Did someone say RAW?

Making the truly life-altering change to 'become' vegan is challenging on many levels. And we really do become something different - it's not a simple grocery-list adjustment. This change comes from a freshly opened mind to a concept you may have never considered previously. And if you're not consistently eating from non-animal sources, just remember that every meal you eat -- No -- every portion of every meal that you've exchanged for a non-animal source product, you are making a difference. You are adding to the demand. You're probably also, whether you realize it or not, making a positive impact on someone you know.

It's against our gregarious human nature to go against the flow, so it's no wonder that only 1% of the US population is vegan and 10% that do not consume flesh. Every time you take a step in the direction away from the majority, you are relying on your own mental capacity as an animal with a cerebrum and not on your caveman instincts. You're leaving conformity behind and stepping into your brain's shoes and evolving - go you!
If we are 'supposed' to eat flesh and therefore we 'should', then should we not also crap where we want and breed indiscriminately? You tell me. We're an evolved species with the resources to eat to our optimum health without requiring animals as a source of any nutrition.

It just so happens that I am currently re-living that life-changing experience of a diet change. I've been vegan for nearly four years and during that time I've probably consumed 80% starchy vegetables and grains (potatoes, rice, pasta), 10% beans, 9% fruit, and maybe 1% leafy greens or other veggies. I'm serious! I am an unhealthy vegan! There. I said it.         And boy, it's not easy.

So after much research (just like when I was discovering the atrocities of factory farming and the alternatives to a Standard American Diet before choosing a vegan lifestyle) I have decided to try eating raw foods. My goal is to ease into the exclusively raw diet over a period of 30-45 days and then 'go raw' for 12 weeks. I won't be disappointed if I do not succeed because I'm not causing any suffering by not eating my daily spinach. But I would enjoy the benefits of a healthier body and vitality. So fingers crossed.

Here is my favorite raw recipe from the book, "Thrive, The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life" by Brendan Brazier (vegan triathlete):

Blueberry Rooibos Antioxidant Smoothie (antioxident rich)

1 banana
2 c cold water (or 1.5 c water plus 1 cup ice)
1/2 c blueberries
1 tbs ground flax
1tbs hemp protein
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tbs hemp oil
2 tsp ground rooibos (leave this out to make it raw)

Combine all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Makes 2 large servings.

Vegetable Pot Pie

My dad actually whipped this up for me in several little individual casserole pans. It’s absolutely fantastic! With all that starch it's certainly stick-to-your-ribs comfort food, but it's a real treat on a cold night.

Vegan Veggie Pot Pie

Filling

1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 tsp. vegetable oil
3 potatoes, chopped and peeled
1 cup frozen vegetable medley
1/4 can green beans
1/4 cup white rice
2 lasagna noodles, broken into small pieces
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp. cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste

Crust

vegan crescent rolls, rolled flat and cut to the size of your casserole pan(s)

Saute the onions and celery in a pan until caramelized. Meanwhile, place your potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring them to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cook the potatoes until soft enough to be pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes. Place them back in the pot with all the other filling ingredients. Simmer the mixture for 12 to 20 minutes, until your rice and lasagna are perfectly cooked.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line the bottom of your casserole pan with a layer of crescent roll. Top with pot pie filling and the other layer of pie crust. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Let it cool and sink right in!

Pasta in a Rice Cooker

I love my rice cooker. It makes it so easy to whip up a cup or three of rice to go with beans or curry or anything else. I'd heard that you can cook other things in a rice cooker besides just rice, but hadn't branched out and attempted any. That is, not until a good friend of mine shared with me his method of cooking pasta in one. It's so easy, I've been doing it several times a week. Thanks, Pug! If you have a rice cooker, give this a try. And if you don't, start dropping the hints for a birthday present. :3


Rice Cooker Pasta
Ingredients:
2 Cups water
1 Cup tomato sauce
2 Cups pasta (any type except for spaghetti)
1 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
(optional) 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning (or whatever you enjoy)
(optional) minced garlic or garlic powder to taste
(optional) 1/2 to 1 Cup "add-ins" of any sort. (I use 1/2 Cup of TVP chunks.)
(optional) 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes (makes it so creamy)

Preparation:
Combine everything in the rice cooker, and press the button! Towards the end, I get up and stir everything a bit because some of it tends to get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Just be careful not to burn yourself, or tip the bowl too much if you have to scrape - you risk lifting it off of the pressure sensor too soon and turning off the cooker. I highly recommend including the nutritional yeast. It gives the sauce a creaminess that is wonderful. You could probably replace the tomato sauce with any other sort of sauce or water-and-seasonings you can think of, too.

Enjoy!

Vegans Love the Holidays, Too

Got a vegan on your holiday shopping list and not sure what to get? Here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling.


1. VegNews magazine supscription. 2. A useful tool for soy lovers, the Tofu Xpress 3. Vegan-friendly books and literature, such as The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. 4. Screenprinted produce bags from Wonder Thunder. 5. Color Me Vegan cookbook by Colleen Patrick-Godreau. 6. Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz 7. Allison's Gourmet assorted vegan chocolates.

Sass-Squash Pizza

Don’t you love that feeling when a recipe born out of improvisation becomes a super hit? That’s what happened with this squash pizza. I made it a few weeks ago with ingredients I had on hand, and while it was delicious I just knew there was one element that was missing. That element? Roasted garlic, of course. So when I made it the next time for a family pizza party, I spread the roasted garlic over the crust like a paste before adding the sauce or toppings. It was perfect.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• ¼ cup tomato or pizza sauce
• ½ butternut squash, chopped
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• ½ diced red onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. green onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
  
• Vegan cheese, shredded

To Make

1. Prepare your own pizza dough, or purchase a premade dough. While I didn’t in this photograph, I usually modify this recipe by using half whole wheat flour and half bread flour. I also pour dried herbs and spices into the dry ingredients for extra zip.
2. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
3. Cook and season your squash as desired. A little salt and parsley can go far. You could rub the squash in olive oil and bake in a 400 degree oven until soft. For a quick fix, place the chopped squash on a plate and cover lightly with water. Microwave for 5-7 minutes. Mash up the squash with a fork.
4. Spread the garlic and tomato sauce over the dough. Top with the squash, onion and red pepper. Sprinkle as little or as much vegan mozzarella cheese to make it as gooey as you want it.
5. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes.

Bulgur Wheat is Delicious

I visited my hometown not long ago and got to see family and friends. One of my friends, who is an excellent cook, made delicious food for me and gave me this recipe. It's so simple, so cheap, and so good! (Thank you, Lee!!) Here in Gainesville, bulgur can be bought in bulk at Mother Earth Market (at an absurdly cheap 69 cents a pound), and whatever your local whole foods store is will probably carry it as well. There are different ways to cook it than the soaking method I use, so if you have another preferred method, go for it.

Bulgur Wheat
Ingredients:
1 Cup bulgur wheat
3 Cups boiling water
olive oil
lemon juice
(optional) 1 tomato
(optional) capers (if you use very small capers, add some salt as well)
(optional) non-dairy feta (Sunergia Soy Foods makes a wonderful soy feta that I like very much. I get it at Mother Earth.)
(optional) pine nuts

Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine the bulgur wheat and the boiling water. Cover, and let sit for about 40 minutes or until fluffy and well-rehydrated. Drain the excess water. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and a few splashes of lemon juice. Add any other ingredient you want, maybe a tablespoon or two of each. Stir it up, and enjoy!

You can also experiment with other ingredients as they strike your fancy. Anything you'd like in couscous, for example, should work well with bulgur wheat. Good luck!

Garlic Biscuits

I posted this recipe on my personal blog Zombie Cats Eating Plants and thought why not share the love over here as well. The inspiration came from the garlic biscuit I had at this years Central Florida Veg Fest. This was my first experience roasting garlic in the oven, but it won't be my last.

Roasted Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients

2 medium heads of garlic

olive oil

1 2/3 cups of all purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup non dairy milk of your choice

1/3 cup canola oil or melted non dairy butter

Dry Italian seasoning to sprinkle on top (Optional)

To Prepare

First roast the garlic bulbs and set aside to cool.

How to Roast Garlic

Peel off the outer white covering of the garlic bulb, leaving the individual coverings on the cloves and leaving the cloves attached to the bottom of the root. Cut the tops off of the cloves to expose the inside of each clove. Place the head of garlic on a piece of tin foil. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the garlic bulb. Wrap the garlic bulb tight with the foil. Place on a baking sheet or set inside the cup of a muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, until garlic is soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

After you have roasted the garlic, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease or add parchment paper to a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt with a fork until combined. Add the milk and oil and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be sticky. Remove the soft inner garlic cloves from the bulb. Add the soft garlic to the batter and mix in with your hands. Don't over mix or the biscuits will be tough. Scoop batter out in about 1/4 cup amounts and roll slightly in hands. Place on the baking sheet. This recipe makes 9 medium sized biscuits.

Bake until the bottoms are golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Enjoy, but resist the urge to kiss loved ones for the rest of the night. :)

Enjoy! ~Amber