Carrot Oatmeal Cookies

The last attempt I made at vegan cookies was so horrible I could not even blog about it. I finally gathered up the courage to try again after surfing through Heidi Swanson’s cookie recipes on her oh so amazing blog, http://www.101cookbooks.com/  She has two vegan cookies recipes posted that look amazing to me. This week I tried out her oatmeal carrot cookies and they are absolutely delicious. I substituted regular flour & olive oil and they still taste great. Next chance I have, I’m going to give her peanut butter ones a go!



Carrot Oatmeal Cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup real maple syrup, room temperature
1/2 cup unrefined (fragrant) coconut oil, warmed until just melted
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats. Add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoonful at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.

Cabbage & Chickpea Soup

Simple Cabbage and Chickpea Soup


I am a solid believer in the soup diet theory. Soup is filling and nutrious, and something you can have large portions of without killing your calories intake for the day. When I saw this soup on http://www.fatfreevegan.com/, I decided to give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 cloves garlic cloves, minced or pressed
6 cups hot water (plus bouillon cubes, below) or vegetable broth (and no bouillon cubes)
3 cubes no-salt added bouillon cubes (or enough to flavor 6 cups of water)*
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)
2 teaspoons oregano
generous grating black pepper
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

Instructions

Heat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic and cook for another two minutes. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the basil and pine nuts. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes.

Stir in fresh basil and serve in individual soup bowls, topped with 1 teaspoon of pine nuts, if desired.

Gingered Carrot Soup with Sage

This soup is a Dave Lieberman recipe - the only liberty I took in order to make it vegan friendly was leaving out butter and I promise you will not miss it! The ginger and carrot go so well together and the color of the soup is just beautiful. Even though spring is around the corner it is still chilly enough up here in Boston to merit a nice warm soup for lunch.

Ingredients:
• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and trimmed
• olive oil
• 2 small onions, diced
• 3 garlic, cloved minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 14 -16 ounces vegetable stock
• kosher salt
• pepper
• 6 -12 fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 lemon, juice of

Directions:
1. Slice the carrots in half lengthwise and then into 2 inch chunks.
2. Pour enough olive oil into the bottom of a heavy stockpot to coat the bottom. Add carrots and onions and saute over medium heat. Cook until the onions start turning translucent.
3. Turn the heat down, add the garlic and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
4. Add the ginger and cook another minute or two.
5. Add the stock and enough additional water to cover the vegetables. Taste and add salt and pepper to your taste. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to barely simmer.
6. Add 6 sage leaves (the remaining ones are for garnish). Cook until the carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.
7. Remove the sage leaves. Puree the soup
8. Bring the soup back up to a simmer and add the sugar and lemon juice. Taste and season again with salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with sage leaves.

Vegetarian Thai Red Curry

Living in England helped me develop an appreciation for curries and I am always on the look-out for new recipes. The following Thai curry was super easy to make and just as good as a dish you might get in any restaurant. The recipe is from BBC Good Food but given what I had in my kitchen, I made a few substitutions/exceptions. Instead of jasmine rice I used rice noodles, and I substituted jalepenos for red chillies. I also skipped the snap peas and mushrooms but I think this dish is quite versatile and any vegetables you want to skip or add should be fine. Also, the original recipe tells you how to make red curry paste from scratch but I simply substituted store bought to save time. Hopefully you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons red curry paste
200g firm tofu , cubed
4-5 tbsp soy sauce
juice 3 limes
2 red chillies, 1 finely chopped, 1 sliced into rounds
2 tbsp vegetable oil
400ml can reduced-fat coconut milk
1 courgette , chopped into chunks
1 small aubergine , chopped into chunks
½ red pepper , deseeded and chopped into chunks
140g mushrooms , halved
40g sugar snap peas
20g pack basil , leaves picked
1 tsp brown sugar
jasmine rice, to serve

Directions:
1. Marinate the tofu in 2 tbsp soy sauce, juice 1 lime and the chopped chilli.
2. Heat half the oil in a large pan. Add 3-4 tbsp paste and fry for 2 mins. Stir in the coconut milk with 100ml water, the courgette, aubergine and pepper and cook for 10 mins until almost tender.
2.Drain the tofu, pat dry, then fry in the remaining oil in a small pan until golden.
3.Add the mushrooms, sugar snaps and most of the basil to the curry, then season with the sugar, remaining lime juice and soy sauce. Cook for 4 mins until the mushrooms are tender, then add the tofu and heat through. Scatter with sliced chilli and basil and serve with jasmine rice.

Tofu Saag with Brown Rice and Curried Cauliflower

Last night I tried another one of Kim Barnouin's recipes, Tofu Saag with Brown Rice. It was super easy and quite good. I even cheated a little bit and used frozen spinach since that was all I had on hand. Looks a bit like baby food.....but regular saag paneer does too so I suppose its acceptable for this dish.

Oh and I made a side of roasted curried cauliflower from another one of her recipes which was also delicious so I will include that as well.

Tofu Saag with Brown Rice

Ingredients:
2 Tb grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 yellow onion chopped
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 pound spinach, stems removed
1/3 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 ( 8 oz ) package firm tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups freshly cooked brown rice



Directions
1. Place the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 6 minutes
2. Add the broth and spinach, cooking until the spinach begins to wilt.
3. Add the coconut milk, cumin and cinnamon, and simmer 7 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into a blender or the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Gently add the tofu and cook 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve over hot brown rice.

Roasted Curried Cauliflower

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
¼ teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tbps minced parsley



Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F
In large bowl, whisk oil, garlic, curry, chili powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add cauliflower and toss until well coated. Pour into a 13x9 inch baking dish and bake until tender, 25-30 minutes.



Quick Vegan Corn Chowder

Living in New England, it is imperative that I can make some version of a chowder to see me through the winter. This corn chowder is a delicious and easy vegan substitute for the rich, creamy clam chowder that is so popular here.

Quick Vegan Corn Chowder

6 small red potatoes, diced in medium sized chunks
1 small onion, diced
½ cup celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil for sautéing
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups almond milk
2 springs fresh thyme
2 cups corn
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons water

 Sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until onions are transparent and veggies are starting to soften. Add garlic and sauté another thirty seconds. Add the broth, milk, potatoes, corn and thyme. Simmer for 20 minutes until all the potatoes are tender. Wisk the flour and water together and add to the soup, simmering for another five minutes.

Provencal Tomato Sauce with Pasta

Pasta is the ultimate comfort food for me. And having spent so long in Italy, I like to think I can whip up some pretty special pastas when the need arises. Sadly, eating pasta every day is not very diet friendly. In order to still allow myself some of the joys of pasta while watching my calorie intake, I like to follow Mark Bittman's advice  - more sauce & less pasta. It is so easy to whip up a tomato based sauce, load in some veggies, and pile it on.....and all the while keep things vegan of course. :)

Provencal Tomato Sauce with Pasta

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, cut into large cubes

Salt

3 tablespoons of olive oil

Black Pepper

2 small zucchini

1 small onion, chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 can chopped tomatoes, juices drained

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

8 oz pasta

Fresh basil, for garnish

Vegan Parmesan

 

Directions:

Sprinkle eggplant liberally with salt, let rest in colander for 20 minutes, rinse, pat dry. Bring large pot of water to a boil and salt it.

Put 1.5 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add the eggplant, sprinkle with pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 6 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Put the remaining oil in the pan and add the zucchini, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Cooke, stirring occasionally, until its tender, 7 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, another 3 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes, herbs de provence, and cook until the tomatoes start to release their juice. Return the eggplant to the pan, stir, and turn off the heat.

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserve some cooking liquid in case the sauce is too thick. Serve with torn basil and vegan Parmesan.

 

Spicy Peanut Sesame Noodles

I needed a quick meal the other night after flying in from DC but did not have much in the line of fresh produce in my fridge. However, a quick survey of what I did have resulted in the below meal. Not the lowest-fat meal, but quick and easy and extremely satisfying.

• 8 ounces asian noodles (such as udon or rice noodles)
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish

1.     Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.

2.     Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pot. Add ginger; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir until melted and remove from heat.

3.     Toss noodles with sauce, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, and serve.

Tempeh Bacon

I have to say it....I miss bacon. I miss bacon in the morning and I really miss a good BLT for lunch. I have heard about tempeh bacon but was never sold on the idea that anything could replace the real thing. That being said, the other day I had some leftover slices of tempeh laying around so I decided to give it a shot. Final verdict? It tasted nothing like bacon. As soon as I got over my disappointment (luckily I had not allowed myself too much hope that it would be a comparable substitute) I realized I actually liked it. The tempeh had a nice flavor and was surprisingly satisfying for breakfast, served with oven roasted tomato and some whole wheat toast.

Tempeh Bacon

 Ingredients:
1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, sliced into 24 very thin slices
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
1 Tbs. canola oil
Smoked paprika, optional

Directions:
1. Lay tempeh slices in 2 13- x 9-inch baking dishes. Bring soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, cumin, ancho chile powder, and ½ cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat, and stir in liquid smoke, if using. Pour over tempeh slices. Let cool, then cover and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully transfer tempeh slices to prepared baking sheet, and discard marinade.
3. Brush slices with canola oil, and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Flip tempeh slices, brush with oil, and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, or until crisp and dark brown.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I happened to have a butternut squash lying around and a bit of extra time at lunch so I made a quick soup. I love this butternut squash recipe from Ellie Krieger – super easy, only a few ingredients, and it is ready so fast!

I also had some bread on the verge of going stale so I made a quick batch of homemade croutons – simply cubed the bread, tossed with some herbs de province and olive oil, and baked in the oven at 250 degrees for around 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste
• 2 tablespoons honey (optional for the non-Vegans out there) 

Directions

Heat oil over medium heat in a 6-quart stockpot. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft but not brown, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the butternut squash, broth, curry powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat stir in honey and puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender until smooth. Season with salt, to taste.

Tofu Scramble

I was craving eggs this morning so I whipped up a quick tofu scramble with a side of breakfast potatoes.

Ingredients:

Half of an onion, diced

Extra hard tofu

Hot Salsa

2 red potatoes, diced

vegan cheese

green onions

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Crumble tofu into a bowl and add salsa. Let marinate. Meanwhile, fry chopped onions in olive oil until soft, around three minutes. Add potatoes and brown for about five minutes. Pour potatoes into oven proof dish and cook in oven for twenty minutes. During the last five minutes, add cheese and melt. While the potatoes are cooking, use the frying pan to heat up the tofu/salsa scramble. Add green onions before serving. 

Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Chickpeas

Given the arctic temperatures outside today, I wanted to make a “comfort” winter food. When I saw this recipe on “Fat Free vegan”  I just had to brave the cold to run out to the store and get the ingredients to try it out. Nothing says winter like squash & brussel sprouts. And while not the most aesthetically pleasing dish, this was definitely a winner in the taste category.





Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti squash
1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
sliced almonds, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce a spaghetti squash 8-10 times with a skewer or thin knife (pierce deeply through flesh into center). Place on a baking sheet on center rack of oven. Bake for 30 minutes and then turn 1/4 turn. Bake another 30 minutes or until outside has browned in places and shell feels soft. Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Once it’s cool, cut it in half and remove and discard the seeds and scrape the strands of squash out with a fork. Put the squash into a bowl and set aside.

While the squash is cooking, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Trim and discard the ends and cut the sprouts in half (quarter larger sprouts). Place on a baking sheet and spray quickly (2 seconds) with olive oil. (This prevents burning; if you don’t want to use the oil, cover loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.) When the squash has finished cooking, put the sprouts into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove them when they are just beginning to be touched by brown but are not burning (they will finish cooking in the skillet in the next step).

In a large, deep, non-stick skillet, cook the onions on medium-high heat until they become golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts, garlic, and vegetable broth and cover tightly. Cook for 3-5 minutes, adding more broth or water if skillet becomes dry. Add the chickpeas, basil, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the spaghetti squash, and toss gently to mix. Cook until heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with lemon juice. Serve topped with crushed or sliced almonds, if desired.

Black Bean and Tomato Soup

Black Bean and Tomato Soup 

This is another recipe from Kim Barnouin that I whipped up for lunch today. Quick and easy and SUPER delicious. I definitely recommend this one!

Ingredients:

2 tbs of olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 28oz can stewed tomatoes

½ cup frozen or fresh corn

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Juice of half a lime

½ tsp salt

1 tbs chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a large soup pot, heat the oil and sauté onion in oil until onion is soft & translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and sauté about 30 seconds. Add the chili powder and cumin and stir until well combined. Add the black beans, tomatoes, corn, water, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and simmer about 15 minutes. Using a handheld blender, puree soup to desired consistency (I like it a bit chunky). Add the lime juice and salt. Garnish with cilantro.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Sauce

Feeling ambitious on this Saturday evening, I decided to try out Kim Barnouin’s Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Sauce. I was surprised at how easy the wonton wrappers were to make, and overall was very pleased with how the dish came out. While a lot of work for an every-day meal, this recipe is definitely a good one to have in my repertoire for a special occasion.

Wonton Wrappers

Makes 24 wrappers

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour + more for dusting

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup warm water

Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in the warm water with a fork until the dough turns stiff. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 12 minutes. Cover with a clean kitchen tow land let stand for 20 min. Divide the dough in half and roll out to 1/16 inch thick, reflouring the surface as needed to prevent dough from sticking. Cut the dough into 3 inch squares for the ravioli.

Ravioli with Sage Sauce

Makes 24 ravioli

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen butternut squash, thawed
1 1/2 sticks Earth Balance (vegan butter)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 recipe for wonton wrappers (above)

1 bunch fresh sage, stems removed

Place the squash and 1/2 stick of butter in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, cheese and salt and pepper. Place 1 tbsp of the squash mixture into the center of each wonton wrapper. Brush edges of the wrapper with water and fold one corner over to create a triangle. Press the edges to seal tightly. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the ravioli and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sage and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and toss with the ravioli before serving.

 

 

Vegan in DC

Business travel to me implies a lack of food options, uncomfortable beds, and decaying gym equipment in small, overheated work-out rooms.  Severely missing the state of the art treadmill at my local gym, I try my best to eat healthy on business trips. While it is generally easy to grab a healthy breakfast and lunch, dinner on the road usually implies either A) going out to eat with a large group of co-workers at some chain restaurant or B) grabbing a quick meal on the run…often Chinese take-out or some tasteless form of room service.

Time to break the habit!

This week in DC has been my first week of business travel as a vegan. Being a vegan is a good excuse for opting out of the large group dinners at uninspired and unhealthy restaurants without seeming antisocial. And luckily, being close to the DC metro area puts me in a location that has quite a few vegan-friendly options. The trick, of course, is finding the time to get to them during a busy week.

This week I managed to try out two delicious, vegan-friendly finds in the DC metro area.

The first was Brewyn Cafe in College Park MD.  Liberally named a "cafe", this restaurant looks more like  someone's home and is located in a mostly residential area to the side of the University of Maryland campus. After gathering up the courage to enter the building, you find yourself standing in a rather spacious room with a few sparsely placed tables and couches. To the back of the room there is counter to order food from. The place feels like it belongs in the early 80s but the food selection was quite inspired. From the specials menu I ordered a cup of the Lentil Coconut Soup and from their main menu, half of a "tofu gyro". The food overall was quite good and very "healthy" tasting with fresh vegetables and whole grains.  While the atmosphere was a bit intimidating to me with the sparse and utilitarian like furniture, perhaps others might find it, as their website advertises, "peaceful and pleasant".

The second restaurant I was able to try was  Toscana Grill in Arlington VA. I actually heard about this restaurant from Vegan Talk a blog by a fellow Vegan food lover. The restaurant sits a few blocks from the first apartment I had in Arlington, VA and yet I had never even noticed it while living there. Apparently the restaurant was not doing so well and the owner decided to revamp the Italian menu a year ago and make it eco-friendly and organic, adding a plethora of vegetarian and vegan options. While the two friends I went with were skeptic of the "Vegan Italian" menu options, I ordered the Sinatra vegan pizza with daiya vegan cheese, red peppers, spinach, "veggie chicken" and hot chili sauce. It was surprisingly delicious, and I really enjoyed it. The friends I went with (also self confessed tofu haters) ordered more mainstream items from the menu and seemed to enjoy them too.

Peanut Butter Crispy Rice Treats

Alicia Silverstone, author of the “Kind Diet”, has a recipe for a healthy “vegan-ized” version of the childhood favorite, rice crispy treats. In her book, she writes that she often takes these with her when she travels to satisfy cravings for something sweet or in case she misses a meal or needs a quick snack.

Since I am heading out the door tomorrow to go to DC for work, I figured I would whip up a batch of these to take with me. Coming home to these in my hotel room will make it that much easier to skip dessert at the company dinner. I left out the chocolate chips to make them a bit healthier and they are still delicious. 

Ingredients
1 ³/₄ cups brown rice syrup
1 pinch sea salt
³/₄ cup peanut butter or almond butter (all natural)
1 box brown rice crisps cereal
¹/₂ cup grain-sweetened (dairy free) chocolate chips (optional)

Directions
Heat rice syrup with a pinch of salt in a saucepan over low heat. When rice syrup liquefies, add peanut butter and stir until well combined and heated through.

Pour entire box of cereal into a large bowl. Pour rice syrup mixture on top. Use a wooden spoon to incorporate everything together (mix in grain-sweetened chocolate chips at this point, if using).


Press down into an 8"×8" or 9"×13" baking dish. Wet your fingers as your press down to keep them from sticking. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.