Hello. my amateur vegans!  I know it has been a dreadfully long time since my last post.  I don't even really have a good reason.. just life, y'know.  I kind of found myself checking out in general for a little bit there.  It happens.  Sometimes you just need to unplug for a bit.

Anyways!  Life is good!  We have been delighted with our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) deliveries each week.  OK, so once or twice when Joe asked me what I wanted for dinner, I impulsively shouted, "NOT vegetables!"  ha!  Overall though, it's been awesome.  I will be so sad when it's over.  I've tried new fruits (so I never had an apricot before, so what?!), new greens (like this post), and new recipes (again, this post).  Plus, the quality of the food has just been downright delicious.  Who knew a little 'ol thing like pesticides actually altered the flavor?

So what I have for you today is a recipe we found while determining what in the world tat soi is!  This happy little leafy green is positively one of my favorite things to come out of our CSA so far this year.  Well, maybe not the tat soi specifically, but this dish.  Loved it.  All the credit goes to Joe for finding the recipe at Food Blogga (great blog, btw!  Check it out!).  The dish feels gourmet even though it's really pretty simple.

So you're still all like, "what is tat soi, yo?"  Well!  Let me tell you. Actually, let Susan at Food Blogga tell you: "Tat soi tastes like a milder version of mustard greens and has a texture similar to bok choy. It's low in calories yet high in minerals, vitamins, and health-promoting antioxidants."  Thanks, Susan! It's very tasty sauteed, and I highly recommend this recipe.  It's definitely guest-worthy, and as much as I enjoyed the tat soi, I'm looking forward to sauteeing up the mustard greens we got in our CSA this past Friday!

I tell ya, sometimes being vegan is just so satisfying.  :o)

and p.s. We served ours over some jasmine rice. yum.

Sauteed Tat soi with Gingered Tofu Steaks
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into "steaks"
1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
2 small bunches of tat-soi
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

In a small bowl whisk all ingredients from soy sauce through cayenne pepper.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add tofu steaks; cook for 5-7 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from skillet. Add remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil to skillet; add tat soi; once wilted, add sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook just until sauce slightly thickens.

Divide greens on plates. Top with half of the tofu. Drizzle with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

I have a confession... minus the tornados and flood damage the folks across the country are suffering from, I am in love with the rainy weather. I'm not exactly a fan of the sun or heat.  I sweat profusely without even moving, so you can imagine what 80 degrees and blazing ball of fire does for me.  Plus, I just love the cozy of a rainy day. I mean, who doesn't, but I don't mind that it's been raining for 2 months straight!  When people declare, "I'm so sick of this rain!" I smile to myself, knowing that this is my time to enjoy the weather just the way it is.

So one of the things I love about rainy days are baking.  It's cool enough to bake, for one, and it just feels right.  One of my favorite baked goods is banana bread.  You might recall my banana bread fail , and thankfully, this was a smashing success.  With the addition of pumpkin, it's so moist, with really just a hint of pumpkin. It's definitely still a treat at 350 cal/serving, but man, those 350 calories are so worth it.

This comes for Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook, and with rain on the forecast for this weekend, I have an itch to bake this up.. like right now.

Pumpkin Pecan Banana Bread
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana, mashed
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a large loaf pan and dust with flour.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.  Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, beat together the pumpkin puree, oil, and milk with an electric mixer until well combined.  Add the sugars, vanilla extract, and banana, and beat until creamy.  In batches, add the flour mixture in until all ingredients are well combined.  Stir in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 1 hour or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and put on a wire rack to cool completely.

Bet yourself on how long this loaf will last.

I never really watched Sesame Street.  That explains a lot actually.  I could never quite figure out why I didn't know how to count to 10 in a Dracula voice or why I, unlike my classmates, harbored an irrational fear of large, yellow birds. Nevertheless, I love the Cookie Monster.  How could you not?  He's adorable.  and he loves cookies... a man after my own heart.   

As you all know by now, I have an insatiable sweet tooth, and eating vegan hasn't changed that.  I certainly have less cravings than I used to, which is nice, but I still love a sweet treat more than anything.  These chocolate chip cookies are totally delish.  Seriously.  I like them more than non-vegan cookies.  Granted, there's nothing super vegany about these.  They still have butter and sugar, and of course, chocolate chippers, but there's no eggs, dairy, etc.  But not everything you make has to have nutritional value.  c'mon!  Live a little!  :) 

This is Isa Chandra Moskowitz's recipe, and you should make these.  They will not disappoint. 

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup margarine (Earth Balance)
1 1/4 cups sugar (raw or demerara or a sugar substitute like stevia)
1 T molasses
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt (the EB butter is already salted)
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or carob chips (Enjoy Life! brand, Sunspire, or Ghiradelli - just check the label)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Add the molasses and vanilla and blend until combined.  In batches, blend in the dry ingredients until a dough forms.  You might start to think you have too much dry ingredients, but it'll be fine.  Fold the chips into the dough.

You might need to roll these in your hands in a ball before you place them on your cookie sheet.  The dough might be a bit crumbly.  Just go with it, roll 'em up, and place them on your baking sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until slightly browned.  Let cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack. 

Pour a nice, tall glass of rice milk and enjoy :)

I also enjoy the versatility of this dish. It's a great way to use up veg, and the veggies are raw, so you'll get the optimum vitamin/mineral benefits from them.  And don't forget the seaweed!  Does the thought of seaweed gross you out?  It really does not taste crazy, and I have picky tastes.  Besides, I love thinking about all the good stuff I'm getting!  I really like this site touting the goodness of sea vegetables:  http://www.oceanvegetables.com/seaweed-benefits.html  Ideally, eating a sea vegetable once or twice a week is recommended for vegans, but that never happens for me.  We do eat sushi regularly, though, or we'll throw some kombu in a soup. 

So there isn't really a recipe for sushi other than the for the rice.  Then you can just roll in whatever you like.  My favorite combo is rice with veganaise, marinated tempeh, carrots, avocado (duh), cucumber, daikon.  You could also spread on some umeboshi plum paste, which is tasty, and Joe likes that a lot.  Play with it, and try new combinations.  It's a fun dish to make with a friend or spouse or even to play host at a sushi party!  ha.  That sounded cheesy, but I really do think that'd be fun. 

Sushi Rice
3 cups water
2 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice, rinsed
2 T brown rice vinegar
1 T mirin

Combine the water and rice in a pressure cooker (or follow stove-top direction from the rice package).  Bring the pressure to high over high heat.  Decrease heat to med-low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down for another 10 minutes. 

Transfer the rice to a large bowl and drizzle the vinegar and mirin over.  Gently toss the rice to coat.  Set aside until you're ready to use. 

Marinated Tempeh
1/4 cup tamari
2 T water
1 T minced ginger (or about a tsp. ground ginger)
1 T Dijon mustard
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 ounces tempeh
1 tsp canola oil

Whisk the tamari, water, ginger, mustard, and sesame oil in an 8 inch square baking pan.  Cut the tempeh in half horizontally, place in the marinade, and turn to coat.  Cover and marinate for 1 hour, turning halfway through. 

Preheat the broiler.  Line a heavy, rimmed backing sheet with foil and brush with the canola oil.  Transfer the tempeh to the pan in a single layer, preserving the marinade.  Broil for 5 minutes or until golden on top, Turn the tempeh over, brush with the remaining marinade.  Broil for 5 more minutes.  Cool completely.  Slice into strips for the sushi.

Lemon-Ginger Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup tamari
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 T mirin
2 tsp. minced ginger (or some crushed ginger)

Whisk all together! 

Taco Tuesday alert!  and oh so classic!  This recipe comes from my latest and greatest vegan cookbook from the Skinny Bitch herself, Kim Barnouin.  It's called Skinny Bitch:  Ultimate Everyday Cookbook.   While some of the recipes have had some incomplete instructions, it's a beautiful book and the food has been really tasty so far.  I honestly want to make 99% of the recipes in here.  How often does that really happen?  Like I could have a Julie & Julia experience and start at page 1, cooking my way to the end.  It just came out, so I forgive the typos.  I think that happens a lot with the first printing.  If you're in the market for a new book, I recommend this one wholeheartedly.  Totally accessible. 

Now go ahead and enjoy this addition to your TT repertoire!

Lentil Tacos with Fresh Salsa
4 cups water
1 cup dried green lentils
2 T diced white onion
2 T olive oil
S&P, to taste
2 T tomato paste
2/3 cup diced cherry tomatoes
2 T finely sliced red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tsp lime or lemon juice
1 T finely chopped cilantro
corn tort shells
1 avocado (or prepare some guac)
shredded lettuce

In a med saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Add the lentils and white onion.  Return to a boil and then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until soft, 30-40 minutes.  Drain any remaining water, and place half the lentils in a blender or food processor.  Process while drizzling 1 T of the oil into the mixture.  Season with S&P, to taste.  Add the tomato paste and puree until combined.  Put the lentil mixture in a bowl and stir in the remaining lentils.

In a separate bowl, mix together the tomatoes, red onion, garlic, juice, cilantro, and remaining oil, for the salsa.  Add S&P to taste.

Prepare your tacos, and top with avocado slices (or guac), salsa, and lettuce. 

Enjoy!

Welcome, everyone! It's my one year vegan birthday today, and I'm glad you're all here to celebrate with me. It's been an amazing year of new experiences, new flavors, and new priorities. When I first set out on this adventure, I was so excited, and so.. determined. I was nervous, but I kept speaking to myself positively ,and without pressure. We are, afterall, our own worst critic, so I always remembered that these were my changes to my diet. If I wanted to eat a dessert without regard to what was in it, so be it. If I wanted a piece of pizza, I ate it. That's my advice to anyone looking to eat vegan... or any diet, really. (and by diet, I don't mean Atkins or South Beach, or eat your weight in cabbage, or eat 100 calories M-F and go shithouse on Saturday and Sunday.. no, none of that. By diet, I just mean, simply, what you eat on a regular basis). If we put too much pressure on ourselves to conform to guidelines, and we consequently "fail", the experience has lost something. It no longer becomes an endeavor or an adventure. Instead it becomes work.. something else on the "To Do" list.

Listen, if there's one thing I learned becoming a yoga teacher, it's to be present in our experience daily - keyword: daily. I didn't begin to eat vegan with dreams of becoming a size 0 (didn't happen), or having bountiful energy like a Tigger (though I do have a ton more energy), or thinking this was the answer to all of my problems (it wasn't). There's nothing wrong with wanting all of that, but if it doesn't happen.. then what? As a wise guru (for real. he's a guru) told me, "You cannot put conditions on your happiness." These are my words to live by. In other words, you can't live your life constantly telling yourself, "I will be happy when... I'm a vegan... I make more money... I lose 10 lbs... [fill in the blank]" Because you will very well reach those points in your life, but how did you feel getting there? Or more honestly yet, how do you feel once you get there? Probably the same as you did when you started. Therefore, work towards positive changes, but don't miss out on the good in the every day, waiting for what may or may not result in happiness or rather, fullfillment. You dig? This is your life on your terms. Who else are you living it for? Whose terms are you conceding to?

Alas, I digress. You want more of that? You come to my yoga class. In the meantime, on to the birthday celebration! I have loved so many of the recipes Joe and I have made this year, and it'd be hard to pick one favorite, but I'll do my best. Here are some year 1 favorites:

Bread/Appetizer/Side Dish: Apple Cinnamon Toastie from Babycakes (vegan, sugar free and gluten free!)
Soup: Isa's White Bean, Quinoa and Kale soup from Appetite for Reduction
Main Course: Chloe's Black Bean burgers with Mango Salsa and Guacamole with Sweet Potato Fries
Dessert: Moosewood's Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache frosting
Restaurant: Vegitteranean! Although an honorable mention must go to my local hangout - Treehugger's (especially for their Scarlett Maccaw salad)
Cookbook: Gotta go with with Real Food Daily by Ann Gentry

Now, on to today's recipe. What's more appropriate for a birthday than cupcakes?! Ok, maybe an entire cake, but that is like, soooo 2009... although I've heard that cupcakes are soooo 2010, but I digress. I made these in 2010, so that still counts as being fab. I love these. Fluffy and moist chocolate cake on the bottom, fudgey chocolate frosting on top. Vegan what? Thank you, Isa!

Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract, chocolate or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with liners.  Set aside.

Whisk together soy milk and vinegar and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.  Add the sugar, oil, extract to soy milk mixture and beat until foamy.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add your drey ingredients to the wet and beat until no lumps remain.

Pour into liners, filling three-quarters of the way.  Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to cooling rack, and let cool completely.

Thick Chocolate Fudgey Frosting
1/2 margarine, softened at room temperature (I use Earth Balance)
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup soy milk powder (I found this at Nature's Bin, so I bet you could find these at a Whole Foods)

Beat margarine and agave with an electric mixer at medium speed till smooth.  Whisk in vanilla, then slowly fold in the cocoa powder.  Slowly beat in the soy milk powder at low speed.  If it seems too firm, slowly add in some more agave.

When I was in middle school, Friday nights always meant pizza and a video rental. yes, a video. VHS. I remember setting up the TV trays, getting out the napkins, and having some laid-back family time. I always enjoyed it. We're not a fancy family. We're snuggly. To this day, I find great comfort in dinner and a movie with the hubs. Plus, Joe and I make some mean air popped corn with Earth Balance butter and nutritional yeast. yum! Admittedly Joe makes it better than I because he's not afraid to use a lot more topping than I am, and I quite happily turn a blind eye to this.  Last night, for example, we whole-heartedly enjoyed a bowl 'a corn and Easy A (a flick I LOVED, btw.)

These days I no longer order delivery from "The Pizza Dude" (really, that was the name of the pizza place!), and more times than not we make our pizza and calzones at home.  It does take a bit of work.. well, not so much work as just planning ahead to allow time for the dough to rise.  I always feel it's worth it, and I never feel the guilt or well, grossness, that I do after eating store bought 'za.  As Jim Gaffigan says, "Did I just eat that or rub it on my face?"  Now, who wants that?

This is a dough well-suited for calzones or a thinner, denser crust for a pizza.  I like it for calzones because it's not too thick, and it doesn't over power the filling.

Calzone Dough
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (not hot, but not quite lukewarm either.  if you want to get techy, 110-115 degrees)

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water in a medium-large sized bowl, and let sit for 10 minutes.  You want to see a sort of foam happening on top of the water mixture so that you know your yeast has activated.

Add in some seasonings here.  You really can't go wrong.  I typically do:
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil

Also add in some oil, and mix well:
2 T. olive oil

Time for the flour!  I like to do about half and half unbleached white all purpose flour and whole wheat flour, but do what you like.  It might take some time to figure out what kind of ratio you like - if any.  To begin, mix in:
2 1/2 cups of flour

On a clean surface, sprinkle some flour, and turn your dough out onto the surface.  Knead in additional flour until the dough is no longer sticky.  Keep kneading - about 10 minutes all together, until the dough is elastic.  Don't be intimidated about kneading the dough!  Just push with the heel of your hand, fold the dough in half, turn it 1/4 turn, repeat, repeat, repeat!  Easy peasy!

Oil your bowl, and place your dough in there.  Cover with a cloth, and allow to sit and rise at least 1 hour.  After the hour (or more), punch the dough down to form a tight ball.  Let it relax a little (maybe 10 minutes), and then get ready to roll.  Cut your dough into equal sections - about 6.  Then roll out those individual sections for your individual calzones. 

Lay your filling on one half of the circle, fold, and poke some air vents!  Place on a greased baking sheet, or even better, a parchment paper lined sheet for easy clean up!

Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes - until crust is golden and center is heated through.

*A Note About Fillings:  If you're using veggies, saute them up just briefly before stuffing the calzone.  Just with a little bit of oil, or boil the broccoli, etc. 

Enjoy!

Book to store to table to blog. The fastest turnover in amateur vegan blog history. That's because I freaking love this stew! I had originally planned on posting the recipe for a, coincidentally, quinoa vegetable soup, but we made this tonight for the first time, and I just loved it, and I wanted to share immediately!

This comes from Isa's just released book Appetite for Reduction, and I finally received my copy from the library hold line. I've only had it for a week, and we've already cooked up 4 recipes, and I have every intention of having it for my own. It's awesome. The idea is to provide healthy, low fat, vegan recipes.. oh, and they're incredibly tasty, and so far, super easy. This lady just never disappoints.

Anyways, back to the rock your tastebuds stew. Joe and I ventured out to the Akron area today in search of the bakery that supplies the treats for the restaurant Vegitteranean. Sadly, our 40 minute trek lead us to a "closed for vacation" sign. What are the chances?! Don't they realize people NEED their delightful bakery fix?! Oh, the humanity! Fortunately, just down the street, there is a Breadsmith bakery. They have amazing bread. There is one in Lakewood just a block away from Nature's Bin, and it's oh-so yummy. We picked up a nice, cracked wheat french boucle, and headed a little further down the street to Mustard Seed Market to get our goods. If you live in that direction, check them out for all your vegan groceries. They got what you need!

One of the things I love the most about this recipe is the inclusion of kale. This is such a super veg, and I admittedly don't eat it enough. Adding it to a soup is a really easy way to incorporate it into a diet. Kale is packed with Vitamins A, C and K plus dietary fiber and protein, just to name a few benefits.

Without further ado, I present Isa's Quinoa, White Bean & Kale Stew!
Also, since I have them available from the book, some nutrition facts for you: only 300 calories per serving, 14 grams of protein, 9 grams of fiber, 210% of your DV of Vitamin A, and 150% of your DV of Vitamin C. pretty awesome, huh?

Quinoa, White Bean & Kale Stew
Herb blend
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
Freshly ground pepper

Everything else
1 tsp. olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks (about 1 average sized leek)
1 tsp. salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, peeled, cut into medium dice
1 large parsnip, peeled, cut into medium dice
8 cups veg broth
1 1/2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into medium dice
1 cup dried quinoa
1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch kale, coarse stems removed, torn into bite-sized pieces

First, prepare the herb blend by stirring all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium-high heat. Saute the leeks and garlic in oil with the salt for about 3 minutes, or however long it takes you to prep your carrot and parsnip. Add the carrot and parsnip, along with the herb blend, turn the heat to high, and saute for a few seconds.

Add the veg broth, potatoes and quinoa. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, until the potatoes and quinoa are tender. Add the kale and beans, and cook, stirring frequently, until the kale is wilted. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5 more minutes. Taste for salt.

Enjoy!