What's Cooking? A Thanksgiving for Two!

 
I hope that everyone who celebrated had a lovely Thanksgiving. Mine was quiet and relaxing, with just my aunt and her cats! We whipped up a delightful, healthy vegan meal (even though she is not). Personally, I don't understand why Thanksgiving needs to be a 'gorge-fest', so creating a meal that celebrates the spirit of the holiday but is not overwhelming and extravagant is much more my style. So what did we make?

On the menu:

Roasted beet and sweet potato salad with toasted pecans and dried cherries (optional)
Steamed artichokes
Roasted acorn squash wedges with thyme

Quinoa with mushrooms and caramelized onions

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs Italian herbs
1 tsp garlic salt or powder
Olive oil for the pan
salt to taste
1/4 cup pinenuts

1. Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan. Simmer with the quinoa for 30 minutes or so until the grains are cooked-through.
2. In a skillet, sautee the onions in the oil until translucent. Add mushrooms (not an ACD-friendly food, but I fell off the bandwagon this weekend...) and garlic. Cook until mushrooms are soft. Season to taste and you can add the pinenuts at this time.
3. Mix vegetables with quinoa. Serve with roasted squash and the artichokes.

Check out Wellness Weekend for some other tasty holiday eats.

Fast Fact Friday: Turkey-less Thanksgiving

You know I don't usually harp upon animal rights or the killing of animals. But, after a delightful animal-free Thanksgiving dinner (which I will post about next week), I thought I would provide a quick nod to the birds of the holiday. An estimated 46 million turkeys gave their lives for Thanksgiving dinner, and most of those are kept in over-crowded conditions, bred for larger breast meat than any bird found in nature. And turkey always seems to be the focus of the holiday.

Check out this clip for some non-turkey tastes:

The Perennial Plate Episode 80: Turkeyless Interlude from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

Thirty Second Thursdays: Snickerdoodle "Fudge"

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope everyone celebrating has a relaxing and fulfilling holiday. Now, onto the matter at hand...

When I began my current journey into no-sugar-dom three weeks ago, I have to admit to being completely terrified about the prospect. That meant no baked goods, no chocolate, and no fruit! Seeing as chocolate and fruit used to make up a good portion of my diet, it was a little unclear what would fill that void. Yes, almonds and sunflower seeds have become a staple, but there are times when I just want something nice and sweet.


Ricki, from Diet, Dessert and Dogs, inspired one of my new favorite sweet fixes. Who would have thought that mixing beans with some stevia and cinnamon could be so wonderful? Enjoy my take on fudge (just need to find some carob...) and take a look at some of the other ACD-friendly treats.

Snickerdoodle Fudge
2/3 cup garbanzo beans, dry, soaked and cooked until very soft
2 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs tahini
1 tbs cinnamon
20 drops vanilla stevia

1. Combine everything in the food processor while beans are still warm, until extremely smooth. Spread mix in a small baking dish, or mini muffin cups (I use a silicone pan). Place in refrigerator until they set, and then cut into squares or pop out. Enjoy!

Check out Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays for some Thanksgiving Highlights!

My Munchable Soapbox: Waste Not Want Not

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Like some of the Jewish harvest holidays (Passover, Sukkot...), it really celebrates the beauty of the season. It's a time to be thankful for what we have, and enjoy the end of the fall crop. I even harped upon this topic for a week straight last year. But one thing that has always bothered me about how this holiday has transformed over years, is the emphasis on over-consumption. So, this year, I want to address the issue of excess and waste during the holiday.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, about one third of all food is wasted worldwide. While in developing nations this is largely due to lack of infrastructure and post-harvest processing capabilities (like good roads and refrigeration), industrialized nations squander food after it has reached the consumer. Those 222 million tons of food waste generated annually in these countries. (almost equal to what is produced in Sub-Saharan Africa) are from uneaten restaurant portions, items past the sell-by date in the grocery store, etc.

Between Thanksgiving and New Years, we generate 5 million tons of food waste above-and-beyond our average. WorldWatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet blog has laid out ten ways to reduce holiday excess. I'm a big fan of exercising some restraint and practicing moderation (ie. this is NOT of a gorge-fest), repurpose leftovers (soups or stews are great for this), and composting.

And just a last thought, as the yoga teacher in me comes out, take some time over the next few days to really think about what you are grateful for. Despite the social pettiness, political corruption, and environmental degradation of our world, we do live in an amazing place. Look out the

Mark Bittman published some foodie thanks, if you need some inspiration!

What's Cooking: Rosti!

I love potatoes. Just putting that out there. Roasted with olive oil and salt in the oven. The waxy, golden yukons; the royal hue of purple fleshed taters; the rosy glow of pink spuds. But I can't eat the quantity of potatoes to which I am accustomed. Limited to a single serving of starchy vegetable per day, sweet potatoes or winter squash usually win out over the humble potato. The traditional rosti is essentially a cross between hashbrowns and a potato pancake. But tonight I combined a medley of root vegetables, with sweet potato subbing for regular old potatoes, and created a lovely golden rosti.

This meal was inspired by The Veganopolis Cookbook and would be an excellent brunch dish or dinner side (or main meal, for me). If you can eat them, grated carrot and beets would add color and flavor!

Root Rosti (adapted from Veganopolis cookbook)
1 turnip, grated
1 parsnip, grated (limit food)
1 fingerling sweet potato, grated (limit food)
1 sunchoke, grated
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 tbs oil
salt, dill, and garlic powder to taste

1. Saute onions in half the oil in a skillet, until translucent. Season. Toss with rest of vegetables and oil.
2. Spread into a small, well-oiled pan and bake for about 45 minutes at 400F. Conversely, you can form into patties and pan-fry.

Check out other scrumptious and healthy dishes at Wellness Weekends.

Fast Fact Friday: The Newest Vegetable

Pizza. Yes, you read correctly; congress is trying to classify pizza as a vegetable in the Obama administration's attempts to make school lunches healthier. Well rather, they say that two tablespoons of tomato paste, enough to cover a slice of pizza, should count as a serving of vegetables. I don't know about you, but this seems just a tad ridiculous, and makes me ask (not for the first time) whether our government officials really have the American public's interests at heart or their own pocketbook's.

Grist explains a bit of the history.
NPR blogs and podcasts (can that be a verb?) about the controversy.

Thirty Second Thursdays: Swee' Potato Puddin'

Gosh darn, I almost forgot to post this! Busy week. Anywho, we'll just go with a recipe. In my third week of this anti-candida diet and I'm starting to get into the groove. My one "limit" food of the day tends to be a sweet potato. While that is often roasted, I have taken to making pro-biotic sweet potato pudding!

Sweet Potato Puddin' (2 servings)
2 medium sweet potatoes, either roasted or microwaved until soft, peeled
8 oz unsweetened soy yogurt (make your own!)
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tsp cinnamon
10-15 drops vanilla stevia (or to taste...you may not need any)

1. Dump it all into the food processor and let 'er rip!

Check out other healthy treats on Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays!

What's Cooking? Down-Home-ish Cooking

The leaves have changed and fallen. Winter, I suppose, is here. At least I can take comfort in the fact that there are many warm, comforting foods to help eke out a winter existence. Celery root and hardy greens are two great options. The former held the spotlight on my blog nearly a year ago, and the latter adds some color and nutrients to a chilly day's meal. This weekend I also discovered a new spice - smoked Spanish paprika! I was beyond excited, so had to incorporate it into dish.

Roasted Mashed Celeriac
1 celery root, cubed
1/4 medium red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, split
salt to taste
olive oil to coat

1. Roaste all ingredients in a pan at 400F for about 30 minutes, until very tender. Stir halfway through.
2. Dump into a food processor. Blend until desired texture. And enjoy! Simple? Yup.

Smokey Greens
5-6 collard greens leaves, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
1/2 cup cooked black-eyed peas
dash salt
Juice of half a lemon (optional)
1-2 tsp olive oil

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add onions and cook until they start to get translucent. Add greens, cooking until starting to wilt. Add spices and peas, heating for another 5 minutes or so. Spritz with lemon juice. Top with celeriac mash. Enjoy warm!

Check out more healthy weekend dishes on Diet, Desserts and Dogs for Wellness Weekends!

Fast Fact Friday: Turning up the Heat on Coffee

Coffee beans grow in a very narrow climatic range - too cold and you don't get beans; too hot and you don't get beans. More importantly, the lack of rain and new pests and diseases that coincide with these weather shifts are particularly detrimental to the productivity of coffee plants. One potential action to alleviate some of the stress is planting shade trees.

Read more about the plight of Ugandan coffee on PRI's The World. And buy shade-grown organic, when you can!!!

Thirty Second Thursdays: Festive Hummus

As a self-professed chocoholic and baked goods aficionado, I have found that eliminating these staples from my diet, even temporarily, is quite challenging. As such, I am wracking my brain for substitutes to appease a very demanding sweet tooth! After trying chocolate chickpea dip over a year ago, I thought that something along these lines sounded promising. Melding the aromas of fall with a sweet twist on a favorite Mediterranean spread, I came to my favorite part of Thanksgiving: winter squash baked into a golden crust. Ok, maybe no golden crust.

 
Pumpkin Pie Hummus
1/2 cup dry garbanzo beans, soaked overnight and boiled to softness
1/4 cup liquid saved from beans
1 small pumpkin (I used carnival squash), roasted and peeled (this is a limit food and can be omitted)
1 tbs cinnamon
15-20 drops vanilla stevia (or to taste)
1 tbs raw tahini
1-2 tbs almond milk

Place all ingredients, except stevia, in the food processor. Combine until pretty smooth. Add additional almond milk as needed. You may need less if you don't use the pumpkin. Add stevia in 5-10 drop intervals until you reach the desired sweetness.

Dip celery or carrots. Eat by the spoonful (I mean, who does that...?). Check out other healthier treats at this week's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

My Munchable Soapbox: Old MacDonald had a Farm Bill

I gave you some recipes on Monday, now I'm dishing up some food for thought. This is an interesting time to be interested in food and agriculture in the U.S., and the Farm Bill is up for reauthorization this year. The Farm Bill is the all-inclusive piece of legislation that deals with crop subsidies, supplemental nutrition programs, and conservation measures in agriculture. It is a $284 billion expenditure over five years, with over half the funds going towards food stamps. Every five years, this package comes under the scrutiny of the congressional agriculture committee once again. Well, the National Government's budget crisis seems to have moved the day of reckoning up, with Congress' Super Committee attempting to pare down the bill in hopes of helping to balance the budget.

You can imagine that this news has many squirming in their seats, and weighing in on what should and should not remain in the text. Environmental groups and sustainable agriculture advocates are particularly concerned about what a Republican-led congress might do to conservation programs. American Farmland Trust has released a series of position papers advocating for improved (but not removed) conservation programs and supports for beginning farmers. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is backing the inclusion of a Local and Regional Food Bill and the Beginning Farmer Bill. And the illustrious Chicago Council on Global Affairs released a white paper advocating for more robust nutrition programs and weeding out commodity and biofuel subsidies.

So we wait with baited breath, to see what will happen in the next week or so. In the meantime, take a peak at this great TedX talk and call your member of Congress! 

My Monday Lunchbox - End of Summer Stewing

Happy November, everyone! (yes, this is my first post of the month...) After a month of almost non-stop posting, I have to admit that I needed last week to recuperate. That may explain the pause in blog entries. The other reason I have remained relatively quiet is that I have been trying to get into the groove of my short-term diet switch - omitting grains and sugars (including fruit). I won't go into the WHY (TMI?), but you can get a picture of the reasoning behind the anti-candida diet on Diet, Desserts and Dogs.

If you thought a vegan's diet centered around vegetables, let me tell you that without bready products in one's life, it really puts vegetables at the forefront. This past week has included more greens, beans and nuts than I can remember. Kale and cabbage have been lunch staples. Mung beans and chickpeas have featured prominently in curries and dips. And, well, almonds and sunflower seeds have filled in all the rest. More than once already I have found myself in a bind, without food I can eat, and no way of obtaining it for hours. But I've also had the delight of thinking outside of the box, not relying on my usual go-to items to fill me up (no more three-apple days).

Because it is hard to imagine this seemingly limited array of foods satiating and nourishing a human being, I thought I would provide a little snapshot of today's lunch (figuratively speaking, as I was much too lazy to snap a real photo). Meals at the moment are indicative of the time of year - summer is in recent memory, with eggplants and peppers still in play, but increasingly root veggies, winter squash, and hardy greens claiming center stage.

Changing Seasons Stew
1 small eggplant, diced, salted, and allowed to sit for 30 minutes
1/2 small onion, diced
1 small bunch swiss chard, chopped
1 small sweet potato (this is a limit food, sigh)
1/4 cup vegetable stock
spritz of olive oil
oregano, thyme, and basil to taste

1. Coat bottom of a pyrex casserole dish with olive oil. Sprinkle half of the onions, then layer eggplant, sweet potato, chard, and remaining onions. Add herbs with each layer. Pour in vegetable broth.
2. Place in a 350F oven for at least 45 minutes, until sweet potato is cooked through. Serve with some mung beans.

Curried Mung Beans
1/2 cup dried mung beans, soaked overnight
3/4 cup water or vegetable broth

2 tsp curry powder
1/4 onion, diced
1-2 tsp olive oil

Salt to taste


Heat oil and onions in a small sauce pan over medium heat until onions begin to turn translucent. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Cook mung beans for 30 minutes or so until soft. Add a curry powder, or a mix of turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and ginger, plus any salt you feel you need. Enjoy (perhaps with millet?)


So, this is ridiculously easy to make; and mung beans are so good for you. Considered in Ayurvedic traditions as cleansing, nourishing, and balancing, mung beans are probably one of the most appropriate vegan protein sources while on this diet.

Mmm. I also have a supply of soaked raw almonds, raw cabbage salad with pesto, and some carrots...just in case! Be sure to check back to see how I'm faring on this regime; what new substitutes I find for sugary desserts; and what's new in the sustainable agriculture realm (yeah, don't forget that part!).

And for more healthier recipes, check out Wellness Weekend.