Category Archives: vegan

Dangerous Foods for Dogs

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I was catching up on my blog-reading today and found a review of The Simple Vegan Dog Book over at the martyVegan Soap Box. Included in the blog post  was a list of foods you should never give your dog, and, after doing a little more research, I’d thought I’d pass it on. I knew that you shouldn’t feed your dog chocolate, grapes/raisins, onions, and -DUH- alcohol, but the rest was news to me.

Dangerous Foods for Dogs

  • alcohol
  • avocados
  • bones from fish, meat, poultry
  • cat food
  • chocolate
  • coffee
  • cold cuts
  • eggs (raw)
  • fish (raw)
  • fried foods
  • garlic
  • grapes
  • marijuana
  • milk / dairy products
  • mushrooms
  • nutmeg
  • nuts
  • onions (often found in baby food, so no baby food either!)
  • persimmons
  • pits from peaches and plums
  • raisins
  • salt
  • sugar
  • tea
  • tobacco
  • tomatoes
  • xylitol

And here, also from The Simple Vegan Dog Book and posted on The Vegan Soapbox, is a recipe you CAN serve Fido, which I have to say looks quite taste.

Snoopy’s Great Pumpkin, Rice, and Beans

  • 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
  • 1 cup cooked brown rice
  • 1 cup cooked or canned red or black beans, rinsed and drained

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth.
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Brussels Sprouts

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Hello!

Hope you had a super awesome weekend. For me, it was great to be home after traveling last weekend.

A big shout out to Meatless Mama! Thank you for the Blog Award! That was just such a nice surprise and really made my day.  :)

Eats

Brussels sprouts are one of those vegetables that for a long time I had never tried and just assumed that I didn’t like them.

Do you ever do that?

Then, a few years ago I was talked into giving  them a try and I discovered that I ♥ Brussels sprouts!

Brussels sprouts are among the same family that includes cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. they grow on big stems like this:

Brussels sprouts on stalks

Image via Wikipedia

But usually when we see them in the grocery store they are no longer attached to the stem.

brussels sprout

They look like little cabbages. Or maybe they look a little like brains!

Here’s why you want to eat Brussels Sprouts. They:

  • Protect against cancer (colorectal, prostate, lung, bladder, breast, ovarian), rheumatoid arthritis, and birth defects
  • Facilitate detoxification of your cells
  • Are an excellent source of vitamin C (take THAT swine flu!)
  • Are high in vitamin A (good for glowing skin!)
  • Are high in fiber
  • Contain indole-3-carbinol, which provides cardiovascular benefits

brussels sprouts

When purchasing Brussels sprouts, look for smaller sprouts that don’t have any yellowing or discolored leaves on them. They should be compact, and bright green in color.

Here’s my favorite way to prepare Brussels Sprouts. Brussels sprouts have a slightly bitter taste to them and when combined with the sweetness of yams or sweet potatoes, they are divine.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

  • Bunch of Brussels Sprounts (about 30-40 sprouts)
  • 1 large yam or sweet potato
  • 1-2 T olive oil (NOT extra virgin!)
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. Prepare the Brussels Sprouts by cutting off the woody stem at the base and discarding any discolored outer leaves. Wash by immersing in a bowl of water.
  3. Cut a criss-cross shape into the bottom of each sprout.
  4. Cut the sweet potato into 1 inch cubes (I always keep the peel on the potato but unpeeled works too).
  5. Place the Brussels sprouts and sweet potato cubes in a dutch oven, and mix with the olive oil. Add sSalt and pepper to taste.
  6. Bake at 400F for about 20 minutes. Stir the pot and then place back into the oven for about another 20 minutes. It’s done when the sprouts and potatoes are tender – the sprouts may be a little crispy on the outside.

brussels sprouts and potatoesEnjoy!

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Vegan Thai Pumpkin Soup

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A pumpkin stem

Image via Wikipedia

I went to a local pumpkin patch the other day – don’t you just love pumpkin patches? There is just something so enchanting about walking through a sea of plump orange pumpkins. I took home up a few carving pumpkins and a sugar pumpkin. Usually the smaller sugar pumpkins are the ones used for cooking, but I decided to try cooking one of the carving pumpkins just to see how it would turn out.

I sliced the carving pumpkin into large hunks, and scooped out the seeds and the stringy stuff. Then I put the pumpkin pieces on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and baked at 325F for about 90 minutes.

DSC_0203 ps

I scooped out the fleshy part and discarded the skin. Then tonight I made pumpkin soup! I love the Thai combination of coconut, chilis, and pumpkin, so I started with those ingredients and went from there.

Vegan Thai Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 T canola oil
  • 4 shallots, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 Thai chilis, chopped
  • 2 T chopped ginger
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 2 1/4 C veggie broth
  • 1 can lite coconut milk
  • 4 C chopped cooked pumpkin
  • 1/2 t Thai chili paste (for extra spice – optional)
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste
  • Salt to taste

Directions

  1. Pour the oil into a large saucepan or stockpot, and heat over low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, chilis, and ginger and saute until the shallots are soft.
  2. Add the cinnamon, veggie broth, coconut milk, pumpkin, and chili paste. Bring to a boil, and then lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the flavors have emerged.
  3. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to puree. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Here’s the finished soup, garnished with fresh basil:

DSC_0250 ps

I served the soup for dinner, along with thick slices of my homemade Multigrain Bread:

DSC_0237 ps

The bread recipe came from a book that Kat lent me, The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart and Ron Manville. If you are into baking your own bread, this is a great book as it gives a lot of the explanations on how the recipes work. It’s so interesting and chock full of recipes, so of course I ordered my own copy so that Kat could get her book back! There was one time when I never made bread from scratch, but it’s actually quite easy and not as time consuming as you might thing. Oh and homemade bread tastes amazing :) . Now it just seems like such a waste to buy bread!

Do you cook with fresh pumpkin? What do you make with it?

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Natalie Portman – Vegan “Evil Doer?”

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Natalie Portman encounters the Berlinale audie...
Image via Wikipedia

Wow – talk about getting smacked!

This morning the Huffington Post printed an editorial by Natalie Portman. In the piece, Portman explains how reading Jonathan Safran Foer‘s book Eating Animals convinced her to evolve from being a vegetarian into a vegan activist. Portman praises Safran’s courage in writing a book that seems to promote unpopular beliefs (only about 1% of Americans are vegan), especially in an age where discussing the torture and slaughter of animals is often characterized as “unmanly, inconsiderate, and juvenile.” Portman writes:

“…[Foer] reminds us that being a man, and a human, takes more thought than just “This is tasty, and that’s why I do it.” He posits that consideration, as promoted by Michael Pollan in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which has more to do with being polite to your tablemates than sticking to your own ideals, would be absurd if applied to any other belief (e.g., I don’t believe in rape, but if it’s what it takes to please my dinner hosts, then so be it).”

Uh oh. It’s the latter part of that last sentence, “e.g., I don’t believe in rape, but if it’s what it takes to please my dinner hosts, then so be it,” that got Portman in trouble with Gina Serpe of E! Online.

Serpe’s reply was published just hours later with the headline Natalie Portman Equates Meat-Eating With Rape. Referring to Portman’s Huff piece as a “Harvard-caliber book report,” Serpe translates Portman’s statment into “those who choose to feast on flesh without regard for the moral implications might as well change their name to Roman Polanski.” She then goes on to accuse Portman of “sensationalizing meat-eating” and “grossly discounting the severity of rape.”

HUH?

The girl was giving an EXAMPLE, hence the use of “e.g.” She didn’t say meat-eating = rape. She didn’t call all meat-eaters “child molesters.” She didn’t discount the severity of rape – if anything her point (sticking to your ideals) could only be emphasized by choosing an issue that most everyone would agree IS quite serious. Veganism is an ideal, as is non-violence, compassion, and yes, opposition to rape.

And talk about sensationalizing an issue – Serpe was extremely reckless in creating such a grossly distorted title for her article. I have to wonder, does Serpe has something personal to settle with Portman? Or with vegans in general?

Anyway, my opinion of course. But take a look at Portman’s article on The Huffington Post, and then at Serpe’s reply on e!online and tell me what you think.

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Vegan Cooking Demos on Ellen

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I don’t watch a lot of daytime TV but one show I really love is Ellen. And I love her even more since she came out as a vegan about a year ago.  :)

Recently Ellen has twice hosted her personal chef on her show to demonstrate how easy it is to cook up a healthy, yummy, vegan meal. On Sept 30 they cooked up vegan tacos:

And just last week they prepared a vegan roast with veggies and mashed potatoes:

She also hosted Wolfgang Puck on Oct 15, who whipped up a Whole Wheat Pizza with Chanterelles, Eggplant, and Leeks:

You can find the recipes for these meals at Ellen’s website.

YAY ELLEN!

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Scrambled Tofu

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I love making scrambled tofu because there are just so many ways you can go with it. You can give it an Indian flare, an Asian infusion, or a Mexican flavoring for example. I also LOVE having breakfast for dinner. So we have scrambled tofu about once a week and each time it’s slightly different.

Tofu in general is a staple in our house. Made from coagulated soymilk, tofu has very little taste or smell and so it takes on whatever flavors you pair with it. Tofu is a good source of protein – 100 calories of tofu contains 11 g protein. In comparison, 100 calories of ground beef provides 8.9 grams of protein, and  100 calories of cheese contains just 6.2 grams. Tofu is also low in calories . In addition, depending on how it was made tofu may have about 227mg of calcium in each 1/2 cup serving, which is about 22% of the Recommend Daily Allowance for calcium.

Here’s an interesting comparison of tofu to animal protein sources:

Protein (g) Calcium (mg) Calories Fat (g)
 Cholesterol (mg)
1/2 cup Firm Tofu 10.1 204 94 1.5 – 5 0
4 oz Beef 26 20 331 15 113
1/2 cup diced Cheddar Cheese 16.44 300 265 21.87 69.24
1/2 cup 2% Milk 5.1 148 60 2.4 9

The batch of scrambled tofu I made today is my current favorite.

DSC_0054

Scrambled Tofu

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil (NOT extra virgin – that’s not for high heat cooking!)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 red or orange pepper, diced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced or pressed
  • 1 package firm tofu, drained and cut into four large slices and pressed between a couple of towels for about 15 minutes to remove excess moisture
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 cup fresh salsa – I used Santa Barbara brand, which is my favorite, but of course you could also make your own.
  • 2-3 vegan sausage patties, chopped – I used Yves
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast – I ♥ Red Star
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Vegan cheese – Daiya cheddar if you can! (optional)
  • Flour or corn tortillas (optional)
  • Avocado (optional)

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium to high heat for about a minute or two. Add the chopped onions and saute until the onions are soft and turning light brown, about 8-10 minutes.
  2. Add the peppers, cumin, thyme, and garlic and saute for about 3-4 more minutes stirring frequently.
  3. Tear off large bite size chunks of tofu and add to the pan, along with the turmeric, salsa and sausage. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, using a metal spatula to turn over the tofu every few minutes. I learned from Isa to really get underneath the tofu when you turn it so that you get some of the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan. If the tofu begins to get dry you can either add in some more salsa or sprinkle with water.
  4. Add in the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and cook for about 5 more minutes, occasionally turning the tofu.
  5. In the last minute of cooking, add in the Daiya cheese and gently stir until it melts. Serve in a warmed up tortilla with chopped up avocado and extra salsa.

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O Chickpea I Heart You

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veganmofo

I don’t know why but lately it feels like the day zooms by and suddenly it’s bedtime and I’ve barely touched my “to-do” list. What’s up with that?I keep thinking, OK tomorrow I’ll have time to do “X.” And then tomorrow whizzes by and it’s the next day.

A lot of people have been asking me lately, “how do you get your protein?” (Anyone else ever get that question??? ;) )

One way I get my protein is by eating beans. If I had to name my most favorite bean I would have to say the chickpea. Also knows as the “garbanzo bean, I use chickpeas to make homemade hummus,

White and green chickpeas

White and green chickpeas. Credit: Wikipedia

falafel, and Indian dishes such as Chana Saag (chickpeas and spinach). I love tossing them into salads. After reading Isa‘s recipe for Fronch Toast, I recently used chickpea flour to make my Coconut Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast recipe, which was amazing. With a few herbs and spices added they are even great eaten straight out of the can! I especially love to roast chickpeas, which is what I did tonight.

DSC_0077

Here are a few fun facts about chickpeas:

  • Chickpeas, which originated in the Middle East, are one of the oldest cultivated veggies – they have been carbon dated back to 6790BC
  • There are two main types of chickpeas: Desi (darker, smaller seeds, rough coat) and Kubuli (lighter colored, larger seeds, smooth coat)
  • Recent studies show that chickpeas can help lower cholesterol
  • Chick peas are high in fiber, protein, zinc, and folate

ROASTED CHICKPEAS

Ingredients

  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1-2 Tbs olive oil (NOT extra virgin)
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • chili powder
  • salt
  • pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F.
  2. On the stove, heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.
  4. Add the chickpeas, chili powder, salt, and pepper to and mix thoroughly.
  5. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
  6. Enjoy straight out of the oven or add to salads or pasta.

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Coconut Lime Muffins

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veganmofoDSC_0024For the past few days I had this idea in my head to make a lime muffin. I started thinking about all the fabulous flavors that would go well with lime – cherry, raspberry, almond, chili – and then my friend Cheryl recommended “coconut.”

Bingo.

So I got to work making Coconut Lime Muffins and I have to say I think the very first batch was perfect! I took a recipe I found for non-vegan coconut lime muffins and my changes are below.

Vegan Coconut Lime Muffins

DSC_0030

Ingredients

  • 1.5 c AP flour
  • 1/2 c whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 c flaked coconut
  • 1 T lime zest
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 3/4 c sugar
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1 T MELTED coconut oil
  • 1/4 c plain or vanilla soy milk
  • 6 oz vanilla soy yogurt (with cultures)
  • 2 T fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 c almond slivers (optional)
  • 1/4 coconut for sprinkling on top

Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F and prepare a regular muffin pan (12 tins) by spraying it with canola oil.
  2. Combine flours, coconut, lime zest, baking soda, and salt in your food processor and pulse 5-6 times before transferring to a large bowl. If you don’t have a food processor, then simply combine everything in a large bowl and whisk for about one minute.
  3. In  separate bowl, combine the sugar, applesauce, melted coconut oil, soy milk, soy yogurt, and fresh lime juice. Use an electric mixer for about 1-2 minutes or until all of the wet ingredients are thoroughly mixed together.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and add in the almonds if using. Stir until just barely combined – you may still have a few spots of dry ingredients and that’s ok.
  5. Immediately spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan so that each tin is filled to the top. I had some extra batter and ended up making about 9 more mini muffins in a separate muffin pan. Sprinkle coconut on top of each muffin.
  6. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and let sit undisturbed for about 2 minutes before transferring the muffins to a rack to cool.

Enjoy your Vegan Coconut Lime Muffins!

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Vegan Halloween Candy

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veganmofoSo even though the grocery stores have been hawking Halloween candy since the 4th of July, I figure some of you are like me and you buy your stash at the last minute – like, two weeks before the Big Day.  :)   Really, I buy candy ON Halloween Day so that I’m less likely to eat it all before it’s time to give it out. If I had it sitting around the house for a month I would totally eat it – I simply CAN NOT have candy just sitting around.  And when I buy Halloween candy, I get the kinds I DON’T like. Again, so I won’t eat it. Actually, I don’t really LOVE Halloween – I mean, you’re opening your door to people wearing masks. The little kids are OK -  it’s the big ones that give me the shivers. Anyway, I digress…

Vegan Halloween Candy

VegNews just posted a list of vegan Halloween candy. Here is their list, plus some more that I found while perusing the web. Don’t cave in! Stick to your vegan values and offer up these vegan Halloween candy treats**:

The four flavors of Sour Patch Kids.
Image via Wikipedia
  • Airheads taffy
  • Angel Mints (Florida Candy Factory)
  • Atkins peanut butter bars
  • Brach’s Cinnamon Hard Candy
  • Brach’s Fruit Slices
  • Charms lollipops
  • Charms Blo-Pops
  • Chick-o-Sticks
  • Cracker Jack
  • Cry Babies
  • Dem Bones
  • Dots
  • Dum-Dums
  • Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate Bites
  • Fireballs
  • Goelitz Confections brand vegan candy corn
  • Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews
  • Go Max Go candy bars (vegan versions of 3 Muskateers, Snickers, Almond Joy, Milky Way)
  • Hubba Bubba bubblegum
  • Jolly Ranchers (lollipops and hard candy)
  • Jujubees
  • Jujyfruits
  • Lemonheads
  • Mambas
  • Mary Janes (regular and peanut butter kisses)
  • Now and Later
  • Paul Newman’s Orange Dark Chocolate
  • Peanut Butter Bars
  • Popcorn Balls (The Humphrey Company)
  • Pure Fun Lemon, Lime, and Orange Slices
  • Ring Pop lollipops
  • Root Beer Barrels
  • Skittles
  • Smarties (U.S. Brand)
  • Sour Patch Kids
  • Starburst Jelly Beans
  • Super Bubble
  • Swedish Fish
  • Sweet Tarts
  • Surf Sweets Sour Berry Bears
  • Tropical Source candy bars and mini chocolate bags
  • Twizzlers
  • Vegan Nougat (Australian Nougat Company)
  • VerMints
  • Wonka Bottlecaps
  • Zotz

** These all contain sugar that may or may not have been processed through bone chard. If you want to avoid non-vegan sugar, you might need to give out boxes of raisins or apples (did you know that no one has ever actually found a razor blade in a Halloween apple?). And, some of the above may also have trace amounts of animal body parts and secretions, so you may want to carefully check the labels if that is a concern to you.

If you are wondering about other candy that is not on this list, here are some non-vegan ingredients to watch out for:

  • Gelatin, carmine, rennet, pepsin, lard
  • Milk chocolate
  • Casein, whey
  • Butter
  • Lactose
  • Honey
  • Beeswax
  • Calcium mesoinositol hexaphosphate
  • Lactose
  • Sperm oil
  • Spermaceti

Also -the following “E” numbers:

  • 120 (cochineal/insects/carmine)
  • 542 (derived from bone)
  • 901 (beeswax)
  • 904 (shellac/insects)
  • 920 (L-cysteine hydrochloride; derived from hair and feathers)

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The Vegan’s Hundred

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veganmofoI found this interesting challenge on Girliegirlarmy.

The challenge is to try as many new, delicious, and / or unusual foods as you can. Here’s the list. I’ve bolded the foods I’ve already tried. You’re supposed to cross out the foods you would never eat, but I didn’t see any on the list that I wouldn’t try at least once!

The Vegan’s Hundred

1. Molasses
2. Cactus/Nopales
3. Scrambled Tofu
4. Grilled Portobella Caps
5. Fresh Ground Horseradish
6. Sweet Potato Biscuits
7. Arepa
8. Vegan Cole Slaw
9. Ginger Carrot Soup
10. Fiddlehead Ferns
11. Roasted Elephant Garlic
12. Umeboshi
13. Almond Butter Toast
14. Aloe Vera
15. H and H Bagel NYC
16. Slow Roasted Butternut Squash
17. White truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Freshly ground wasabi
20. Coconut Milk Ice Cream (not store bought)
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Orchard-fresh pressed apple cider
23. Organic California Mango (in season Sept-Oct only)
24. Quinoa
25. Papaya Smoothie
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet (habanero) pepper (just a bite!…hot!
27. Goji Berry Tea
28. Fennel
29. Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie
30. Radishes and Vegan Buttery Spread
31. Starfruit
32. Oven fresh Sourdough bread
33. Sangria made with premium fruit and juices
34. Sauerkraut
35. Acai Smoothie
36. Blue Foot Mushrooms
37. Vegan Cupcake from Babycakes nyc (I made my own from the cookbook :) )
38. Sweet Potatoes and Tempeh combo
39. Falafel
40. Spelt Crust Pizza
41. Salt and Pepper Oyster Mushrooms
42. Jicama Slaw
43. Pumpkin Edamame Ginger Dumplings
44. Hemp Milk
45. Rose Champagne
46. Fuyu
47. Raw Avocado-Coconut Soup
48. Tofu Pesto Sandwich
49. Apple-Lemon-Ginger-Cayenne fresh-pressed juice…with Extra Ginger
50. Grilled Seitan
51. Prickly pear
52. Fresh Pressed Almond Milk
53. Concord Grapes off the vine
54. Ramps
55. Coconut Water fresh from a young coconut
56. Organic Arugula
57. Vidalia Onion
58. Sampler of organic produce from Diamond Organics
59. Honeycrisp Apple
60. Poi
61. Vegan Campfire-toasted Smores
62. Grape seed Oil
63. Farm fresh-picked Peach
64. Freshly-made pita bread with freshly-made hummus
65. Chestnut Snack Packs
66. Fresh Guava
67. Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
68. Raw Mallomar from One Lucky Duck, NYC
69. Fried plantains
70. Mache
71. Golden Beets
72. Barrel-Fresh Pickles
73. Liquid Smoke
74. Meyer Lemon
75. Veggie Paella
76. Vegan Lasagna (raw optional)
77. Kombucha
78. Homemade Soy Milk
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Lychee Bellini
81. Tempeh Bacon
82. Sprouted Grain Bread
83. Lemon Pepper Tempeh
84. Vanilla Bean
85. Watercress
86. Carrot you pulled out of the ground yourself
87. Vegan In-Season Fruit Pie
88. Flowers
89. Corn Chowder
90. High Quality Vegan Raw Chocolate
91. Yellow fuzz-free Kiwi
92. White Flesh Grapefruit
93. harissa
94. Coconut Oil
95. Jackfruit
96. Homemade Risotto
97. Spirulina
98. Seedless ‘Pixie’ Tangerine
99. Gourmet Sorbet, not store bought
100. Fresh Plucked English Peas

I’m excited I have so many fun foods to try!

What does your list look like?

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