Earlier in the week, I blogged about freedom of will. The freedom to make  choices like committing to plant-based diet and sticking with it, even if you don’t do it perfectly. Coincidently, I ran across a book by Thich Nhat Hanh.  He speaks a lot about free will and how you need space for new things to work.  He says to practice letting go of things that don’t bring you happiness. When you let go you have more space for new things. He says, if we have too many fears or doubts, we have no room for living.  Joy and happiness arise from letting go. Thich Nhat Hanh recommends:

“Sit down and take an inventory of your life. If there are things you have been hanging on to that are not useful and deprive you of your freedom, find the courage to let them go. An overloaded boat is easily capsized by wind and waves. Lighten your load and your boat will travel more quickly and safely. Then you can offer the precious gift of freedom and space to yourself and loved ones, but only if it is truly there in your own heart.”

On to food. I ran across this recipe from a friend of mine. I was very skeptical. One pot wonder tomato basil pasta? Impossible. I thought something won’t taste right. To my surprise, I was 100% wrong. This one pot pasta was delicious and so easy to make. The starch from the pasta made a wonderful sauce and the veggies were cooked just right. The biggest surprise – the pasta was al dente. Here is a link to the  blog who created it. I changed it up a bit and added sun dried tomatoes and spinach. Thanks Apron Strings!

One Pot Tomato Basil Spinach Pasta

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  20 mins

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces linguine pasta
• 1½ cups diced tomatoes with liquid (of 1 15 ounce can)
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 sweet onion, cut in julienne strips
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly slices
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• handful of basil, chopped
• handful of spinach (optional) *
• 4½ cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place pasta, tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, in a large stock pot. Pour in vegetable broth.
2. Sprinkle the pepper flakes and oregano on top.
3. Drizzle with olive oil
4. Add ½ tsp salt and some ground black pepper
5. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated until there is about one inch of liquid left in the bottom of the pot.
6. *Add the spinach 7 to 8 minutes into cooking.

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Lately,  I have been thinking about freedom. More specifically – freedom of will. Many of you have reached out to me and expressed your desire to embrace a plant-based life, but don’t believe you can do it. The truth is anyone can do it. How free are we if we are controlled by our habits, desires, heredity and deep tendencies? How do we rise above those powerful habits and inclinations?  It all starts in the mind,  and it is the mind that will bring us freedom. Slowly start planting seeds in your mind. Seeds of faith. Seeds that say “you can do it”. Water the seeds everyday with positive affirmations. The more seeds you plant, the harder it will be to deter you from your goal. We all have that infinite power. Your mind has unlimited potential, but you have to use it.  When you achieve one goal, your freedom is immediate, and that pattern will help you achieve any goal you have. Remember, you don’t have to be perfect. The effort is all that counts. The seeds will grow. You have the power to will it and be on the road to freedom, not only from unhealthy food, but from all your suffering.  Stay strong and let me know if there is anything I can do to help. On to food.

Spring is here, and I love roaming the aisles of the Farmer’s Market for spring and early summer organic vegetables. Sunday it was all about beans. Green beans, lima beans, fava beans and sugar snap peas. Right next to the fava beans was a beautiful bouquet of tarragon. Often used in French cooking tarragon has long, soft green leaves and a distinctive aniseed flavour. I use it sparingly because it can overpower a recipe. When I got home I made a bean salad with quinoa, tarragon and walnuts. Everyone loved it. Unfortunately, no left overs for me today, but that’s ok. I take pleasure in cooking for people I love. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Bean Salad with Quinoa, Walnuts & Tarragon

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Nutrition Information

• Serves: 6

• Protein: 12 grams

Recipe type: side dish

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  10 mins

Total time:  20 mins

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Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 pound fava beans, shelled
• ½ pound sugar snap peas
• 1 tablespoon of chopped taragon (add more according to your taste buds)
• ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (you can lightly toast them for added flavor)
• 1 small shallot, minced
• ¾ cup cooked quinoa

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt to taste and add the green beans. Boil for 1 minute – add sugar snap peas – boil green beans and sugar snap peas for another 3 to 4 more minutes, until just tender. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain and set aside. Use a skimmer so you don’t have to drain the boiling water.
2. Skin the favas. Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring the water in the pot back to a boil. Drop the shelled fava beans into the boiling water and boil 2 to 3 minutes. 4 to 5 minutes if the beans are bigger than your thumbnail. Drain and transfer immediately to the cold water. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then slip off their skins by pinching off the eye of the skin and squeezing gently. Pinch off the eyes. Have a bowl close at hand because this takes a few minutes but worth it.
3. Stir together the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the oil. Toss with the beans, cooked quinoa, walnuts, tarragon and shallot,, and serve.

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Sometimes I am amazed at how little we all can do to help shape the world we all want. What I mean by that is the single most important factor of our personal ecological footprint is now what we eat. A change in your diet will reap more benefits to the environment than any other action you could do. It is simple and here is why.

In the past 50 years, world meat production has quadrupled and farmed animals now outnumber people by more than three to one. We slaughter 10 billion animals a year in the USA for food.  90-95% of the milk, the meat and the eggs that we consume are coming from factory farming. Those factory farms contribute to global warming, widespread pollution, deforestation, land degradation, water scarcity and species extinction because more animals mean more crops are needed to feed them. The planet cannot feed both the increasing human and farmed animal populations.

Why do we consume so many animal products? It is no secret that eating animal products promote diseases like cancer, heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and more. Why wouldn’t we want a happy, healthy and long life if all it takes is changing our diet?

Healing yourself and the universe with the simple strategy of not eating animal products anymore is an easy solution. Veganism has now become a social movement, and it’s growing everyday. It is not as hard as you think. Change your diet and you can change the world, and Ordinary Vegan is here to help.

On to food.

When I first started this vegan journey two years ago, I used a lot of faux processed substitutes for cheese, cream cheese, sour cream and many others. Now I really enjoy making my own plant-based cheeses and pates. It is actually very simple, healthy and delicious. This week I made the most yummy stuffed avocado with a sunflower pate, smoky mole, cashew sour cream and Brazil nut parmesan cheese. I served it with a simple green salad. The left-over pate, mole, sour cream and parmesan cheese can be used in a variety of foods. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Two years vegan this month. Best thing I ever did!

5.0 from 1 reviews

Healing The Universe Is An Inside Job and Ordinary Vegan Stuffed Avocado with Sunflower Nut Pate, Smokey Mole and Sour Cream

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: Main

Prep time:  10 mins

Total time:  10 mins

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Ingredients

• 1 ripe medium avocado
• ¼ cup sunflower pâté (recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons smoky mole (recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons cashew sour cream (recipe below)
• 1 tablespoon Brazil nut parmesan cheese (recipe below)

Instructions

1. To assemble, cut avocado in half length-wise.
2. Top each half with two tablespoons of the pâté.
3. Drizzle each half with both the smoky mole and cashew sour cream.
4. Sprinkle with Brazil nut parmesan cheese.

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Sunflower Nut Pâté

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: Pate

Prep time:  10 mins

Total time:  10 mins

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Ingredients

• Presoak the first three ingredients for four hours:
• ¾ dried chipotle chile (reserve water)
• 8 sun-dried tomato halves (reserve water)
• 2 cups sunflower seeds (soaked and drained)
• ½ jalapeno
• 2 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup packed cilantro, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspon cumin powder
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon chopped garlic

Instructions

1. In a food processor, puree the drained seeds, tomatoes, and chipotle to a smooth pâté.
2. Add a little of the reserved tomato water to create a smooth pâté.
3. If you like it on the spicy side, use the chipotle water being careful not to use too much water. The consistency should be similar to refried beans.
4. You can also use this pâté as an appetizer with crackers.

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Smokey Mole

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: Smoky Mole

Prep time:  15 mins

Total time:  15 mins

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Ingredients

• Presoak sundried tomato halves and chipotle chiles for 4 hours, reserving liquid
• 2 dozen sun-dried tomato halves, soaked in 2 cups water
• 2 chipotle chiles, soaked in ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 1 large avocado
• 1½ teaspoons cumin powder
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 large dates, chopped pits removed
• 1 cup of soak water from tomatoes and chile

Instructions

1. Drain your tomatoes and chile, reserving the water.
2. Place the tomatoes, chipotle chile, and all other ingredients into a blender.
3. Add 1 cup of liquid (either chipotle if you like spicy, sundried tomato water or fresh water.
4. Increase speed, blend, scraping down sides as necessary. You may need to add a little more liquid.
5. Stop blending when a smooth texture is achieved.

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Cashew Sour Cream

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: Cashew Sour Cream

Prep time:  10 mins

Total time:  10 mins

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Ingredients

• 1½ cups soaked cashews
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Approximately ¾ cup fresh water.

Instructions

1. Soak cashews in water for 12 hours, rinsing well
2. Place the soaked and rinsed cashews in a blender, along with ¼ teaspoon salt, lemon juice, and half the water.
3. Add more water as necessary to keep mixture pulling down to the bottom of the blender. When a semi-smooth “ricotta” consistency has been achieved, taste.
4. You may need to add a little more salt or lemon juice.

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5.0 from 1 reviews

Brazil nut parmesan cheese

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: Brazil nut parmesan cheese

Cuisine: cheese

Prep time:  5 mins

Total time:  5 mins

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Ingredients

• 1 cup Brazil nuts
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• ⅓ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. In a food processor, process until fluffy.

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I don’t believe in drinking your calories, but sometimes a girl like me needs something rich, sweet and frothy. This raw chocolate smoothie always fits the bill. If you want to get real ambitious you can make fresh Brazil nut milk instead of the boxed almond milk. Nut milk isn’t hard to make and once you try it,  you will never want to go back to manufactured boxed non-dairy milk. You do not need to soak Brazil nuts, as they do not contain any enzyme inhibitors.

Brazil Nut Milk

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Prep time:  10 mins

Total time:  10 mins

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Ingredients

• 2½ cups Brazil nuts
• 6 cups of filtered water

Instructions

1. Add your nuts to a food processor or blender. Add 6 cups of filtered or spring water and a pinch of salt. Blend on high until the nuts are completely broken down.
2. Pour your milk through a nut milk bag and squeeze as much of the moisture out as possible. If you like a sweeter milk, add a few more dates or maple syrup.

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Ordinary Vegan Healthy Raw Chocolate Smoothie

 

Author: Ordinary Vegan

Recipe type: snack

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Ingredients

• 9 ounces nut milk
• 3 soaked Black Mission figs (presoak for at least an hour)
• 3 tablespoons chopped dates
• 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• (if you like it super sweet – add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup)

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients together and pour into a frothy glass.

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