I promised this to a customer I spoke to in connection to my health food store. I surely thought I had posted this,but alas, that was not to be. So here I am after a day of playing catch-up from a want-to-be migraine and now I am on a roll of so many chores that have just fallen by the wayside, and this blog being one of those chores.
So on to this delicious dish. Who doesn't love jambalaya. I use to, until I became a vegetarian. Traditional jambalaya is racked with animal products. But my daughter happened upon a great dish she snatched form The Food Network and we veganized it. And what a lovely dish it is now. I know those who consume traditional jambalaya will say this dish has to have meat to survive. We have disproved that saying and gone one step farther. Ours would stand up against any traditional jambalaya on any day of the week. So go ahead, make this dish and say I am wrong. And for the record, I usually do not like complicated or lengthy recipes, but every once in a while there is one that falls into its own category...this is one of those dishes. so save it for a special occasion or when company comes over and you will not be disappointed.
2 cups brown rice(uncooked)
1 T olive oil
1 T vegan butter
1 block of extra firm tofu(pressed & cubed)
1 package of sausage(Italian if you have it, we use Tofurkey, but use your favorite)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Several drops of hot sauce or 2 pinches of cayenne pepper
2-3 T all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
1 (14 ounce) container vegetable broth(or your own homemade)
1 t cumin
1 rounded t chili powder
1 t poultry seasoning(there is no meat in poultry seasoning)
1 t vegan Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped scallion for garnish(optional)
Fresh thyme, chopped for garnish(optional)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cook rice according to directions.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Add cubed tofu to heated oil and butter. Brown tofu for approx. 3-5 minutes. Add onion, celery, green pepper, bay leaf and cayenne.
Saute vegetables for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Season with cumin, chili powder, poultry seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Bring liquids to a boil. This is best when it slow cooks for a few hours. But be careful for the tofu has a tendency to fall apart if cooked too long. so no more than a few hours on a low slow heat. And served over rice it delicious.
If you want to jazz it up a bit, add some wild rice to your regular rice and have even more fun. So make...eat...enjoy!
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Dear Passing
Well I am ready to get back to posting more. I have been dealing with some life issues. For one, my sisters husband passed away very unexpectedly and it was due to his health. She had begged him for years to take off the weight (which he was morbidly obese), but he never did.
His entire family had serious weight issues and not one of them did a darned thing about it, and it killed them all. And to add insult to injury, two of them got so huge in their final years that they could not even got off the recliner, for the most part. that is not living, that is existing.
So not only is my sister going through the normal anger that goes along with grieving, she is dealing with a second anger, which is related to his not heading her words to get the weight off.
I still hear people say that heart disease runs in my family. Well that is the biggest lie this side of the Mississippi. Heart disease runs in those who eat garbage. And my brother-in-law proved that...with his life.
I am on a deeper mission to get myself even healthier now. I was never worried that I would perish form any of the diseases brought on by eating incorrectly, but I need to step it up a bit. So get ready for some new and as always healthy recipes.
His entire family had serious weight issues and not one of them did a darned thing about it, and it killed them all. And to add insult to injury, two of them got so huge in their final years that they could not even got off the recliner, for the most part. that is not living, that is existing.
So not only is my sister going through the normal anger that goes along with grieving, she is dealing with a second anger, which is related to his not heading her words to get the weight off.
I still hear people say that heart disease runs in my family. Well that is the biggest lie this side of the Mississippi. Heart disease runs in those who eat garbage. And my brother-in-law proved that...with his life.
I am on a deeper mission to get myself even healthier now. I was never worried that I would perish form any of the diseases brought on by eating incorrectly, but I need to step it up a bit. So get ready for some new and as always healthy recipes.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Vegan Ranch Dressing
To say I was a ranch dressing fan would be a false statement. Does that mean I never used it on my salads? No, I would occasionally use that flavor, but if I had other choices, I would opt for something else. With that said, I would like to introduce to you one of thee best vegan alternatives to traditional ranch dressing. I, of course, found it on VegWeb. But I found it quite by accident. Yes, I was looking for a new dressing, but not a ranch one in particular. But there it was staring at me and I had all of thee ingredients.
I am giving you thee altered recipe, for thee original was a bit too runny for all our tastes. And if I had read the reviews, then I too would have seen that the general consensus was the same as mine. But you do not have to go through that same mistake, I am giving you thee updated version. So try it and see how truly right I am.
1/4-1/2 cup non-dairy milk(use plain unsweetened if you have it)
1 cup vegan mayo(We use Veganaise)
1 t each, garlic and onion powder
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh or dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throw all ingredients into a blender/food processor and whirl until smooth.
If you like it thicker, and more like a dip, then stick closer to the 1/4 mark of milk. But if you prefer it more like a dressing, then go closer to the 1/2 mark.
I tell you that is all you have to do. And both my husband and daughter could not believe how close to the real thing it truly was. When all three of us agree on something, we know we have a winner. So, make...eat...enjoy!
I am giving you thee altered recipe, for thee original was a bit too runny for all our tastes. And if I had read the reviews, then I too would have seen that the general consensus was the same as mine. But you do not have to go through that same mistake, I am giving you thee updated version. So try it and see how truly right I am.
1/4-1/2 cup non-dairy milk(use plain unsweetened if you have it)
1 cup vegan mayo(We use Veganaise)
1 t each, garlic and onion powder
2-3 T red wine vinegar
1 T fresh or dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throw all ingredients into a blender/food processor and whirl until smooth.
If you like it thicker, and more like a dip, then stick closer to the 1/4 mark of milk. But if you prefer it more like a dressing, then go closer to the 1/2 mark.
I tell you that is all you have to do. And both my husband and daughter could not believe how close to the real thing it truly was. When all three of us agree on something, we know we have a winner. So, make...eat...enjoy!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Golden Spicy Cauliflower
Wow, I cannot believe I have not posted in such a long time. Never fear, all is good. But suffice it to say I have been very busy, and in a good way. But you don't want to read about all the fun stuff in my life, you want new recipes, and man do I have more than a few to add here. So let's get started.
I have rejoined an organic co-op. It is a bi-weekly pick-up and the produce rotates every time. the prices are very comparable to what is out in the store, but what I like most about it, is that every time you are getting different items. Which means you are forced to try new dishes. Awwwww, what a shame. NOT!
I have already gone through at least 1/3 of my produce already and 1 week has not gone by. I may have to bump to an every week pick-up. But now on to this lovely new dish I discovered. Cauliflower. LOVE-IT! In any way, shape, or form. But I of course, wanted something new and different. Enter Dr. John McDougall. I had picked up one of his and his wife's cookbook at a flea market. Best $2 I ever spent.
I went scouring for something with cauliflower and found it, but I was on crunch time and had to make sure I had all or at least most of the ingredients. Viola! In comes this recipes, save for the onions, I had everything in my pantry or fridge. Wow! I loved this dish. I got home late last night after having made the dish, ran out for a meeting that ran Waaaay too late and had dinner at 9:30 at night. Served it over some brown rice and I just may have it for breakfast this morning...just kidding.
Make this, but do not be fooled by how spicy it looks, for the flavors end up melding together and coming off brilliantly for sure. Make it and call me in the morning.
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 T grated ginger
1 cup water
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 T rice vinegar
2T soy sauce
1/2 t ground turmeric
Freshly ground pepper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Place the cauliflower, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cook, stirring, occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent the cauliflower from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Now, one would think that with not 1 drop of fat in this dish it would taste bad. Oh no, this was divine and I cannot wait to make it again and again and again. Make...eat...enjoy!
I have rejoined an organic co-op. It is a bi-weekly pick-up and the produce rotates every time. the prices are very comparable to what is out in the store, but what I like most about it, is that every time you are getting different items. Which means you are forced to try new dishes. Awwwww, what a shame. NOT!
I have already gone through at least 1/3 of my produce already and 1 week has not gone by. I may have to bump to an every week pick-up. But now on to this lovely new dish I discovered. Cauliflower. LOVE-IT! In any way, shape, or form. But I of course, wanted something new and different. Enter Dr. John McDougall. I had picked up one of his and his wife's cookbook at a flea market. Best $2 I ever spent.
I went scouring for something with cauliflower and found it, but I was on crunch time and had to make sure I had all or at least most of the ingredients. Viola! In comes this recipes, save for the onions, I had everything in my pantry or fridge. Wow! I loved this dish. I got home late last night after having made the dish, ran out for a meeting that ran Waaaay too late and had dinner at 9:30 at night. Served it over some brown rice and I just may have it for breakfast this morning...just kidding.
Make this, but do not be fooled by how spicy it looks, for the flavors end up melding together and coming off brilliantly for sure. Make it and call me in the morning.
1 medium cauliflower, cut into florets
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2-3 T grated ginger
1 cup water
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 T rice vinegar
2T soy sauce
1/2 t ground turmeric
Freshly ground pepper
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Place the cauliflower, garlic, and ginger in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of the water. Cook, stirring, occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent the cauliflower from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Now, one would think that with not 1 drop of fat in this dish it would taste bad. Oh no, this was divine and I cannot wait to make it again and again and again. Make...eat...enjoy!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Spinach Hummus
Well, who knew spinach could be made into hummus? I didn't know. But I do now. This last Raw Class I was scrambling at the last minute, which I usually try not to do. And when I do look for recipes for my class, I definitely keep them simple and gadget friendly. Meaning, I do not use recipes that use dehydrators, or high-powered blenders. I want people to see that eating healthy DOES NOT have to be expensive, save for the food itself.
I would rather spend a little extra now then be pumped up on TONS of medication the pharmecuticals fell we need. But if we just changed how we ate, we would not be in the mess of health this country is in. Look at all thee other countries around the world that live on whole foods. You do not see their countries ravaged with obesity, cancer or diabetes. Why is that? Well, it is because so many compnaies here are trying to sell you a load of crap and tell you that Cheerios is a nutritional breakfast. Have fun with that. It is a business and if they do not sell their product they have no jobs. So they will bend the facts so far past realism that you would think eating insect wings is good for you, because they paid some scientist to say it is so.
You know what has to be done, go with your gut (no pun inteded) and just eat whole, organic food and the rest will take care of itself. Now on to this delicious reipe. I will not acept any mariage proposals after you have made and eaten this. And I do want to give credit where credit is due. I found this lovely gem at VegWeb! I love that place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 clove garlic (put through a press)
2 to 3 cups spinach
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 to 4 tablespoons raw tahini (or regualr tahini if you are not a hard core raw foodist)
olive oil, as needed (mine equaled about 1 T)
Place garlic and spinach in food processor and process until minced finely. Add lemon juice and tahini and blend until the consistency of hummus. You can add olive oil if needed, but the spinach and tahini should be enough. For me I needed just a very small touch of oil.
I have fallen in love all over again with this recipe. I already love spinach, I just love it more now. Make...eat...enjoy!
I would rather spend a little extra now then be pumped up on TONS of medication the pharmecuticals fell we need. But if we just changed how we ate, we would not be in the mess of health this country is in. Look at all thee other countries around the world that live on whole foods. You do not see their countries ravaged with obesity, cancer or diabetes. Why is that? Well, it is because so many compnaies here are trying to sell you a load of crap and tell you that Cheerios is a nutritional breakfast. Have fun with that. It is a business and if they do not sell their product they have no jobs. So they will bend the facts so far past realism that you would think eating insect wings is good for you, because they paid some scientist to say it is so.
You know what has to be done, go with your gut (no pun inteded) and just eat whole, organic food and the rest will take care of itself. Now on to this delicious reipe. I will not acept any mariage proposals after you have made and eaten this. And I do want to give credit where credit is due. I found this lovely gem at VegWeb! I love that place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 clove garlic (put through a press)
2 to 3 cups spinach
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 to 4 tablespoons raw tahini (or regualr tahini if you are not a hard core raw foodist)
olive oil, as needed (mine equaled about 1 T)
Place garlic and spinach in food processor and process until minced finely. Add lemon juice and tahini and blend until the consistency of hummus. You can add olive oil if needed, but the spinach and tahini should be enough. For me I needed just a very small touch of oil.
I have fallen in love all over again with this recipe. I already love spinach, I just love it more now. Make...eat...enjoy!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Breakfast Quinoa
Well I will openly admit that for the longest time I was not a huge fan of quinoa. Yep, I will openly admit it now. And I know what the problem was. In the beginning I was not cooking my quinoa long enough. Now I know better. With that said, let me inform you that if your quinoa has not opened up its little tail and separated form the grain itself, then you have not cooked your quinoa long enough.
I was looking for some new breakfast cereal (not boxed) and I am so over all the tried and true we have here. In walks quinoa. I was looking through Sarah Kramer's book, 'La Dolce Vegan' and looked through the breakfast section and out pops this quinoa recipe. I had all thee ingredients ( a big one in my home) and viola, 15 minute later we were eating breakfast.
So let's make this dish and you can thank me in the morning.
1&1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 cup quinoa (remember to rinse VERY well)
1/4 cup raisins (I would add more next time)
1/2 cup fresh fruit (your choice)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ina medium saucepan on high heat, bring the milk to a boil. Reduce heat immediately and add the quinoa and raisins. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remember, once the tail has separated from the grain, you are good to go. Add a touch of sweetener (if you like) and maybe a dab of vegan butter and or some nuts of your choice.
This was beyond scrumptious. I would make this again in a heart-beat. And now I have one more hot grain I can add to my already lengthy hot cereals for my morning food. Make...eat...enjoy!
I was looking for some new breakfast cereal (not boxed) and I am so over all the tried and true we have here. In walks quinoa. I was looking through Sarah Kramer's book, 'La Dolce Vegan' and looked through the breakfast section and out pops this quinoa recipe. I had all thee ingredients ( a big one in my home) and viola, 15 minute later we were eating breakfast.
So let's make this dish and you can thank me in the morning.
1&1/2 cups non-dairy milk
1/2 cup quinoa (remember to rinse VERY well)
1/4 cup raisins (I would add more next time)
1/2 cup fresh fruit (your choice)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ina medium saucepan on high heat, bring the milk to a boil. Reduce heat immediately and add the quinoa and raisins. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Remember, once the tail has separated from the grain, you are good to go. Add a touch of sweetener (if you like) and maybe a dab of vegan butter and or some nuts of your choice.
This was beyond scrumptious. I would make this again in a heart-beat. And now I have one more hot grain I can add to my already lengthy hot cereals for my morning food. Make...eat...enjoy!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
That's Life
I can hear Ole Blue Eyes singing away. But that is not what I am referring to. And for those of you who may not know who ole blue eyes is referring to...Google the name. With that out of the way, let me tell you that I found this recipe quite by accident. And some times the best things come from accidents. AND, I found it on VegWeb, one of my most loved sites to find recipes.
My husband is home with a small injury. He is fine...hopefully but with him being home, he is getting cabin fever and if I do not have some healthy things for him to munch on, he may start asking for someone to bring home crappy snacks, hence my making 2 desserts today. One of them was my black bean brownies. And if you have not made them yet, then please do so, you will not regret it. And thee other was this new recipe I found.
If I am making a new recipe, and moreso on a whim, thee only thing I am looking for is if I have all thee ingredients...nothing more...nothing less. Well, this such a recipe fit that criteria. Now, is it the healthiest recipe in the world? Nope, but we all have our vices, plus hubby was/is not feeling well, men are such babies, and in the marriage contract I agreed to make him sweets when he was sick. Naaah, just kidding, but it sounded good. So now, on to this recipe.
1 cup cinnamon flavored cereal(I used Cinnamon Life)
1/2 cup sugar (I used succanat)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used Almond Breeze Vanilla flavor)
1 t vanilla extract
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In a large bowl, with a potato-like masher, mash the cinnamon flavored cereal until it resembles crumbs. Mix in the sugar.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add and combine the dry ingredient mixture to the cereal and sugar mixture.
Add the vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract into the rest of the ingredients and mix together until no more flour-powdery-substance is visible.
Spoon cookies onto prepared cookie sheets, and roll each cookie into a round ball. Bake for about 15 minutes (give or take), depending on your oven. Rotate cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through baking.
Now...I did find these just a wee bit on the crumbly side. But no so much so that I would not make them again. And, if they are too crumbly for you, as a cookie, then let them be crumbles and sprinkle them on top of vegan ice cream. Ahhh, what a shame for a cookie to have to top ice cream, Ahhhhhhh!! Make...eat...enjoy!
My husband is home with a small injury. He is fine...hopefully but with him being home, he is getting cabin fever and if I do not have some healthy things for him to munch on, he may start asking for someone to bring home crappy snacks, hence my making 2 desserts today. One of them was my black bean brownies. And if you have not made them yet, then please do so, you will not regret it. And thee other was this new recipe I found.
If I am making a new recipe, and moreso on a whim, thee only thing I am looking for is if I have all thee ingredients...nothing more...nothing less. Well, this such a recipe fit that criteria. Now, is it the healthiest recipe in the world? Nope, but we all have our vices, plus hubby was/is not feeling well, men are such babies, and in the marriage contract I agreed to make him sweets when he was sick. Naaah, just kidding, but it sounded good. So now, on to this recipe.
1 cup cinnamon flavored cereal(I used Cinnamon Life)
1/2 cup sugar (I used succanat)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used Almond Breeze Vanilla flavor)
1 t vanilla extract
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets. In a large bowl, with a potato-like masher, mash the cinnamon flavored cereal until it resembles crumbs. Mix in the sugar.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add and combine the dry ingredient mixture to the cereal and sugar mixture.
Add the vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract into the rest of the ingredients and mix together until no more flour-powdery-substance is visible.
Spoon cookies onto prepared cookie sheets, and roll each cookie into a round ball. Bake for about 15 minutes (give or take), depending on your oven. Rotate cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through baking.
Now...I did find these just a wee bit on the crumbly side. But no so much so that I would not make them again. And, if they are too crumbly for you, as a cookie, then let them be crumbles and sprinkle them on top of vegan ice cream. Ahhh, what a shame for a cookie to have to top ice cream, Ahhhhhhh!! Make...eat...enjoy!
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