/4 cup water and mix well. Set aside.
Pell and cut the onion in half lengthwise, then slice into fine half rings.
Heat the oil in a heavy, well-seasons (or non-stick) 2- to 2 1/2-quart pot over a medium flame. When hot, put in the curry leaves and then, a few seconds later, the sliced onions. Stir and fry the onions for 2-3 minutes. Do not let them brown. Add the spices in the small cup. Stir and fry them for about 1 minute. Now put in the chickpea flour mixture and bring it to a boil, stirring all the time. Turn the heat to medium-low/ Keep stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture seems to leave the sides of the pot. This should take about 20 minutes. Add the salt and lemon juice. Stir to mix. Taste the chickpea flour mixture. It should have a cooked taste. (In other words, it should not taste raw.)
Empty the mixture into a 9 x 9 x 1 1/2-inch cake tin. Smooth over the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the parsley, green chilies -- as much as you like -- and coconut over the top and allow to cool. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares.

Nutrition Info:

View this for more in-depth nutritional info.

Weekly Vegetarian Recipe Roundup (4/12-4/18)

Ashley See — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:43:18 -0800

Last week I tromped to a new naturopath, who advised researching a grain-free diet to alleviate my skin problems. Before this suggestion, I'd seen GAPS mentioned here and there on a few blogs, but never really given much thought to why anyone would want to eliminate grain from their diet. The good news is that quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat are technically seeds, therefore grain-free folks can gobble them up (although rumor has it the hardcore grain-free kids still don't). After all, grains are such nutritional powerhouses, let alone one of the best ways to eat healthfully for cheap...how could anyone p

Whether or not I'll choose to actually commit to a grain-free diet for the following month, the mere mention of it has made me curious: what can one eat when they steer clear of grains? I was surprised to learn last night that tapioca is a root, therefore it's a go for those on a grain-free diet. This means for an occasional sweet treat I could replace my beloved rice pudding with tapioca pudding. Yay!

Anyway, all this grain-free business aside, here are the tastiest vegetarian recipes from this last week that I'd like to share (and for the record the food allergy key is v = vegan; glf = gluten-free; grf = grain-free; sf = soy-free; nf = nut free):

Breakfast:

Mini Crustless Kale & Mushroom Quiches -Vegan Culinary Crusade, via YumUniverse (v, glf, grf)
Avocado & Breakfast Pizza - Justina Blakeney & Caitlin Levin, via Pinterest

Lunch/Dinner:

Butternut Squash Pizza and Gruyere and Arugula - Eat, Live, Run (grf, sf, nf)
Raw Beet Burgers - The Organic Climber (v, glf, grf)
Lentil Cakes with Pesto, Wilted Greens * Lemon-Thyme Zucchini Fries - Roost (glf, grf, sf, nf) - warning: the pictures will make you drool.
Roasted Pumpkin with Walnut & Coconut Crumb - Scandi Foodie (v, glf, grf, sf) - a sweet treat if you're off sugar and jonesin for something naturally sweet.
Beet & Orange Salad - Macheesmo (glf, grf, sf, nf if you substitute buckwheat groats for the pistachios)
Asparagus & Green Onion Saute - Epicurious (v, glf, grf, sf, nf)
Cabbage Stir Fry - Sailu's Kitchen (v, glf, grf, sf, nf)
Kale Pesto & Zucchini "Pasta" - Melisa Deault, YumUniverse (v, glf, grf, sf)
Flax & Parmesan Pizza Crust - I Breathe...I'm Hungry... via Pinterest (glf, grf, sf, nf) - this is the item I'm most excited about this week. As someone who's always on the hunt for high-fiber recipes, this is about as fiber indulgent and guilt-free as pizza dough comes.

Sweet treat:

Whole Wheat Ginger Scones - Martha Rose Shulman on New York Times (v if you use a non-dairy milk, sf) - ginger.scones...tell me you're not totally curious.
Raw Vegan Kale Ice Cream - Adeline a la Carte Health, via YumUniverse (v, glf, grf, sf, nf if you use a different milk)
3-Ingredient Crispy Rice Fudge - Attune Foods, via Family Fresh Cooking (v if you use vegan chocolate, glf, sf, nf)

Until next time, you can keep track of me on Pinterest (here and here) and in the next few days I'll be blogging an eggless "quiche" and my progress working on a farm.

Thanks for reading!

Weekly Vegetarian Recipe Roundup (4/4-4/11)

Ashley See — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:24:58 -0800

Good news, I haven't forgotten about you! In the last few months, I've found myself in the midst of many changes and have let blogging regularly slip to the back burner. For those of you who haven't forgotten about this little ol' blog -- and who are kind enough to keep checking for updates -- feel free me to send you your addresses so I can send you a basket of muffins, a thank you note in my neatest cursive and a big, juicy kiss for your loyalty. I'm confident that must be one or two of you at this point. Tops.

OK, OK, all threats of big, juicy kisses aside, it's time I confess that in addition to me flexing my nomadic muscles over my blogging ones, I have moved four times in the last two and a half months, so my kitchen(s) hasn't seen much in the way of new recipes. However, that doesn't mean new recipes aren't on my radar. New recipes are always on my radar.

Therefore, in hopes of getting back into the regularly updating swing of things, I'm giving a new type of post a go: recommended recipes from around the interwebs.

Here are the tastiest vegetarian recipes from this last week that I'd like to share (and hopefully make soon!):

Breakfast:

Spiced Millet Breakfast Bowl - The Yellow House (hat tip to The Wednesday Chef for this rec)

Lunch/Dinner:

Beet, Feta, Walnut & Mint Salad - The Wicked Noodle
Garnet Pilaf - Sprouted Kitchen
Kale, Mushroom & Bean Bowl with a Balsamic Reduction - YumUniverse (Leigh Ann Boscarino)
Mung Beans, Toor Dal, Green Beans and Fresh Dill Palya - Lisa's Kitchen
Spinach Pesto Quinoa - Whole Living - three cheers for waistline-friendly vegan pesto!
Strawberry Spinach Salad - Vegan Machine - once strawberries are in season for you, of course
Sweet Potato, Celery, and Apple Salad - Whole Living
Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup - What Grace Cooked - lemongrass stock sounds UHmazing. Absolutely amazing.

Sweet treat:

Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Cheesecake Swirl - Vegan Culinary Crusade
Rhubarb and Rosemary Scones - Allotment 2 Kitchen - for those of us who can't resist the idea of herbs in something on sweet.
Roasted Rhubarb and Nut Granola Parfait - The Nourishing Gourmet

...while we're on the subject of rhubarb, if you're half the rhubarb nut that I am, then I want to make sure you see The Kitchn's post on the top 10 baked goods to make with this lovely spring wonder.

Other:

Zesty Cilantro Lovers' Hummus - Choosing Raw - normally my hummus is so pungent with garlic that I breathe garlicky fire for hours afterward, but despite Gina's recipe having no garlic in it, I like the idea of putting a whole lotta cilantro in there instead.

Alright lovelies, that oughta conclude all the deliciousness I've spied this week. If you have -- or have spied -- a recipe you'd like me to share in next week's roundup then simply holler. Until next time, you keep track of me on Pinterest (here and here) and can look forward to an update about my desire to work on a farm.

Thanks for reading!

Why I am considering working on a farm

Ashley See — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:12:18 -0800

Greetings from California!

That's right, just to keep you on your toes, I'm writing this blog post from the Bay Area. Just two weeks ago, I left New York City to suss a few things out here on my native West Coast. With a friend in Santa Monica and one in San Francisco, I feel like a lucky girl to be able to get back out here to see if there's a future here for me.

My bffl Katie and I had some of the best raw meals in Santa Monica that a girl could ask for, including at this spot, Euphoria Loves RAWvolution.

I moved to New York to pursue a career in food justice with an internship at Slow Food USA. That internship has since ended, so I'm evaluating my next step. Sustainable food jobs are aplenty in New York, but I have had a hard time calling that bustling city home in the last six months. I found it difficult to live a simple, balanced life there. My inner rural girl was roaring for some peace and quiet. A place where people smile back at me without thinking I'm hitting on them, or worse yet, a creeper.

Now more than ever, I feel like I crave a deeper understanding of where food comes from. Between talking to farmers directly when answering the general line at Slow Food and being inspired by a few of my colleagues there having growing experience, both had that direct understanding of where food comes from--the work it takes to bring if from farm-to-table. Not having that experience makes me feel somewhat phony. How can I advocate that people have a better relationship with their food, to know where it comes from and what it takes to get it to them if I'm not willing to do the same? So, I'm currently looking into opportunities where I can have a more intimate relationship with food. I want to learn how to grow it. I want to understand in a direct way the work it takes for me to eat it.

Why?

The huge pay, obviously! OK, I kid. As of right now, I see myself taking the growing experience I’m hoping to obtain this year into a career in nutrition and outreach. After requiring any necessary certifications, I’d like to bridge the gap between food justice and children, ideally to overcome the obesity epidemic. I would love to be apart of a school curriculum, something like Edible Schoolyard is doing, where food education is taught to children in the classroom. More personally, and further into the future, when I have a family, I’d also like to have a true homestead where I grow all of my family’s produce.

Additionally, I think there’s a paradigm shift toward how hard physical labor is perceived these days. Anymore, there’s such an emphasis placed on education and schooling that I think many, my former self included, feel like working on a farm, along with many physically demanding jobs, were only an option for people who didn’t want an education. We were taught that if you get an education, then you could pursue a mentally demanding job instead of a physically demanding one. So, with the industrialization and globalization of farming, in addition to misconceptions of education vs. farming, the value of quality produce and the work it takes to bring it from farm-to-table is lost. However, I know I'm not alone in seeing the value of farm work. In a wonderful article, "Why Are Young, Educated Americans Going Back to The Farm?" by Nelson Harvey, a young gal sums up how I feel as well:

"When you have [a liberal arts] education, you get to a point where you realize wait, I need to have a more basic fundamental education about being human. Food, water, shelter...these things are important," she said.

So, who knows whether I'm meant to work on a sustainable vegetable farm for a full growing season, or if I'm a better fit volunteering with community gardens here in the Bay Area. Whatever is meant to be will be!

What vegetarians need to know about fat

Ashley See — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:03:55 -0800

This morning I was listening to Jillian Michaels Podcast and one caller asked Jillian a great question that I think plagues most: should we be avoiding fat? Is fat the enemy?

Fat was given a bad name in the 90's and it's still recovering from the unfair rap it received then. Since so many wonderful foods that are staples in vegan and vegetarian diets are high in fat, I rarely give regard to how much fat I eat. Meanwhile, my friends and family's eyes often bulge to the size of cantaloupes when I start chomping on almonds or see me plop in a dollop of coconut oil to melt in a pan, as they timidly ask, 'Doesn't that have a lot of fat in it?'

Truth is folks, yes, some of the foods I eat are really high in fat. But that's not a bad thing. I've often struggled with explaining why that is, and upon listening to this podcast, thought Jillian had some great answers. Here's what she had to say:

Calories make you fat. Fat doesn't make you fat. Calories are a unit of energy, and when you do not use that energy then it gets stored as body fat. So, no matter what you're eating -- a sugar calorie, a protein calorie -- if it doesn't get burned then it gets stored as fat.
We need healthy fats. Fats are a main source of nutrients and fuel for our bodies. So when you look at the three macronutrients: protein, fat and carbs, we need healthy sources of fat (which are vegetarian and vegan staples like almonds, olive oil, avocados). These fats are necessary for all kinds of different bodily functions, from actually supporting heart health to supplying you with more energy, to boosting immunity, insulating your brain, etc. We need good fats in our diet.
Saturated fat is not the enemy. Many current studies suggest that we need a certain amount of saturated fat in our diet. It was once believed that saturated fat was linked to heart disease, high cholesterol, but more of the current research shows that it's actually that diets high in sugar, simple carbohydrates are what's elevating heart disease and cholesterol. Our bodies produce cholesterol, so even if you're not ingesting cholesterol, you can produce cholesterol. So that's when genetics come into play when it comes to heart health. We do want certain amounts of good cholesterol as well. So, it's easy to get confused because when you eat an egg, yes, it has cholesterol in it, but it also has good cholesterol in it which ultimately helps to lower bad cholesterol. So don't worry about fats that are natural.
Unnatural fat is the enemy. Unnatural fats are things like hydrogenated oils and trans fats, those are the bad guys. These are man made fats where a hydrogen atom is added to the fat, which makes it a preservative so it won't decompose on the shelf. When you ingest these fats they don't decompose on the shelf, nor will they in the body. Just think, if a Twinkie can last seven years on a shelf, what do you think that does in your body? It just sits there! And in terms of unnatural fat, It doesn't take much to do harm, if just 3% of your calorie allowance are trans fatty acids then you're upping your risk of heart disease by 23%. So these are the kinds of fats you never want to eat.
It's all about balance. When eating fats, the most important thing is to be mindful of the quantity of fat you eat. Calories make you fat, so it's key to understand that fat has more calories. For example, one gram of protein or carbohydrate has 4 calories, meanwhile one gram of fat has 9 calories. So, if you eat too much of anything, too many calories are going to make you fat. So look at things as a whole; count calories, not fat grams.

Take-away point:

Don't be afraid of fat. Not only do our bodies need it to function, but fatty foods can be downright delicious! There are a ton of natural foods that are rich in fat, but have so many other health benefits that you'd be foolish to avoid them. To boot, if you're a vegetarian or a vegan, some of our protein staples, like dairy, nuts, seeds and avocados, all are high in fat, but avoiding fat can result in malnutrition (can block vitamin absorption), constipation and the like.

Bottom line: whether you're vegetarian, vegan, raw or omnivorous, don't worry about any fat that is unnatural.

I love the 'Shit Vegans Say' videos!

Ashley See — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 11:08:47 -0800

It's no secret that "Shit ____ Say" family videos (i.e., Shit Girls Say, Shit Yogis Say, Shit Girls Say to Gay Guys) have caught on like wildfire. And while I can laugh at them all, my favorite series has to be the vegan ones. Vegans are undeniably easy targets for jokes, and for this very reason, I love the following satirical videos:

Going veg for your New Year's resolution? Part 1: 3 must-try recipes

Ashley See — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:36:22 -0800

There's no surprise that many New Year's resolutions include becoming healthier. Gyms are more packed than any other time of the year; spinning classes are filled with new faces, and treadmills are lined from wall-to-wall with folks sweating away those holiday pounds.

As we've heard time and time again though, becoming healthy isn't just about exercise, it's also about what we eat. Given the abundance of fabulous articles about how eliminating meat (see Mark Bittman's "No Meat, No Dairy, No Problem"), even on a part-time basis, does the body good, it's no wonder that many health resolvers are testing the waters of vegetarianism to purify their bodies.

I'm all for helping people eat vegetarian, whether it's part-time or full-time, which is why a recent email from a friend has inspired me to share my main tips about transitioning to a vegetarian diet over the next few weeks.

Today, I want to share my top three vegetarian recipes that are absolute crowd pleasers, and can also be made with any budget:

1. Shurbat Addes (Syrian Red Lentil Soup): this is a soup that will convince anyone you're a culinary whiz even though it's jaw-droppingly easy. Seriously! It's rare to find a recipe that's this easy and this tasty, and considering it only requires five ingredients, you have no excuse to not go invade your pantry right now and eat it within the hour.

Serve it with a green salad and you've got yourself a balance meal. The recipe requires a mortar and pestle to grind the spices, but if you don't already have one, then one can easily be found secondhand, or at Ikea for under $10. I got mine at Sur La Table for $15. Bonus points: this soup is easy to make and ready to eat in 40 minutes.

2. Vegetarian Split Pea Soup: soup is the best, as it whips up quite quickly and always hits the spot. This is another recipe I enjoy because it's incredibly easy, dirt cheap to make and is down right delicious. The See clan doesn't consider split pea a real dish unless it has ham in it, yet when I made them this version, they demanded thirds!

Serve a bowl of this magic with with a slice of homemade bread, or again, with a fresh green salad and you're done. Note: a blender makes this soup far easier to gulp down. If you don't have one, reconsider making this recipe, as the unblended split peas will make it incredibly thick.

3. Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad: there hasn't been a time where I've made this recipe and it wasn't gobbled up. It's good warm, it's good cold...it's even good half made. How you best enjoy this dish is up to you. I have made this as a main and as a side. I reckon if you're going to cook it as a main, you could serve it on a bed of peppery greens (like arugula, mache, etc.) and it would be scrumptious. If serving it as a side, make sure your main attraction isn't too hearty, perhaps a brothy soup, as this salad is surprisingly filling.

For further tips on transitioning to a vegetarian diet, please see my post, "Six steps to going meatless". And stay tuned over the next few weeks, as I will be posting more recipes for transitioning vegetarians, my favorite vegetarian blogs and cookbooks, as well as general health tips to keep in mind when going veg.

Oh yes, and happy 2012!

(I spent New Years Eve with some new friends at Caravan of Dreams, one of my favorite vegan restaurants in New York City!)

My favorite Thanksgiving recipes (food allergy-friendly)

Ashley See — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:40:04 -0800

The holidays can be bittersweet for those of us who don't eat traditional Thanksgiving fare (turkey). Questions like, "So what are we going to feed you?", start to come up, as does the blood pressure of hosts who aren't use to accommodating an herbivore.

But believe it or not, there is plenty that someone who doesn't eat meat -- let alone dairy, soy or gluten -- can gobble up at the Thanksgiving table.

This year is unique for me, as I'm looking at holiday dishes with a new perspective: food allergies. Fortunately, I don't have any host(ess) to stress out with my no gluten and no soy veganism, but I can only feel for those who do. So whether you have a food allergy, are accommodating someone who has one, or maybe you're looking to try something new, then I hope my collection of recipes below proves helpful.

Note: please bear in mind that I haven't made all of these recipes, some are on my to-make list, so any notes I make on adapting recipes must be taken with a grain of salt, as I haven't tested every adaptation.

Key:

V = Vegan
SF = Soy-free
GF = Gluten-free

Salad

Raw Kale Tuscan Salad (sf, gf if gf bread is substituted)
Warm Sweet Potato ‘n Black Bean Salad (v, sf, gf)
Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad (v, sf, gf)
Pumpkin Coriander Salad (v, sf, gf)
Sesame Kale Salad (sf, gf, v if cheese is omitted)
Dilly White Bean & Bean Napoleons (v, sf, gf)

Grains

Autumn Millet Bake (v, sf, gf)
Farro & Millet Risotto (sf, v if you sub. v cheese - ex. Daiya - for the Parmesan)
Squash Boats with Quinoa (v, sf, gf)
Quinoa Skillet Bread (sf, gf if you sub. gf flour for the whole wheat flour, v if you sub. egg replacer/chia/flax "egg" for the real egg, coconut oil for the butter and coconut cream for the dairy cream)
Simple Vegetable Paella (v, sf, gf)
Bulgur & Green Lentil Salad with Chickpeas (v, sf)
Cranberry, Apricot & Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf (v, sf, gf)
Moroccan Millet & Butternut Squash Pilaf (v, sf, gf)

Entrees:

Brussels Sprouts & Roasted Winter Squash Hash (sf, gf, v if you omit the eggs)
Butternut Squash Mac ‘n Cheeze (v, sf, gf if you sub. gf bread for breadcrumbs)
Spinach Rice Gratin Recipe (v if you sub. v cheese - ex. Daiya)
Swiss Chard & Sweet Potato Gratin (gf, sf)
Butternut Squash & Cheddar Bread Pudding (gf, sf)
Spicy Dinosaur Kale & Cannellini Beans (v, gf, sf)
Savory Chickpea Cakes (sf, v if you sub. egg replacer/chia/flax "egg", gf if you sub. gf bread for the breadcrumbs and gf flour for the AP flour)
Winter Squash and Turnip Gratin (sf, gf, v if you sub. egg replacer/chia/flax "egg" for the real eggs, rice/almond/coconut milk for the dairy milk and v cheese - ex. Daiya - for the Parmesan)
Cauliflower w/ Mung Beans & Spiced Sunflower Seeds (v, sf, gf)
This Ain’t Grandma’s Sweet Potato Casserole (v, sf if you sub. coconut oil for butter, gf if you sub. a gf flour)
Ultimate Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf (v, sf, gf if you use gf flour and gf oats)

Other Stuff

Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes (sf, gf, v if you sub. coconut milk/cream for the dairy milk/cream)
Mushroom & Thyme Mashed Potatoes (v, gf, sf)
Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy (sf, v if you sub. coconut oil for butter, gf if you sub. a gf flour for AP flour)
Vegan Gravy (v, gf if you sub. a g flour for AP flour)
Smoked Almond Gravy (v, gf)
Plumberry Sauce or Jam (v, sf, gf)

Breads

Firecracker Cornbread Recipe (sf, v by sub. coconut oil for the butter, rice milk for the dairy milk and egg replacer/chia/flax "egg" for the real egg)
Chickpea Rice Pan Bread (v, sf, gf)
Softest Italian Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls Ever (v)

Desserts (since almost all desserts are vegetarian, the following are all vegan)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie (v)
Coconut Sweet Potato Pie (v, sf)
Raw Pumpkin Parfaits (v, sf, gf)
Old Fashioned Chocolate Pudding Pie (v, sf)
Apple Pie Cheesecake (v, gf)
Pumpkin Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream (v, sf, gf if you sub. a gf flour for AP flour)
Pear Frangipane Tart (v, sf, gf if you use a gf pie crust - see below)
Allergen-Free Warm Apple-Apricot Cake (v, sf, gf if you use a gf flour)
Pecan Pie (v, sf)
Candied Ginger Pears (v, sf, gf)
Apple-Walnut-Ginger Galette (v, sf)
Holiday-Spiced Vegan Creme Brulee (v, gf)
Crusts:
- Double Olive Oil Pie Crust (v, sf)
- Press-in Almond Crust (v, sf, gf if you sub. a gf flour for the AP flour)
- Gluten-Free, Vegan Pie Crust (v, gf)

Leftovers

Mashed Potato Puffs (sf, gf)
Creamy Mashed Potato and Leek Soup (obviously use veg-based stock; v, sf, gf if you omit the crackers or use gf crackers)
Sweet Potato and Cornbread Hash with Veggie Sausage Gravy (v if you substitute rice/almond/coconut milk and an egg replacement, sf if you omit the sausages, depending on the sausage of course)
Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms (sf, v if you sub. coconut oil for the butter)
Cranberry Sauce Over Pound Cake A La Mode (this Rachael Ray recipe isn't a vegan friendly recipe -- like you're surprised knowing who it belongs to! -- so let me know if any of you health-ify or veg-ify this one)
Cranberry Buttermilk Pancakes (sf, easily made v by substituting coconut oil for butter, rice/almond/coconut milk for dairy milk and egg replacer/chia/flax "egg" for real egg; and for those that are gf, you can always make buckwheat pancakes instead)
Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins (sf, v if you substitute egg replacer/chia/flax "egg" for the real egg and non-dairy milk)

If you dig this list, then you may also like the following:

Go Dairy Free, "Dairy-Free Thanksgiving Recipes"
Slow Food, Thanksgiving Guide 2011
Herbivoracious, "Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes"
NY Times Well, "Beyond Pumpkin Pie: Thankful for Dessert"
Vegan Peace Blog, "Vegan Thanksgiving Desserts"
Post Punk Kitchen, "Thanksvegan Stuff"

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I moved to New York

Ashley See — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:45:37 -0800

My name is Ashley and I’m a negligent blogger. I have been cooking new things without sharing; I went on a juice cleanse for two weeks; hells bells, I have been eating as a gluten-free vegan and only mentioned it in passing.

Before you give up hope on me, it’s worth letting you know that in addition to all these other things, I also got a job with Slow Food USA in Brooklyn! (And by job I mean internship for the fall.)

This time last year I was aboard a plane to the land down under. And this year, I’m on a plane again, but this time to a place that doesn’t require a passport: New York City. As I type, I’m actually en route (this was written Friday evening) to La Guardia via American Airlines (sigh, how I wish my beloved Air New Zealand did more flights within the U.S.).

Juicing

About a month ago, I picked up a Breville juicer, and it’s readily become the love of my life. If I could date it, I would. Seriously! Someday I’ll write a formal review of its performance, but I can summarize it with one very enthusiastic oh yeah!

I didn’t quite know what to expect, as I’ve only used one juicer previously, so learning the juicer language – i.e., centrifugal v. masticated – and coming through the various reviews took time, but in the end I'm very pleased. I even loaded up on natural healing books to help me identify which juices were best for certain ailments. Personally inspired by poor skin, I’ve been on a mission to juice regularly since UK raw chef, Russell James suggested I juice at lease once a week, as he cleared up his acne by adopting a raw food-only diet, along with a juice cleanse in the beginning. He advised checking out Jason Vale, another notable Brit who’s known as THE juice man. Jason has a 30-day clear skin routine posted for free (a relief considering most regimens I’ve found are costly).

While I didn’t adhere that closely to all 30 days of Jason’s clear skin program, I really like some of his juice/smoothie recipes and will continue to use them, cleanse or not.

Going dairy, soy & gluten-free:

Before starting the cleanse, a colleague told me how her gal pal eliminated dairy and gluten from her diet for 2-3 months and that really helped clear her skin up. Given this advice, my long standing curiosity whether or not I have a food allergy and the first few days of Jason’s cleanse consisting on juice-only, I figured it was a good opportunity to try and do some self allergen testing (I know...I'm too cheap to go visit an allergist, but in my defense they are expensive!).

I’m about a month in, and I suspect that gluten or wheat may be the culprit. Due to a weakness in self-control, I caved and chowed down items with both gluten and wheat in them (damn you oatcakes, why must you be so tasty) twice, which led to a lot of redness in the proceeding days both times.

Who knows, this is either a freak coincidence or ‘Freshly Vegetarian’ will soon be ‘Freshly Wheatless & Vegetarian’ :) Since I’m going to New York, I’m inclined to pursue a holistic physician there to help me diagnose what’s really going on.

Slow Food USA

The day after Labor Day will mark day one as an official Slow Foodie. xAlthough I’ve previously claimed this status given my approach to food, the fact that I will be working at the non-profit’s headquarters in DUMBO makes my involvement seem that much more real.

Since returning from Australia, I’ve spent my days pursuing opportunities that really inspire me—jobs I felt could make a difference in the way Americans eat. Was this lofty and cliché? Of course, but I didn’t – and don’t – care. Coveted commencement speakers are constantly preaching the importance of doing what you love, to somehow make a difference in the world, and suppose listening to them on repeat helped me realize that this was my thing, and not to give up.

To make a somewhat long story short, I got the media relations internship and will finally put that journalism degree (plus newspaper and radio experience) of mine to professional use. Note to self: wipe the dust off that AP Styleguide. It’s a short-term internship, so I’ll be pursuing my options when I get to New York to find full-time work once the Slow Food internship is over.

(By all means, if you have suggestions of organizations, farms or other opportunities to look into then please let me know).

In an ideal world, at some point in my life, I will do what I saw Jamie Oliver do in one of his Food Revolution episodes, where he goes into the elementary school and teaches kiddos about fruit and vegetables. There’s something about helping youngsters to understand what good food is, and how to have a healthy relationship with food that really revs my engine. I imagine it’s because I was clueless growing-up: we never had a garden, I was never shown anything in the kitchen and nearly everything I ate came out of a box or package. Needless to say the notion of fresh food was above and beyond how I saw food.

That about does it. Let me know if any of you know of any waitressing (a girl’s gotta eat) or subletting opportunities in New York. Until next time!

Peachy keen cobbler

Ashley See — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:11:17 -0800

It's tough to beat Northwest farmers markets in the summertime. Booths are overflowing with peaches, berries, tomatoes and corn. Which reminds me to re-make Smitten Kitchen's tomato and corn pie -- a pie that presented many firsts for me: my first savory pie, my first homemade vegetarian meal, even my first meal with in-season tomatoes from the market!

Mmm...sweet thoughts of how superior summer tomatoes are.

That's enough about tomatoes though, as this isn't a tomato cobbler (but if that interests you then Lottie + Doof and Ellen Fork both have lovely recipes). Back to peaches.

You see, I spent my morning with The Grand Central Baking Book -- and by spent, I mean scanned every recipe I had previously marked as a must-make, nearly every recipe in the book, so it can be returned to the library on time -- which was when I stumbled upon the peach cobbler recipe. Given that my fruit bowl overfloweth with the juicy fruit, it was perfect timing.

So a little vegan-izing and gluten-free'ing later, I had myself a tasty peach cobbler that's worthy of filing in my favorite summer desserts. And yes, I am eating dairy, gluten, wheat and soy-free these days in attempt to try and identify a food allergy. While this won't be forever, I'm definitely learning how to adapt and prepare food in a new way. If you prefer, you can certainly use all-purpose flour and butter to replace my adaptations.

Peach Cobbler
Serves: 6 (recipe says it serves 8, but I dare you to not sneak more than an eighth)
Adapted from The Grand Central Baking Book

Ingredients:

1/2 C natural cane sugar
1 C organic brown rice flour - see notes
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Ener-G egg
2 lbs peaches (about 4 lg peaches), pitted and sliced - see notes
2 tbs packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 C coconut oil, melted - see notes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan or a 8-inch square pan.
Measure the natural cane sugar, flour, 3/4 tsp of the salt, and the baking powder into a bowl and whisk to combine. Prepare and drizzle the Ener-G egg over the dry ingredients while stirring with a fork to partially combine. The mixture will be floury and dry, with a few lumps created by adding the egg.
Toss the peaches with the brown sugar, nutmeg and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt. Arrange the peaches in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Scatter the topping over the peaches as evenly as possible, given its lumpy, floury texture. Drizzle the melted butter all over, trying to get a bit into each area of the pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling around the edges of the pan. Let the cobbler cool slightly before serving.

Notes:

Flour - I suspect that almost any flour would do here, gluten-free or not, but the original recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Peach skins - I left mine on; in the cookbook they note to leave the skins on if they're not too fuzzy, as they make for a more colorful cobbler.
Coconut oil - to un-veganize this recipe then you can use butter in the cobbler and to grease the pan like the GCB divas do.

Nutritional Info:

View the full nutritional data here.

Chickpea & cherry tomato salad w/ cilantro dressing

Ashley See — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 13:36:22 -0800

True to form, I'm still hooked on simple summer salads.

Anytime I'm making something as simple as the following recipe is, I feel the least I can do is cook my own chickpeas. So all you need to do is have some in the fridge, or soak them the night before. Because I use chickpeas so regularly, I've gotten in the habit of soaking and cooking some once a week. At the least, they make for a fast snack. Plus, my temptation to eat hummus by the bucket loads, a la You Don't Mess with The Zohan, is perpetuated by having them so accessible.

For the record, this sauce is dangerously delicious. I'm convinced it would be tasty on more than just this salad, starting with an easy addition to plain grains. And for you brown baggers, this salad not only keeps well in the fridge, but still tastes lovely a few days later.

Chickpea & Cherry Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing
Serves: 6 (really depends on what else, if anything, this is served with)
Source: Clean Food by Terry Walters

Ingredients:

2 lbs cherry tomatoes
3 C cooked chickpeas (1-1/2 C dried chickpeas)
4-5 scallions, chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro (about 1 C) - I trimmed the stems
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil - I used 1/4 C olive oil, 1/4 C water
Juice from half a lemon
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Soak the dried chickpeas overnight, or used canned if you're short on time. An hour before wanting to prepare the salad, rinse the beans and cook them appropriately. Allow the beans ample time to cool (unless you don't mind eating this with warm beans).
Cut tomatoes in half and place in large bowl with chickpeas and scallions.
With a food processor running, drop in the whole garlic glove and mince. Turn off processor, scrape down sides, add cilantro, olive oil (and in my case water), lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse to combine.
Drizzle dressing over salad, toss to coat and serve.

Nutritional Info:

View the full nutritional data here.

Quinoa salad w/ black beans, avocado and cumin-lime dressing

Ashley See — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:18:05 -0800

In the summertime, my patience weens. I like rawer foods, quicker meals and fewer dishes. And with the farmers markets full of raw, colorful treats, why not dive headfirst into salads?

Lately I've been stockpiling salad recipes to make over the summer, and since I had some avocado to use up, I had just the recipe from Eating for England to make.

The good news is how easy and flexible this grain salad is. I'm confident you could use a variety of vegetables in place of the ones Angharad and I did, and it would still turn out nicely. Red quinoa? Chickpeas? I'm sure both would be welcomed substitutes. Aside from ingredients, this dish could easily be served as a filling side dish, or perhaps stuffed into a tortilla.

Bonus points: this is a one-pot recipe (OK, plus a citrus juicer).

Extra bonus points: this is a great dish to make for brown bag lunches, as it keeps well in the fridge.

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado & Cumin-Lime Dressing
Serves: 4-6 (really depends on what else, if anything, this is served with)
Source: Angharad over at Eating for England

Ingredients:

1 C dry quinoa, rinsed
1 Tbsp olive oil, or coconut oil
1 3/4 C water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, chopped into chunks
Handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered (I used 1 C)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, chopped into chunks
Small handful of cilantro, diced (I used 1/2 C)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, to taste

Directions:

Warm the olive/coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the rinsed quinoa and toast for about 2-3 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and lovely. Add water, stir once, cover, and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, prepare all other ingredients. Prepare the dressing by combining the lime juice, oil, cumin, and salt. Whisk it aggressively. Adjust seasoning as necessary.
When the quinoa has finished cooking, remove it from heat and fluff with a fork. Add black beans and toss to warm them through.
Let the quinoa cool for about five minutes and then add all the remaining ingredients, including the dressing, and mix. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Nutritional Info:

View the full nutritional data here.

Two wallet-sized lists of must-buy organic foods

Ashley See — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 20:00:28 -0800

To state the obvious: organic food is better for us than non-organic, therefore we should buy/eat it as often as possible.

And as we all know, organic food doesn't always come cheap. So, those of us on budgets must prioritize which foods are the organic must-buys. I have a terrible time remembering which foods I should always buy organic, so if you're anything like me, you need a list you can pull out at the market, or grocery store, to remind yourself. If that's the case then here are two little wallet-friendly cheat sheets I just tucked into my pocketbook:

Number one (via EWG):

Download this PDF if you want to only print out the graphic and not this post.

Number two, which is slightly more extensive and graphically appeasing (via The Organic Center):

Click the image to download a larger version.

Happy organic shopping!

Oatcakes

Ashley See — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:51:11 -0800

Remember when I said I would be blogging some recipes from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day soon? Soon is now. You see, yesterday was Thursday and my biweekly healthy baking adventure continues as I make morning treats for my dad's colleagues.

Oatcakes are seemingly everywhere. If you haven't heard of them, no pasa nada, I hadn't either until recently. However, once they hopped on my radar they were there to stay. I can't seem to shake 'em! Every bakery I peer in has them showcased; every farmers market has them featured...heck, even my local co-op is selling them as an afternoon pick-me-up! Despite this influx, it wasn't until I heard a gal pal proclaim her love for oatcakes that I figured it was time to find out what the big deal was.

Now I know.

I cannot decide if these make for a better breakfast, snack or dessert. They're light enough to be eaten after breakfast without messing up lunch, yet strong enough in sweetness to pass a dessert They're also portable enough to survive as a purse riding snack, hello healthy airplane food! Whenever you choose to eat them is up to you (if you're me then that's within 45 seconds of pulling them out of the oven), just make sure you have a hot cuppa something to wash them down with.

Smitten with the comforting taste these oatcakes pack, there was something about these that tasted familiar. It's warm...it's maple syrup-y...it's French toast! So I think it's fair to say: if you love French toast, you'll love these oatcakes. Pretty impressive for a recipe that doesn't call for a flake of cinnamon, eh?

Also impressive? These oatcakes have 5g of fiber and 5g protein in each cake.

For those with special dietary concerns, I think these oatcakes are pretty flexible. I already substituted the eggs , so if you want to completely veganize them then you could easily leave the butter out and use all coconut oil. I don't know a lot about gluten-free diets, so if you're gf and use this recipe then let me know what tweaks you made. Lastly, if concerned about sweetness, see my notes after the jump.

Good luck not eating these straight out of the oven!

Oatcakes
Makes: 18 regular-sized muffins (alternatively, I made 12 regular 12 mini)
Source: Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day

Ingredients:

3 C | 10.5 oz | 300 g rolled oats
2 C | 8 oz | 225 g whole wheat pastry flour, or spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
2 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1/4 C | 1.5 oz | 45 g flax seeds
3/4 C | 3 oz | 85 g chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1/3 C | 2.5 oz | 70 g extra-virgin coconut oil
1/3 C | 3 oz | 85 g unsalted butter
3/4 C | 180 ml maple syrup (see notes)
1/2 C | 2.5 oz | 70 g natural cane sugar (see notes)
2 eggs (I used Ener-G egg replacement in this recipe)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan.
Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, flax seeds and walnuts in a large mixing bowl.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the coconut oil, butter, maple syrup and sugar, and slowly melt together. Stir just until the butter melts and sugar has dissolved, but don't let the mixture get too hot (if using eggs, you don't want them to cook in the next step).
Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture. Stir a bit with a fork, add the eggs, and stir again until everything comes together in a wet dough. Spoon the dough into the muffin cups, nearly filling them.
Bake for 25-30 min (mine took about 35), until the edges of each oatcakes are deeply golden. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for a couple of minutes. Then, run a knife around the edges of the cakes and tip them out onto a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

On the note of sweetness, I think Heidi's quantities would appease most; however, I found them to be a tad too sweet for me. Next time I make this recipe, I am going to use less sweetener (1/4-1/3 C natural cane sugar and 1/2 C maple syrup, maybe using yogurt, applesauce or even just hot water as the remaining 1/4 C liquid).

Nutritional Info:

View the full nutritional data here.

Top 5 recipes from Heidi Swanson's 'Super Natural Every Day'

Ashley See — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:02:48 -0800

For my 25th birthday, I bought myself two cookbooks: Madhur Jaffrey's World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking and Heidi Swanson's newly released Super Natural Every Day.

I don't think I could have made two better purchases. Both cookbooks are fabulous, but Heidi's book is the one I've found myself cooking out of more thus far. In case you're unfamiliar, Heidi is the master behind 101 Cookbooks, and has previously published two cookbooks (Super Natural Cooking and Cook 1.0: A Fresh Approach to the Vegetarian Kitchen). She has an excellent flare for creating healthy vegetarian recipes that are delicious, satisfying and nutritious. Heidi's recipes routinely hit the spot, and for this very reason she has readily become one of my favorite, and most trusted, cooks.

When it comes to vegetarian food, Heidi knows what she's doing.

I discovered Heidi and her blog a year or two ago, but began to visit it religiously since vowing to cut down on my sugar intake and cook more whole, natural foods. Most of my previously favored food blogs showcase scrumptious food, but their recipes are far too rich, and far too sweet for me to cook from anymore (Deb from Smitten Kitchen, I love you dearly, but am talking to you). Sure, recipes can be adjusted, and from time to time I'm happy to make healthy tweaks, but it's also nice to cook a recipe from top to bottom knowing it came out exactly as it was intended.

I'm a recipe girl. Many cooks are brilliant at making up recipes from scratch, or improvising here and there because they have good instincts on what goes well with what. I'm not one of those cooks.

Given my desire to stop tweaking previously loved recipes into somewhat healthy ones, I have found Heidi's third cookbook, Super Natural Every Day -- or "SNED" so I endearingly refer to it -- to routinely please my palate and my waistline. At this point I've cooked 2/3 of the recipes in SNED, a rarity for me since most cookbooks I cook from are rented from the library, so I usually only cook 2-5 recipes from them at the very most.

While it was hard to choose, here are my top five favorite recipes from SNED:

(Most of these I have made several times, but in a flurry of job hunting, I haven't had time to blog the recipes or pictures. While I plan on doing so in the future, I have included links to other bloggers who have in the meantime.)

Toasted Kale & Coconut Salad with Sesame Oil - Heidi takes minimal credit for the recipe, and gives the kudos to a farmer at her neighborhood market for envisioning this dish. Whomever thought of it, doesn't matter, because this is the most delicious grain salad I have ever had. You cannot go wrong marinating kale in tamari, baking it, and then tossing it with coconut and your favorite whole grain). I wasn't the only one who liked it, as my meat loving brother and pops ate three bowls each.

(See the recipe on Sparrows and Spatulas)
Rustic Cabbage Soup - soup is my comfort food of choice, and given how much I love Heidi's vegetarian split pea soup, I was quick to make this soup. Simple and full of flavor, this surprisingly hearty cabbage soup is perfect for when the shekels are low and the skies are gray.

(Although not the exact same, see a very similar recipe on 101 Cookbooks)
Avocados & Mustard Seeds - Remember when I raved about that avocado chimichurri bruschetta? I'm still bonkers for that dish, but this avocado spread tops that one. Perhaps I could combine the two...

(See the recipe in Heidi's pre cookbook release sampler pack)
Fruit Salad - I grew up in a household where fruit salad meant opening a gigantic can of fruit cocktail mix and drowning it in instant banana pudding. You can imagine my delight when realizing fruit salad is meant to taste less like box-sweetened sugar and more like well, fruit! Heidi optionally advises sprinkling some freshly chopped mint atop the fruit, and you'll be damn sorry if you don't because I felt this made the salad.

(Recipe was no where to be found, but I'll blog it soon enough)
Black Pepper Tempeh - In my meat eating days, I had a thing for chicken teriyaki. Since becoming a vegetarian, I had avoided all teriyaki-like recipes figuring it was just a meat thing. Not only is this the most flavorful way i have had tempeh, it's also a nice way to fulfill a teriyaki craving in a vegan dish. Not to mention, this cooks quickly and re-heats like a champ.

(See the recipe, a similar adaptation, over on Art & Lemons)

Honorable mention:

Mostly Not Potato Salad - (see the recipe on Cooking Channel)
Black Bean Salad - (couldn't find the recipe, but here's a picture from Tartlette)
Honey Rose Tapioca Pudding - (see the recipe on honey & jam)
Black Sesame Otsu - (see the recipe on 101 Cookbooks)

Well folks, you get the idea: I love this cookbook and will continue to cook from it. Anticipate seeing me post my experiences with the recipes from the book sooner than later. If you feel like picking up a copy of SNED for yourself, you can order it from a billion different places online, or I've even seen it for sale at Costco lately.

Lastly, given how much I've enjoyed SNED, I have decided I'm definitely going to buy Super Natural Cooking the next time I want to reward myself.

Heavenly breakfast bread: raisin cinnamon wheat bread

Ashley See — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 10:38:38 -0800

This week, I had the pleasure of making one of Marion Cunningham's recipes from The Breakfast Book, and whoa mama!

If you want to make a snack for tea time, or gift a somewhat unusual, larger than life loaf of bread, then I think this is one to consider. It's a tad sweet, but that's to be expected with anything including raisins.

Biweekly, my pops has a meeting with all of his colleagues, and when I discovered he was supplying them with Safeway doughnuts, I happily volunteered myself to bake alternative goods instead. Who doesn't love an opportunity to hone their baking skills, especially without the promise of having to eat the resulting bounty? My pops naturally agreed. All meeting attendees are men, most are somewhat health conscious and avoid heavily sweet things. My kinda crowd to bake for.

Aside from being fairly healthy, the only other stipulation to what I make is that it must go well with coffee. Cannon Beach city hall, the workplace of topic, neighbors a lovely little organic coffee roaster, Sleepy Monk (their site seems to be down currently, here's their Facebook), that makes some of the best coffee -- also the strongest -- that I've ever had. (And bear in mind I don't say that in politeness; I've lived in Seattle, and with coffee connoisseurs, so I'm familiar with what good coffee tastes like.) So needless to say, the staff is hooked on good coffee and any accompanying treats must go with their cuppa Joe.

After a few months of practice, I think I'm beginning to really get the hang of what they like. This recipe makes either two regular-sized loafs, or one freakishly large round loaf. Since I only have one bread pan, I opted for the one round loaf, and it rose to be jumbo. Now when I say jumbo, I mean JUMBO! Shocked by the enormity of the resulting loaf, I couldn't help but measure it: 11" in diameter!

Pardon the terrible photo, but here's the loaf to scale with a medium-sized apple:

I halved that big boy, and sent a half to work with each of my parents (naturally after sampling a piece myself), and both workplaces gobbled up every last bit before 9 a.m. My mom didn't even get a slice!

Without further adieu, the recipe:

Raisin Cinnamon Wheat Bread
Makes: ~32 slices (2 medium loaves, or one jumbo round loaf)
Source: The Breakfast Book

Ingredients:

1/2 C warm water
4 1/2 Tbsp dry yeast (2 packages)
1 tsp sugar

2 C warm water
1/2 C nonfat dry milk
6 Tbsp brown sugar (I used less, about 3 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp cinnamon (I used much more than this)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/2 C whole wheat flour
2 C raisins (use 1 C golden raisins and 1 C dark raisins, if you have both)
3 C all-purpose flour (approx.)

Directions:

Put the 1/2 C warm water in a mixing bowl and stir in the yeast and sugar. Let stand to dissolve for 5 minutes. (This is letting your yeast proof. As a noob to proofing, I let mine proof until it looked like this, which took about 30 min -- which I suspect took so long due to using older yeast).
Add the 2 C warm water, dry milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, and whole wheat flour to the yeast mixture. Beat briskly, until the batter is smooth. Add the raisins. Add only enough all-purpose flour to make a manageable dough (I ended up using all 3, plus some). If kneading by hand, turn onto a floured surface and knead for 2 minutes; if you are using an electric mixer with a dough hook, knead for 15 seconds. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough looks smooth and elastic.
Put the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough double in bulk (mine took about 40 minutes to rise).
Punch the dough down. If you are making two loaves, divide the dough in half, shape into two loaves, and place in two greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3-inch loaf pans. If you are making one loaf, roll it into a smooth ball, place on a greased baking sheet, and, using a sharp knife, cut two slashes across the top. Let the dough rise, loosely covered, for 45 minutes.
Put the loaves (or loaf) in a preheated 375 oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until done; the round loaf with take 5-10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn onto a rack to cool.

Nutritional Info:

View the full nutritional data here.

Milk vs orange juice: which has more calcium?

Ashley See — Wed, 25 May 2011 23:18:34 -0800

We've all been told that dairy is the best way to get calcium. However, since I've been actively trying to clear up my skin, and living with someone who has a lactose intolerance, I've eliminated dairy from my diet, and household, almost completely.

So where's a quasi-vegan to get their calcium from? The June edition of Shape magazine answers that question easily, as they feature a small section of non-animal sources of calcium suggestions (OK, they actually included sardines in their list, but we'll pretend they didn't):

Tofu - if you choose a block that is made with calcium sulfate (a curdling agent) then you'll get 431 milligrams (mg) per quarter cup.
Orange Juice - an 8-ounce glass of calcium-fortified OJ boasts 350 mg and fulfills 120 percent of your daily vitamin C requirement.
Collard Greens - in just one cup of cooked greens, you'll find 270 mg of calcium, plus 7 grams of fiber. They advise boiling until tender, then sauteing the greens in olive oil.

How does that rate with a glass of nonfat milk?

Even if I were drinking milk regularly, I would never drink nonfat, but that's beside the point. Shape says one glass of nonfat milk contains 299 milligrams, which is a third of your daily dose.

So if you drink a small glass of calcium-fortified orange juice each day, you're getting more calcium than drinking a glass of milk, plus gaining your daily dose of vitamin C. A win-win!

For more suggestions on non-animal based calcium sources, see:

Eat. Run. Do Yoga. - "Vegan Myth: Calcium"
The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) - "Calcium in the Vegan Diet"
Soy Stache - Sources of Calcium: Plant-based (vegan) vs. animal sources (features an extensive table of sources, but I find it strangely organized, as I can't say I'd eat 100 grams of fennel seeds in a month, let alone a day!)

Why the "Just Eats Tour" is pretty cool

Ashley See — Thu, 19 May 2011 13:02:25 -0800

A month ago, I came across a really cool internship at Farm Sanctuary -- my dream organization to work for -- where you travel alongside the co-founder, Gene Baur, and help document his three-week road trip across America. Dubbed the "Just Eats Tour," Gene is celebrating Farm Sanctuary's 25th anniversary by hitting the road in his 1974 Volkswagen van to explore the food, people and places sparking a national awakening toward conscious consumption (veganism) and respect for farm animals.

As the tour makes its way from coast-to-coast, Gene and his team will be sharing recipes, videos, photos, blog posts, #JustEats tweets and interviews regarding the vegan food movement.

Slightly bummed that I didn't get the internship, I wasn't sure how closely I wanted to follow the tour; however, I just got a notification of the tour's first video being uploaded to YouTube, and after watching it, my excitement for the tour has been reawakened!

I think this is a great event, as it not only allows us to view veganism across the country, but it is also revealing about Farm Sanctuary and Gene himself. I've seen videos of the co-founder talk before, and always gotten the impression that Gene was a pretty grounded gent, but through this first video alone you cannot help but want to sit shotgun and soak up the experience alongside him.

Any CEO, president or founder of any organization that's stoked to climb into a car that they drove nearly 40 years ago -- let alone one they initially funded their organization by selling veggie hot dogs at Grateful Dead concerts out of -- across the country is pretty cool in my book.

Plus, there's the added bonus of vicarious living for anyone *clears throat* who has ever wanted to drive across America, but has yet to do so. Don't know about you, but I'm stoked to see what the team does once the tour reaches Nebraska and Oklahoma!

And so you know, Gene's tweets seem to be the most interesting way to follow the tour thus far.

Hungarian mushroom soup

Ashley See — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:18:25 -0800

They say you shouldn't buy a car without test-driving it. I feel similarly toward cookbooks -- which is why I'm often seen camped out in the culinary section of my library, many cookbooks strewn about -- because you can test-drive the recipes before taking the plunge of purchase.

That said, one of my recent check-outs was Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. I found a few recipes that piqued my interest, but my due date was up, so after not giving it much of a chance, I took it back feeling underwhelmed. As the librarian checked it back in, she asked whether or not I made Mollie's mushroom soup. When I replied that I hadn't, she bit her lip and looked at me with sorrow. After confessing she's not much of a cook, she said she's head-over-heels for Mollie's mushroom soup.

Since hearing this glowing review, and having heard several non-vegetarians/vegans say this cookbook was one of their favorites, I felt I didn't give the cookbook enough of a chance, and re-checked it out. First stop: this beloved mushroom soup.

(What the librarian neglected to tell me was which one of the three mushroom soup recipes in the book she was cuckoo for).

Out of the three, I picked the richest sounding one: Hungarian mushroom soup. And while I'm still unsure whether or not this recipe was the librarian's favorite, this is easily one of my favorite soups. I plan on making this again...and again. In future makings, I would love to veganize it (the milk and butter are easy, but I am unsure how to substitute yogurt in a creamy soup -- silken tofu? Soy yogurt? Recommendations are welcome!).

Looks like that librarian does more than just renew books, as my faith in Mollie's cookbook has been revitalized; I'm pumped to try out more of her recipes, particularly the soups!

Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Serves: 4
Source: Moosewood Cookbook

Ingredients:

12 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 C chopped onion
4 Tbsp butter (I used 2 T butter, 2 T coconut oil)
3 Tbsp flour (any flour, including gluten-free flours would do, I used whole wheat)
1 C milk
1-2 tsp dill
1 Tbsp Hungarian paprika (regular paprika works)
1 Tbsp tamari (can use gluten-free)
1 tsp salt
2 C stock or water (I used 1 C stock, 1 C water)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 C freshly chopped parsley (I skipped this, since I didn't have any on-hand)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 C sour cream (I used plain Greek yogurt)

Directions:

Saute the onions in 2 T butter (this is where I used the coconut oil). Salt the onions lightly. A few minutes later, add the mushrooms, 1 tsp. dill, 1/2 C stock or water, tamari and paprika. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour, and cook whilst whisking for a few minutes. Then add the milk. Continue to cook the mixture, stirring frequently, over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until thick.
Stir the mushroom mixture and remaining stock into the milk mixture. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Just before serving add the salt, pepper, lemon juice, sour cream and, if desired, extra dill.

Nutritional Info:

View the full nutritional data here.

Dr. Oz talks Forks Over Knives: the benefits of a plant-based diet

Ashley See — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:05:01 -0800

Dr. Oz isn't a vegan, nor is he a vegetarian.

He is, however, fairly sensible and did a a pretty cool, but unfortunately short segment on his show yesterday highlighting plant-based eating and how that can help prevent cancer and heart disease. Instead of focusing on the word diet, or vegan, Oz talked about a lot of good, commonsensical approaches to a healthier lifestyle.

Inspired from just having seen Forks Over Knives -- a film that examines whether most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict mankind can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting both animal-based and processed foods -- the famous doctor hosted a few of the film's stars, in addition to the authors of The China Study.

Since the show airs in the middle of the day, here are the takeaway points in case you missed it:

3 food groups everyone avoid:

1. Meat & Eggs - it was summarized as 'if it has parents and a face' then it shouldn't be eaten.

Oz proclaimed he doesn't eat much meat, especially since his wife is a vegetarian, but does like to eat fish. Most people proclaim they may not eat red or white meat, but do eat fish for the healthy fats, but on the show they said most of the fat in fish isn't omega-3's and is completely unnecessary for our bodies.

As HealthyBodyDaily.com also notes,

Animal protein, including fish, delivers a mondo dose of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can put you at risk for heart disease. Saturated fats raise your cholesterol and, over time, attack arteries leading to strokes and heart attacks. As a source of omega-3 fatty acids, fish has long been touted as one of the staples of a healthy diet, however 15-30% of fish is saturated fat.

Additionally, fish meat contains no healing properties, fiber, nor vitamin C. Oz and company suggested substituting whole grains, beans, nuts and vegetables as primary protein sources.

2. Dairy - includes cheese and yogurt - highlighted because it's the highest source of "bad fat."

Most people are concerned when they cut down, or eliminate dairy that they won't get enough calcium, potassium or vitamin D. Their suggested substitutes are:

a. Calcium: green leafy vegetables, like kale, collard greens and spinach.
b. Potassium: fruits, like bananas, dried dates and papayas.
c. Vitamin D: sunlight on your skin is the natural vitamin source. Vitamin D is actually an added nutrient to milk, so eliminating milk from your diet doesn't make a difference to this nutrient if you're getting enough sunlight. Also, like cow milk, most alternative milks like soy, hemp and almond have vitamin D added.

3. Processed foods - these should be eliminated from the diet since they're stripped of nutrients and injected with sugar, salt and trans-fats, all substances that lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

Processed foods can easily be replaced with whole grains (bread & pasta) and seeds. Instead of processed sugar, opt for fresh fruits.

Interestingly, they considered oils to be processed foods, including our beloved olive oil.

Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet then came on the show. He is also featured in Forks Over Knives, and is confident that if an entire firehouse can do this diet, so can any house in America.

5 foods everyone should have on-hand (aka cancer fighters):

Nutritional Yeast - a superfood replacement for cheese. Rip says it has ‘all the good and none of the bad’ components of cheese. Not only does it mimic that cheese taste, but also boasts good fiber (4g per 2 tbsp) and protein in each serving.
Freeze-dried strawberries - have ten times the amount of antioxidants than normal strawberries. This was proven in an Ohio State University study released earlier this month.
Rhubarb - is a great cancer fighter. A Sheffield, England study revealed when rhubarb is cooked for 20 minutes it magnifies the polyphenols, which are protective against cancer.
Escarole - an often overlooked green, escarole is a leafy cruciferous veg, just like spinach and kale. Except this specific green ranks highest for nutritional density, Rip strongly urges folks to up their intake of this green as it's loaded with everything that will help fight cancer and make bodies healthier: water, fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals all come to the rescue to take health to the next level.
Banana ice cream - a tasty, dairy and sugar-free treat that Angela from Oh She Glows has been evangelizing "banana soft serve" from Choosing Raw for years. Angela uses her soft serve in heaps of different ways. To make it:
1. You'll need one ripe banana per person (the riper the banana = sweeter taste).
2. Peel and slice bananas, and throw them in the freezer.
3. Remove from freezer and place the frozen banana(s) in a strong blender, juicer or food processor (I use the latter) with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. It comes out creamy and delicious. Sprinkle to your liking with nutmeg or cinnamon and sliced berries.

So again, I was really impressed with the overall explanation of health and nutrition on Dr. Oz's show, but I do wish instead of dedicating only half a show to the topic that Dr. Oz spent the whole show exploring the benefits of a plant-based diet.

Oz was dialed into the heavily stigmatized word: vegan, as he didn't use it once, yet that's exactly what the diet he was discussing is. Perhaps there's something to that idea; avoid all the stigmas of veganism of naysayers by not labeling it?