The Vegan At Home

This One's For Jenny (But ya'll can read it too)

2010-06-05T10:08:00.001-07:00

Hello, Jenny!! I'm speaking to you on the een-ter-net. This is a valuable tool. So when you have mastered the dishes below you can google "vegan ____" and be able to make anything! Now I understand that sometimes my food can seem confusing and complicated but that is only because when I am making things for you, I'm showing off. On a regular day I do not have the time or energy to prepare a four course brunch. I have decided to write down a simple day's worth of food if I were to make each meal at home. Keep in mind that breakfast is the fastest meal that can be veganized. For example if you are not in the mood to make my tofu home fries just have some cereal with your favorite non-dairy milk, almond is my fave, or you can make oatmeal.

Tofu Home Fries (I'm guessing these will soon be Keegan's favorite. So I left out the cayenne pepper I would usually add so they are baby friendly)

You will need:

3- smallish red potatoes cubed

1/2 a package of extra firm tofu cut into cubes- Make sure it is the kind in the tub

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 tbsp curry powder

1 pinch of turmeric

1 tsp oregano (Mexican if you got it)

1 pinch of salt (optional I don't add it because I slather this in ketchup when it's done)

2 garlic cloves minced up (you know I love you, so please, for the love of Gawd, stop using the stuff in the jar)

1/2 a red or green bell pepper (which ever is cheaper) diced

2 green onions chopped up. The whole thing minus the hairy bulb.

1 avocado (optional)

Olive oil

Take you taters and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Put a bit of oil on them and toss them to make sure they won't stick to each other. Microwave them for about 3 minutes stirring once through. Meanwhile, preheat a large non-stick skillet with another bit of oil, you can use your spay oil, to medium high heat. Add your potatoes and tofu cubes to the pan. You should give them another spritz of oil if you haven't just poured some oil in the pan to begin with. Once the taters and tofu are nicely situated with a little oil on them sprinkle all of your spices on top of them. Make a sort of even layer of spices over the mixture then begin tossing to distribute and toast your spices. Cook the tofu and taters in a single layer tossing periodically until they begin to brown. This will take about 6 minutes. Add the garlic clove and toss the ingredients again. Next, like 20 seconds later, add your bell pepper. Toss again. Once the pepper starts to soften slightly (you still want it a little crunchy) and you can smell the garlic take the pan off the heat. Add your onions. Taste to see if it needs a little more salt or something. Place in bowls with some avocado on top.

All done. Time to bask in the glow of your kitchen goddessness.

Oh wait there's still two more meals. Whew! Here we go!!!

Lunch Time: Polenta Mexicanish Style

I have included a link in case you don't know what I'm talking about when I say a tube of store bought original flavor polenta from the organic produce section of Raley's.

What you will need:

1- tube of said polenta cut into 1/4 inch rounds

1 can of pinto beans, or black beans- Your choice! Just drain and rinse them.

1 hand full of chopped fresh cilantro. Do you like cilantro? If not use parsley.

1/2 of red or green bell pepper (the other half from breakfast!)

1/2 cup of fresh or bottled salsa

green onions to sprinkle on top (optional)

Olive oil

Lay out you polenta rounds and spritz them with oil on each side. On an indoor grill pan or in a non-stick skillet grill your polenta on medium heat until it is golden brown on each side. The poleta will take 4-5 minutes per side. Meanwhile saute your bell pepper in a medium skillet until it doesn't look super raw anymore- like 1 minute. Add the beans and heat through. Add cilantro and heat that through too. On a plate put down a few polenta rounds and top with bean mixture and salsa.

Dinner: The Big Show

For dinner I am going to defer to one of my favorite vegan bloggers: Fat Free Vegan. I think this will become one of your favorite sites. Her recipes are super easy with everyday ingredients. She even makes a low fat version of Goddess Dressing! These Red Bean Chipotle Burgers are awesome. In fact, I think this is what we're having for dinner tonight.

Red Bean Chipotle Burgers

I hope I have given you some good ideas. Feel free to make these your own and add what ever you think will make them delicious. I look forward to hearing about how you do. Below you find a list of helpful vegan websites.

Love,

Nicole

Vegan Dietitian (Alanna's Blog)

VegWeb.com

VeganOutReach.org

"Run For the Border"

2010-04-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

Hooray!!! No more nights spent second guessing my abilities or poor choices. I have been accepted to the Orvis School of Nursing. Take that, ER!!! Yipppee!! Whooo hoooowaa!

Okay... Just had to redeem myself after that dramatic and let's just say it, teen angst ridden post upon receiving my rejection letter in January. Everything is on track and I will be a practicing nurse in less than 2 years. And we all know what this movement needs... more vegans in health care!

Okay, we need more vegans in every field. What I want is more vegan friends! I just read an update about an upcoming friend's surprise party. The list of things to bring is very specific and includes an "appetizer" of tri-tip followed by baked brie. I saw "big salad" on the list and was relieved only until I noticed the next words, "with Gorgonzola". Come on! This list should read, "Please bring a calculator and a defibrillator. The latter to save anyone whose heart might stop and the former to add up how many years we are shaving off our lives by eating three different types of saturated animal fats in one sitting. Please RSVP"

To be fair there was a line on the list specifically for Justice and I. It just said, "Something vegan friendly". "Something vegan friendly"!? We go from super specific details about the particular muscle from the dead animal being served to "something..." Well, we just need to do better. "Something vegan friendly" could mean that Justice and I are going to crowd a bowl of Barbecue potato chips all night. Let me tell you, those flimsy chips do not soak up alcohol. So, I am left with my only choice when I spend an evening with Necrophages, (cool new word huh?) I have to bring something super duper awesome and delicious and watch it get eaten up. With every bite I see my ratio of edibles to non edibles at the party disappear.

Here are some of the common scenarios surrounding a vegan dish at a Death Eater's house party...

Scenario 1: "What is it supposed to be?"

Expect this question if you have opted to bring a faux dish. There are many delicious ways to recreate the taste and texture of some of our favorite American fair without exploiting the innocent. Be careful with these dishes. You will be expected to describe in detail how much it tastes like "the real thing". This can be counter productive as many Necrophages will insist on discussing why anyone would choose not to eat carcasses but still flavor their meals like one. Better just to keep your favorite "cheesy" or gluten-y goodies at home where you and a loved one can feast in peaceful solitude.

Scenario 2: "The curious one"

There are many Necrophages out there who really would be vegan. They for one reason or another just can't make the transition. For them a new and cruelty free dish is very interesting. They want to know how anything can taste good without killing or raping and milking something. These party goers are actually usually pretty sweet and good natured. They have a compassionate heart but an insatiable appetite for the flavors that meat affords. To them your food is so appealing that they will talk it up to every person in the room. Be careful. If a curious one gets wind of your vegan dish on the pot luck line, they won't stop until everyone has tried a bite. Depending on the size of the party this could mean no food for you.

Scenario 3: "That dish is vegan-host"

This really is your best case scenario if you are trying to hoard what you brought in an effort to have something to sober up on after the pint sized crock pots have been switched off. You know the dwindling hours of the party when the cold left overs are scoured over by buzzed party guests like the scene in "Charlotte's Web" when the rat goes to the carnival after it closed. Man that part of the movie makes me so hungry... Anyway... This is my ideal situation. Yes, I totally get off watching people eat my food and enjoy it, but I am also very stingy when the only thing at the party without some other creature's bodily fluid in it is what I prepared. During these times a host like this one is optimal. This host will tell everyone going down the food line that your meal is vegan. She will say it with a slight ting of warning in her voice. The other things are foods in her mind, but yours is vegan-food. If you have brought homemade pierogi this is the woman you want introducing your food.

We can't avoid these awkward party moments but with a glass of wine and a friendly attitude you might just push that "curious one" over the edge. And if nothing is left for you to eat, just make a Taco Bell run. Fourth meal, anyone?

Get Activated

2010-02-07T22:31:00.001-08:00

I have just finished Why We Love Dogs Eat Pigs and Wear Cows by Melanie Joy Ph. D. I first heard of this book in the last issue of VegNews Magazine. The book was not just a retelling of the countless horrifying truths about the meat, dairy, and egg industries but it had something completely new to offer. In her book, Melanie Joy, tells us about the world we have constructed in our minds. A world that we have internalized and now believe is normal and just. This world is based on the tenets of a new and amazing term that until Joy, we were missing from our language: Carnism. Carnism is all around us and it can be difficult as vegans to see it everyday. It is strangely comforting in a very primal way to put a label on what I see when I'm at a party or watching TV. Being vegan, it can be very alienating to have to stand back and watch people I love and respect rocking themselves like infants to sleep in the face of the completely disgusting practice of torturing and murdering animals. Though it is still painful at least I am sated by the knowledge that a very smart woman was able to deconstruct the entire world we live in and explain why carnism is able to persist. Please read this book and give it to your friends. No it is not perfect, yes there are some very disturbing parts. Read it anyway.

Thanks for listening

2010-01-07T22:05:00.001-08:00

inspired to write. The Smiths. I didn't get in. I did literally the very best I could do. No one could tell me I told you so because no one told me so. I cannot blame myself without a time machine. Exactly how many nachos did I eat during my undergraduate? How many bean and cheese burritos? There were so many egg salad sandwiches. I slept through a test once in a Geology class. Why did I take Geology? That grade still counts. Its like a pair of jeans I charged when I was 21. I'm still paying interest. I'm publishing this. I'm not publishing this. I'm going to publish this. It needs a recipe. It's been too long without a recipe. Here's what I ate today:

Peanut Butter Puffins with Soymilk

VegNews califlower raw mashed potatoes in a whole wheat pita with spinach and Isa's mushroom and sour Kraut perogi filling.

Salad

Amy's pizZA

A lot of bar-b-Q potato chips

I love everyone who reads my blog.

My Story Part II

2009-12-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

I was vegetarian in high school. Man, that would make a great t-shirt. We could print them and hand them out to dozens of our friends. I too could wear one. When I was a Junior in high school, my brother took his now wife on a trip to visit family in Seattle. In the airport on the way home a young man with a shaved head, and I always imagine an orange robe, handed my brother some literature on becoming vegetarian. My brother was changed immediately. If my brother was waiting for something to believe in, I'm glad that the Hari Krishna got to him first. Because if he dove head first into, say, Scientology as quickly and devoutly as he became vegan, he might be living in Tom Cruise's basement by now operating the rainbow making machine that distracts the aliens from stealing our baby's brains while they sleep. Isn't that what they believe? Anyways... Not willing to be out hipster-ed by my older and let's just say it cooler big bro, I became vegetarian too. I didn't really know why. I just did it and thought nothing about eating cheese, milk and eggs. Being "vegetarian" was enough. Having no real convictions, I am proud to say that I remained vegetarian until well into college. That's not bad for not really caring. And that is how I remained, a "lazy vegetarian" as my brother once introduced me - until November of this year. November, you see, is world vegan month. Yes, it is a little cheesy(tee hee) but I went totally vegan for November. Not much of a stretch seeing as how it is the only way I know how to cook and my true love and partner is vegan, but still I did start to notice how often I was eating animal products outside my home in the absence of eating animal products outside my home. Whew! For the first time I was eating my values and that was the warmest most satisfying feeling of being full I have ever indulged in. If I am being totally honest, I will have to tell you that the reason I never crossed over completely into being vegan outside my home is because I was scared. Yes, I was scared that by limiting myself I would be missing out in life. It is difficult to describe that what I felt during November was a limitless freedom I could not have anticipated. I will tell you a story. During this last semester I spent many hours studying with a close omnivore friend. I knew that I would be heading over to her house at 6pm straight from school. I did not want to eat any animal products so I packed myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When I arrived at her house she proudly placed a plate of left over chicken pizza in front of me. She had saved it for me knowing that I would be hungry. I felt trapped. This was not freedom. If I was Justice, I could just say, "I'm vegan". End of story. But being me, the girl who didn't want to limit herself out in the real world, I had no recourse. I had no religion to fall back on. What I did next still makes me feel sad that I was unable to say, "No thank you". While my friend went upstairs to check on her baby I picked off the chicken and ate the pizza. Never again. I am vegan - is the greatest mantra I have ever uttered. It is my magic incantation that saves me from ever feeling obliged to take part in what I believe is the senseless, cruel, angry, and unhealthy practice of enslaving animals.
I'm back blogosphere, and this time its personal.

My Story Part I

2009-12-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

I miss my electric kettle. It was stolen from a friend's car outside my work yesterday. It, along with my friend's purse and an over sized glass jug of rum was taken. Somewhere, someone is impersonating my poor friend while drunk on rum and tea. They should be easy to spot. How did my kettle end up in such an unfortunate circumstance? I'm glad you asked...
I wanted the big bottle of rum. Justice was buying and the small bottle was on sale for 14.99 where as the much much larger one was only 19.99. I think I've made my point. All of this rum was intended to be the star player in some hot buttered rum. How do you get the rum hot? Well that's where the kettle came in. I hauled all of this over to my buddy's house for our holiday party. Not wanting to be a party pooper I left my supplies for any guests who were still thirsty after I went home. Hence during its journey home to me my favorite kitchen staple was lost forever.
Why do you care about my less than sad story? And how could I possibly feel like the victim while my friend is now going to have to piece her life back together one ID at a time? Well, you don't. I don't blame you. I am only trying very hard to get to the point of this post. With hat in hand I am about to speak the words that no one in my immediate circle ever anticipated. So humbly and quietly but with no less vigor I would like to announce that I am no longer "vegan at home". I am now vegan everywhere.

Grateful Gardeners

2009-08-04T19:43:00.001-07:00

Yes, this is embarrassing. It has been too long since I have recorded my daily adventures in veganism. The funny thing about my long absence is that it has nothing to do with the cooking block I was dealing with last year but more to do with how busy I have been creating new meals. I should just start from the beginning though...

This Spring my new family-in-law lost their patriarch, Joseph Manha. Sadly I was not given enough time to get to know him very well. Since his passing though I have learned that he was a very caring, creative, and loving father, husband and grandfather. I have since learned this from his widow, my grandmother-in-law, from the stories she has shared with me when I come over to her house to work on our garden. You see, she was generous enough to allow Justice and I to make a garden in one of the raised garden beds that Joe built for his own gardening. Joe was an amazing gardener. The plot we were given was 40ft by 6ft! I am so grateful to my grandmother-in-law for this amazing gift. I only wish Joe could know how much joy it has brought us all summer. We are already talking about what we will plant next year!

My GMIL has been so helpful- giving Justice and I advice about what to plant and how to plant it. She barely even teased us when we made the rows 2 feet across and about a mile high. (We learned quickly why this was a huge mistake...) After some trial and error, our garden is doing remarkably well. We have several varieties of tomatoes, enough crookneck squash and zucchini to feed a small village, green beans, peas, Swiss chard, carrots, jalapenos, green bell peppers, green onions, and pumpkins. Not only do we have our own vegetables to enjoy but we are surrounded by other gardeners who have shared their veggie wealth. We have enjoyed Yukon gold potatoes and mustard greens, arugula and fresh basil. I have never eaten so many locally grown vegetables!

There has been no chance for cooking block to set in as I have had no time to waste so as not to waste my bounty. Below is a tomato soup recipe I came up with tonight to pair with some Tuna-less sandwiches from Vegnews. A note to Brett: If you want these to taste like Mama's tuna-fish use sweet pickles instead of dill and green onions instead of red onions.

Reno Represent Tomato Soup

4 cups Mirepoix

6-7 homegrown tomatoes quartered

4 tbsp. olive oil

4 ounce can tomato paste

handful fresh chopped parsley

8 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add Mirepoix and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on medium for about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and another pinch of salt. Cover once more and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add tomato paste to water and dissolve. Add this to the pot. Add parsley and a tsp. pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook uncovered for about 30 minutes. Blend the soup and strain it to remove any seeds. Give it one last season with salt and pepper and serve with the Tuna-less sandwiches.

Hot Diggity Dawg!

2009-04-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Long ago my favorite after school "snack" was a big fat juicy Nathan's all beef hot dog. The crunchy pop that would occur between my teeth with that first head on bight would send flavor dancing in my mouth. Man, I loved a good hot dog. It follows then that the first vegetarian faux meat I would enjoy would be a hot dog. My go to hot dog is the "Smart Dog" brand. Although I must say that by far the best veggie dog comes in a can from Loma Linda California. These are bit spendy on my part time budget though.
In my continuing effort to make quick nutritionally sound meals I have revisited the hot dog as major staple food. Now, although I love the dog itself I really only see it as an opportunity to pile on as many amazing toppings as I can imagine and because I never keep hot dog buns in the house I am not limited to the tiny surface area they afford. I serve my dogs on whole wheat pita breads. They end up looking more like hot dog tacos. Recently I have broken with another seemingly self-imposed hot dog rule and I put two dogs in my pita. One hot dog is never enough for me but making a whole other one is always way too much. Problem solved! Tonight I made a wonderful apple citrus chutney and piled it high atop my double dog with a dollop of zucchini relish. Enjoy!

Barbecue Apple Orange Chutney:

1 cup finely dice yellow onion
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled apple (I used a pink lady)
1/2 cup supremed orange slices chopped
pinch of salt
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (your choice)

In a sauce pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and the pinch of salt. Saute until fragrant and then turn heat down to medium low. Stir occasionally until the onion turns a dark brown color. Deglaze your sauce pan with vinegar. Add the apple and cook 2 minutes. Add the orange and stir a moment and then remove from heat. Add your barbecue sauce. Serve over your double dog!

Frozen in Time

2009-04-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

The semester is flying by and I am proud to report that I can now name every bone in human body! Thank you for allowing me to forcibly accept recognition for my achievement.
Obviously this means I have been very busy. Naturally my cooking has changed dramatically in the last two months. But in an effort not to get bored I have assigned myself a new task in the kitchen. I am now trying out satisfying and still delicious short cuts to dinner. The following is what I have learned about frozen foods.

Every time I read something that tells me frozen vegetables are as nutritious as fresh, I believe it. It makes me feel good about the frozen peas I add to most things. All the while I keep in mind that whether or not frozen veggies are as healthful as fresh doesn't mean a thing if they don't taste as good. So I have devised some guidelines for myself after experimenting with many frozen flora.
"Rules For Frozen Vegetables"
1. Frozen peas are the greatest food in the entire world. You can microwave them with a little Earth Balance and you have a delicious side dish. Add them to mashed potatoes. That is an order! Eat them still frozen for a sweet pea Popsicle experience.
2. Frozen spinach is great if you hide it in other things. Never ever serve frozen spinach braised as a side dish. Just thinking about the night I thought this would work puts a fowl taste in my mouth.
3. Frozen corn kernels are fantastic. Pair them up with those frozen peas in the microwave and you have a "hash".
4. Vegetable medleys are a cruel tease. In an effort to streamline my stir-fries I decided to try a vegetable medley pack from Trader Joes. I was immediately seduced by a package calling itself "Hodgepodge". There were carrots, baby corn, sugar snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, bell pepper and onion. It looked so delicious. Unfortunately I overlooked a vital detail- entropy. All of those vegetables were tossed into this bag and they cook at different rates. Once in the skillet the carrots took forever to cook. Meanwhile the broccoli disintegrated and the bell pepper became little streaks of red slime. With the rice already waiting and the tofu fried I had no choice but to continue with my now doomed "hodgepodge". I hoped the sauce would cover my tracks but no amount of soy sauce was going to save me. Escape this trap vicariously. No short cut should be a waste of time.

Happy Birthday Cora!

2009-03-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

On February 28th 2008 my beloved sister-in-law gave our family the bestest of gifts ever! On this leap-year eve she gave birth to my niece Cora Lee. As awesome as she was on the first day I have to say that I am pretty partial to the laughing, talking, solid food eating, interactive version she is one year later. We are so lucky to know her! In honor of her unparalleled achievement of having turned one year old I would like to share her birthday cake recipe with you all. I have been holding this one back all year so we could all celebrate Cora's birthday together. I invented this recipe on the very day Cora was born and so named it:

Cora Lee's Banana Creme Pie Cake

Crust:
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup chocolate chips (must be very cold)

Place all of these in a food processor. Process until almost a powder. Press this into the bottom of a well oiled spring form pan.

4 very ripe bananas peeled
1/2 cup maple syrup (agave syrup would work just fine)
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp. oil (not olive)
1 tbsp. agar agar flakes
1 cup water
1 tbsp. Arrowroot powder
1/4 cup soymilk

Blend together banana, syrup, oil, salt, and vanilla in a blender until smooth. Leave this in the blender.
Add agar agar to water in a sauce pan. Whisk to dissolve as much agar as possible. Bring to a boil. Simmer about 10 min. Meanwhile add arrowroot to soymilk stir it well. Add this soymilk solution to the agar solution off the stove whisk well. Strain this to get out any chunks of undissolved agar. Add all of this immediatly to the blender full of banana and such. Blend well. Pour in prepared springform pan on top of the crust. Allow to set up in the frigde for 2 hours before serving. Wish Cora many happy returns and enjoy!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Aren't Real And That Means They Don't Live In Our Toilet

2009-01-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

I promise, I have not made anything worth bragging about in the kitchen lately. Like the layer of cooked on water and oil on my ceramic stove top, I am blocked and try as I might, no amount of fussing elbow grease will get my brain unclouded. Here briefly is a recap of some of the kitchen tragedies I have passed off as "meals" for my new husband:

Cornmeal encrusted tofu- Turns out dry cornmeal stays that way even after being sprinkled on tofu and baked for 15 mins.

Lentils on Salad- It satisfies the basic human nutritional needs.

Fried Potatoes- "Yep, that's it sweetums."

Taco Bell- I told you it was bad.

I believe I am finally coming out from this culinary rut and to prove it I put together a fairly decent stir fry tonight and served it along side, you guessed it, fried potatoes. The reason for this dry spell? Who can claim they understand the underpinnings of the creative genius that dwells within anyone of us. But if you must know, I blame ER. Yes, NBC's very own ER is in its 1000th and apparently last season and for some reason this has compelled me to watch each week. I do not understand the characters and every time a "familiar face" from seasons past shows up I am not surprised or delighted as the previews imply that I will be. But I watch anyway and like most children left to watch too much television without an adult there to describe what is real and what is fantasy I believe everything that I see. So you will not be surprised by my next statement: I want to be a nurse. Unlike a child though, this goal is surprisingly close to my grasp and in one week I will begin full time schooling again to achieve it. The root of my constipated creative flow- Anxiety. Wish me luck, my beloved readers! I believe I will conquer this goal and once I'm settled down again, I believe the recipes will flow like some slippery bodily fluid that I will no doubt have to deal with once I am in the real ER.

In the mean time make this slippery and easy dish!

The Future Sure Looks Bright Orange Stir Fry
Juice of 2 oranges and the zest of one
1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
1 tsp. Chili Sauce
1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 tsp. Agave Nectar (sugar will do nicely)
2 clove garlic minced
2 tsp. corn starch
Mix all of this together and set aside

Freeze and defrost one block of Extra firm tofu and cut into triangles
Thinly slice 2 large carrots
Cut 3 green onions into 3/4 inch segments

Brown the tofu in oil in a non-stick pan. Add the carrots and onions -cook 1 minute. Pour the liquid sauce mixture into the pan. Stir everything up so that all is good and coated and cook 2 minutes until the sauce has turned thick. Some people might serve this along side rice-radicals! It works just fine next to some comforting fried potatoes.

Victory!!!

2008-11-04T22:20:00.000-08:00

Dear United States of America,
Thank you for proving to me, the world, and that retired stock broker next door that this nation was built on the backs of the middle class and we do in fact still vote. It is like a cloud has finally moved out of the way of the sun on a slightly cold day making it bearable outside with just a long sleeve t-shirt. I am happy.
Goodnight,
Nicole

Bean Poisoning!

2008-10-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

Twice! Twice now I have gone to the grocery store to find that they were completely out of canned white beans. Is there an international shortage I should be aware of? Did all the white bean growers/canners have their businesses foreclosed on? What is going on? I wouldn't have been so upset if white beans weren't such a staple food at my table. I use them in so many dishes. My new favorite thing to do with them is make White Bean Sage Ravioli. Instead of reaching for the far inferior lima beans the grocery store would have me buy as a disgusting substitute, I decided to take on one of my greatest fears. I was going to make my beans the old fashioned way- starting from dried. My heart was racing. I looked side to side in the canned vegetable isle flicking my head as I finally and dramatically fixed my sights on an over head security camera. I narrowed my eyes and thought, "If you can hear me S&W bean company, that's right. I've decided to step outside your tin box." I marched over two isles to the bulk foods section and dispensed bin #614's organic navy bean contents at only $1.29/lb. With beans in bag I went home to do some research. Years ago my brother gave me The Joy of Vegetarian Cooking for my birthday. To be honest, I rarely use this book as it is completely cheese-centric, but I remembered that it had a whole section devoted to cooking beans. In my youth I would scoff at these pages thinking, "Yeah right. Like there will ever be a time I won't be able to find white beans flooding from the store shelves." How naive I was... What the book told me is that beans are not in a hurry to be cooked. First I would have to soak the beans in water overnight. This method seemed outlandishly over cautious. What food worth eating takes this long to prepare? Certainly nothing I wanted to make would require this level of comittment. I decided to consult the internet. What I found will horrify you! If ever there was a true Halloween tale of kitchen terror it was this. According to the FDA there is a serious illness known as Bean Poisoning. Stop laughing; this is true! This is the secret that keeps us all addicted to the canned varieties. Without proper education we could poison ourselves! What!? Okay, enough fear mongering. There is a sure fire way to avoid Bean Poisoning. Believe it or not it starts with soaking your beans over night to leach out some of the toxic phytohemagglutinin. I would have to be patient. Secondly you must cook your beans until they have reached an internal temperature greater than 176 degrees F. If you fail to heat them past this point, and this no joke, the toxin becomes more potent! So, armed with this knowledge I soaked my beans last night and boiled them this morning-vigorously for 15 mins and then allowed them to simmer until they were soft. I might have over cooked them a little bit but they tasted great. I ate 5 beans and am currently waiting to see if I show any signs of Bean Poisoning before I test them out on Justice. We'll know in 3-5 hours as there is a 100% rate of illness. That's just the kind of mad scientist I am. If you succeed in making your own beans without spending a day on the toilet, you can make my ravioli. Isn't that a risk you are willing to take?

White Bean Sage Ravioli

1 cup cooked white beans
2 tbsp. dried sage
1 tsp. garlic salt
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sauted white onion
1 cup cooked spinach
olive oil as needed

Sheets of uncooked ravioli pasta.

Place all ingredients in a food processor except the oil. Turn the machine on and add the olive oil until a paste forms. Place teaspoon sized drops onto the ravioli sheets and fold them over to form little pouches. Seal them and cut them out. Boil in a large pot of salted water for 3-5 mins. Drain and serve with marinara sauce.

Happy Halloween!!!

From the Archives

2008-08-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

Because it has been so long since I posted I decided this should be a double header. I actually started this entry over a year ago but never posted it as I was afraid it was too "preachy". After reviewing it I just think it is funny. Let me know what you think...

Unless I am having a meltdown because of jet lag or the inevitable destruction of man brought on by Mother Nature, I have not swayed from the subject matter at hand- i.e. the recipes. So you will excuse me, I hope, that I wish to gush about what I found at a garage sale today. Fear not, it all starts out with the insane wastefulness of the milk industry.

This morning when I arrived at my job I found that the backroom fridge was open and all the milk had entered what is known in the restaurant industry as "The Danger Zone". As much as this title conjures up images of curdled milk and various shades of green let me assure you that it is only alluding to the temperature range in which bacteria multiply rapidly. Having said this let me assure you that I in no way feel that "The Danger Zone" is something to ignore. It is very real! And here I was half asleep at 4'0clock in the morning dealing with 30 gallons of milk with varying degrees of fat content that had been cast into the zone. There was nothing I could do. The zone is not a sort of milk purgatory from which enough prayer and refrigeration can save a once greater than 41 degrees F dairy product from eternal damnation, or in this case simply being dumped down the sink. Thirty gallons milk is a lot to dump down a sink. Thirty gallons of milk that were meant to feed a baby cow are now in a sewage treatment facility. I was now faced with replacing thirty gallons of wasted wastefulness so I drove to a grocery store. In retelling the above part of my story I have just fully grasped how sad it is and can now assure you that what I found at the garage sale I passed on the way back to work does not in any way make up for this tragedy. Cow's milk is meant for baby cows and was not predestined to be put into baked goods or, no matter how billowy or perfect the foam, the world's most perfect cappuccino. This having been said, I found the most awesome cooking tools at said garage sale!!!

For 2 dollars, count 'em, 2 dollars I got three beautiful stainless steel Oxo-good grips kitchen utensils. I found a perfect and elegant potato masher. Neighboring this beauty was the sharpest and fattest potato peeler. And oh let me tell you about the micro plane I found! The girl selling the items was my age. In an effort not to look too excited I grabbed my new friends and coolly asked, "How much for these things?" Failure, her face said it all. It was silently screaming, "You know very well those aren't things! They are fabulous brand name kitchen tools worthy of hanging on your walls!" "Even so," my eyebrows silently countered, "they are going to be mine!" Sensing her second guessing herself I pulled 2 dollars from my pocket and simply said, "Here." She looked insulted. I don't blame her, but she took my money and I ran back to work before she could change her mind and my milk could fall into the danger zone.

"To Arms"

2008-08-18T19:37:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been thinking about renaming my blog. At first I was considering this for superficial reasons. The thing is I did think up what I consider to be a pretty hip title that combines my love of science with my apathy for the word vegan- a term I find to be both vague and pretentious. That is a topic for another blog though. The title I came up with was: "Floraphage". I was very eager to share my new word that would surely transform our gentle movement with the rest of the world. I had visions of five star restaurants with the word gracefully italicized over the no meat or dairy portions. Teenage girls would be instructing their mothers on how to cook for their new boyfriends as they drawled out the following phrase all over America, "No, mom! He's a Floraphage!" Of course, I was rocketed back to reality when I tried my new word out at work trying to nonchalantly use it in conversation. I received more than one strange look but no one was brave enough or, more likely, interested enough to find out if this was joke or just some vague pretentious term I was tossing around. Oh well, dodged that bullet!
The new idea I was tossing around today was the title: "The Frugal Vegan". Of course this is joke. I am well aware of the not soon forgotten show about the gourmet with a similar leading adjective and I'm not referring to the man who gallops. The reason I've even made you read this last nonsensical passage about balding PBS chefs who cook in poorly lit studio kitchens is that I am totally and completely freaking out about the cost of food! Never being the kind of citizen who sits back and waits for someone else to take action I am calling us vegans, or floraphages if you like, to arms. And here is what we're gonna do. We're gonna make some frozen burritos! If wheat and soybeans keep going up in price we will have money hiding in our freezers disguised as delicious gifts from south of the border.

Paul "Floraphage" Revere's Minute Man Frozen Burritos:

12 large flour tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
6 ounce can tomato paste
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups cooked in vegetable both brown rice
16 ounce firm tofu finely cubed
1 large russet potato finely cubed and fully cooked (I just stuck my in the microwave)
16 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
16 ounce can refried beans
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 tbsp Bragg's liquid amino acids
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Place the olive oil in a very large skillet and heat to medium. Add the tomato paste and whisk until the paste is slightly caramelized. Add the potato and both kinds of beans and stir. Add the tomato sauce, Bragg's and spices. Let simmer one minute. Add the frozen corn, rice, tofu, and fresh cilantro. If you have run out of room you can transfer your mixture to a large bowl to stir everything together. Spoon your mixture onto the tortillas and fold them up in a way so the filling doesn't leak out. Once you have finished filling all the burritos you can place them into freezer bags and freeze. Who knows, in three months they could be worth a fortune.

"You Sexy Thang"

2008-08-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

I would like to begin by thanking Alanna my dear sister-in-law for mentioning me on her blog: Vegan Dietitian It is humbling to see my blog out there in the spot light with so many prolific and exciting titles. Alanna is an actual certified expert about nutrition so you all should listen to her. She knows what she's talking about.
I'm not trying to imply that you shouldn't be holding a torch for me though! I, who have saved you from your expensive and bloody eating habits. So on with it then! I have a breakfast "omelet" that will bring your roommates, spouses, and sometimes even a cat or two sniffing into the kitchen. The best part is that once you lure them in you can wow them with some culinary acrobatics.

Spinach Potato Omelet-Pancake

4 baked or boiled russet potatoes peeled and coarsely mashed
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt
1/2 large white onion diced
1 cup frozen spinach
4 tbsp. Olive oil
a pinch of nutmeg
1 tbsp. ground flax seed meal mixed up with 2 tbsp. of water

You will need a large non-stick skillet, a large stock pot lid with a handle on the top, and a large serving plate.

Mix together all spices except nutmeg and 1 tbsp. olive oil and mix into the mashed potato. Set this aside. Saute the onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the spinach and cook down until thawed and wilted. Add the pinch of nutmeg. Transfer this onion-spinach mixture into the potato mash. Add the flax seed meal and mix well. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the skillet and preheat it to medium heat. Put all of the potato mix into the skillet. Mash the potatoes down into the skillet until it looks like a big pancake. Let this brown on one side. Spread the remaining oil onto the top of the pancake. After the bottom has browned gently, lift up the sides to make sure the pancake is not sticking. Now the exciting part! I must warn you that the next step is a little dangerous but when expertly executed will leave you with an inflated sense of self worth and sex appeal. Place the stock pot lid onto the pancake. If you have done everything according to plan, the lid should reach the edge of your potato cake. Now grab the skillet with a strong arm meanwhile still holding the lid up against the cake. Flip the skillet over! Now the potato pancake is on the lid. "But Nicole," you may be asking, "The brown side is up. How will I actually flip the pancake back into the skillet?" Well Gawd save you if at this very moment you have just realized that you forgot to put out the large plate I mentioned above. If so, you will now be awkwardly fumbling through your cupboards looking for the plate with a large potato concoction glued to a stock pot lid likely in your favored hand thus making the search even more difficult and frustrating. Don't do that! As the packaging on a frozen Tofurkey once condescended to me on Thanksgiving morning, "Plan ahead." Now take the plate and place it on the other side of the potato cake and flip your lid. Now the raw side is up. Place the skillet on top of the plate and flip yet again! Now the potato cake is brown side up back in your pan. If you managed to do this without spilling or burning yourself, demand recognition from those around you even if it is only your two cats. Brown the newly flipped side that you fought so hard for and transfer your pancake to the serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve with ketchup. You are amazing!

Jet Lagged

2008-05-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to be home! We've just returned from a near 2 week long trip to the beautiful Island Nation of Taiwan. We traveled all around the ultra modern and sparkling clean city of Taipei using their number 1 in the world rated metro system of which the country is kind enough to place English instructions everywhere. A big Thank You, Taiwan is in order! We traveled to the interior mountain ranges to visit Alishan where I would see the first sunset in my life that would, if you dare laugh at this next part..., actually bring tears to my eyes. And of course, and most importantly, we ate amazing food!
In Taiwan in whichever city we found ourselves in there were these large dining rooms with a large buffet. You could take what ever looked good and pile it onto the paper tray you picked up at the beginning. One of the hygienic aspects I noticed and appreciated was that you received your own pair of tongs to take down the food line with you so as to not rest the handle that you had just touched into someone else's fried tofu. That's right! I said tofu. The whole buffet is vegetarian- run by Buddhists! All you need do is take what tempts you and place it on a scale at the end of the line and pay per kilogram. I never spent more than 3 dollars and it wasn't from a lack of trying, believe me.
I can't gush enough about the wonderful time we had and the things we saw. The people in Taiwan were so helpful and friendly I want to write them all fan mail. If you are planning your next vacation to somewhere far far away consider heading east where air is moist, the people are great, and food is so readily vegan!
Thank you to my wonderful brother for taking us all on this journey. We will never forget it. I was so impressed by your knowledge of the language! I love you so very very much!

2008-05-05T22:11:00.000-07:00

The earthquakes are beginning to subside! It is a time to celebrate! But, how do you celebrate when all you have left in the house is the disaster ready non-perishable food items the news convinced you to stockpile? Moreover how would you access your pantry in the event that your house collapsed? Perhaps we are not meant to contemplate such tawdry details...
There is though still the issue of how to keep on living your delicious Vegan At Home-lifestyle after Armageddon. Thankfully canned goods aren't all mushy peas and syrupy peaches and sometimes they are all you have and not necessarily because you've just experienced a natural disaster. You might find yourself in this situation in between grocery shopping trips or, because you are about to go on a long voyage and don't want to come home to a new species of mold overgrowing your vegetable crisper. This is just the predicament we found ourselves in this week as Justice and I are about to jet off to Taiwan on a tea buying vacation with my brother. I'm warning you now. The following recipe is only to be utilized in extreme situations. It is like the outfit you wear the day before a big vacation so as not to waste any of your best wardrobe. You can spot me a day before taking off in white jeans and depending on the time a year either a too short tank top that makes me look like two halves of two different women or a velour sweat shirt once matching its lost track suit counterpart. The point is this recipe is fast and will feed you, but don't go bringing it to any potlucks!

Pantry Stew with Rice
1 cup brown rice cooked and set aside
1 can chickpeas
1 can tomato sauce
1 can corn
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
dash of pepper

Place all canned ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until the sauce has reduced. Season with cayenne and with pepper to taste. Serve over rice. Best to turn off all the lights and eat by flair gun light.

Even Vegans Get Scared Sometimes

2008-04-30T10:57:00.000-07:00

I reside in a twenty story retrofitted building from the 70s. Okay, it's an old casino. But, it's an old casino with a fresh coat of paint and many walls busted down and moved to make cute little condos. When I drive home at night, I try not to think as I'm entering the dungeon that is my underground parking garage about the happenings that have no doubt gone on inside my newly refurbished surroundings. I believe it is a real estate law that if the home you are about to purchase housed a drug ring, prostitution outfit, or saw a murder, that you the buyer are entitled to the details. Perhaps this law does not apply after a certain number of these occurrences. Just as the Star Spangled Banner is considered in the public domain so to must be the undeniable truth about where I live. I'm sure had I turned to the real estate agent during the walk through and asked, "So, did a deranged homicidal pimp reside here in the past?" She would have had no problem looking me straight in the eye and saying, "Well, duh!" There are just some things you cannot control.
I've been thinking a lot about this concept lately as we in Reno, NV have experienced some 600 minor to moderate earthquakes in the last month. The last week of which I have felt five. I felt the moderate ones. The first wave came at 3:45 in the afternoon last Thursday. I was home alone with the kitties when what I thought was a strong breeze quickly reveled itself into a nightmarish 4.1 quake. The second wave would hit not seven minutes later as I... was on the toilet- a very fortunate place to be if you are going to pee your pants anyway. Never have I felt such hysteria, such fear. There was nowhere safe to be. I was at the mercy of a force much bigger than myself. This was not the kind of fear I experience when contemplating an afterlife or whether or not that dead hooker stoner might possess me in my sleep, this was something real.
I want us all to think truly and honestly about fear. Think only of the kind, or course, that you can see and feel. Hypothetical situations will not do. When a cow, free range or not, is faced with a human, a force much greater than itself, the fear must be overwhelming. The lack of control must multiply this just as it has for all the people living in this old casino turned luxury condominium for the last thirty plus years.

The Cows Can't Have It If We Eat It First!

2008-04-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

This evening Justice and I turned on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer while enjoying our homemade rustic crust pizza margarita. A very interesting segment devoted to the rising cost of food began and I had never been happier to be sitting in a meat free zone. It seems that the rise in food cost is related to the rising demand for meat in developing countries such as China. The grains that were going to feed people are now feeding cattle. This results in a more than 75% energy deficit. If we can all just limit our intake of animal products at home, there will be more food to go around or as we Vegans At Home say, "More of everything for everybody".

Stop biting off more food than you can swallow! Eat this instead:

Rustic Crust Pizza Margarita:
For the sauce:
1 15 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
1 15 ounce can organic tomato sauce
1 yellow onion chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine onion and olive oil in a large sauce pan. Cook until soft. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer 1 hour.

For the crust:
2-3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp dry active yeast, one package will do nicely too.
1 cup luke warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt

Stir yeast into water and let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Only use 2 cups of the whole wheat flour at this point. If you are blessed with a stand mixer, nows the time to use it. Add the yeast mixture and the oil to the dry mixture and begin to stir. The dough should be sticky but you want it to form a ball. Add more flour during the mixing to achieve the desired dough consistency. Turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is shiny, smooth, and elastic. Place the dough in a heavily olive-oiled large bowl and cover with a towel. Let it rise for 1 hour. Punch down the dough and place it on an oiled cookie sheet. Spread the dough out flat so that it almost reaches all the sides. Spoon your tomato mixture on top spreading the tomatoes almost to all the edges of the dough. Bake for 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

Hitch up the wagon! We're moving West!

2008-04-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new world of deliciousness! I'm so excited to have this platform to share my recipes and adventures in veganism! Here I hope to insight a pioneering sense into the heart of every free-gan, vegan, or self-proclaimed carnivore.
Vegan cuisine can seem scary if you are used to simply defrosting some chicken on the kitchen counter every morning and your spice cupboard consists of some Old Bay Seasoning and Mr. and Mrs. Pig salt and pepper shakers. Well, you're not that person anymore! And to prove it, you're going to make a Beet Loaf tonight! Here is a simply spiced dish that requires no defrosting and will have you eating cheaper and digesting faster in no time!

Nicole's Beet Loaf:
1 cup uncooked quinoa (and then cook it. If you cook it in broth it eliminates bitterness) Brown rice will do instead, but remember you are forging a new path. Don't be afraid to try a little quinoa.
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 beets raw peeled and then finely minced (this is best done in the food processor)
1 small or half a large white onion finely minced
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp garlic salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp olive oil
Mix everything together and place in well lubricated loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or so