Green Smoothie

I read in another blog (alas, I don't remember which) that adding in a bit of vanilla extract will take away the bitterness of the greens in your smoothie. I tried it today and it totally works! I know some people hate kale in smoothies, but I find it just tastes fresh. I find other greens more obvious/bitter/bad so I'm glad to have found a solution. Here's the smoothie I made today:

Good Morning Chocolate

One generous handful spinach
One generous handful rapini or other greens
1/2 banana
1/3 cup blueberries
2 dates
1/4 cup oats
1/2 tbsp honey (or agave if you don't eat honey)
1/2 tbsp vanilla
1 to 2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 to 1 1/2 cups water

Put all ingredients in blender, and blend from low till high until smooth.

Mmmm... tastes very comfort foodie.

Green Smoothies

I've really been getting into green smoothies as a  way to get more greens into my diet. I signed up for a free workshop at Goodness Me! on superfood smoothies. I ended up not learning much that I didn't already know, but I got to try free smoothies, and so it was worth it. That being said, I'm still a beginner. I've mostly learned what I know from my friend Rebecca, who is a green smoothie goddess. The idea of drinking greens may *sound* gross, but it is an amazing way to start the day. SO energizing. It's really increadible.

I'm going to try to remember to post when I make smoothies I particularly like.

Ol' Faithful

I call this one ol' faithful cause I make it most often. It's good for beginners, because it's not too greeny tasting.

1/2 to a whole banana

6 or so frozen strawberries

1 small carrot, chopped into pieces

2-3 kale leaves, most of stem removed and discarded, the rest broken into pieces

1 to 1 & 1/2  cup of soy or almond milk OR 1 to 1 & 1/2 cup water plus 2 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp cocoa powder (optional - for us chocolate lovers)

Also Optional:

1 tbsp flax or chia seeds - will make the smoothie quite thick, so if you don't like it thick, add more water or leave these out. This smoothie is thick to begin with.

Put everything in the blender. Start blending at a mid-setting, and then turn up to high. Process till smooth. Some blenders might have a hard time blending kale, but I just jave a very basic Oster blender, which is about 6 years old now, and it does just fine.

Blimey Limey Greenie

I made this one this morning. It is very refreshing! (Also very 'green' tasting, but I have come to enjoy the freshness of the flavour.)

3-4 kale leaves, as above.

1 slice of organic lime, peel included (non-organic citrus fruits have a lot of pesticides in the peel).

about 3/4 c fresh blueberries

handful of fresh parsley

3 dried dates

1 slice peeled, fresh ginger root

1 cup soy milk

Blend until smooth.

When you have a smoothie, be sure to drink it slowly and chew it, even if it doesn't need chewing. This will aid in digestion.

If the smoothie isn't blending well, I find it helps to add a bit of water.

Tip for Kale:

If you find you're not using it fast enough before it goes bad, it freezes really well. I just cut it into strips and chuck it in a ziplock bag. When I want to make a smoothie, I just grab a few handfuls.

So get greening!

- Phebe

Susan's Killer Guac

My mum made *great* guacamole, and she'd always make home-fried corn chips to go with it. She may have grown up on a rather WASPy meat-and-potatoes diet, but she loved spicy food from the moment she tried it, and she could put damn fine Mexican and Indian meals on the table.

I love using this Guac as a condiment on almost anything, or as an appetizer/snack with chips or veggies. Um, or a spoon.

• 2-3 ripe avacados (2 if you're using a small tomato, three if you're using a medium to large one)
• 1/2 to a full small onion (I use half - I don't like it as oniony - my mum used a full)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tomato
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 scant TBSP chili powder
• a dash of hot sauce, or, alternatively, I sometimes use about 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

For chunky guac, mash the acacados in a bowl, and then chop everything else finely and mix it in with the avacados. (I like this best for chips).
For smooth guac (better as a condiment), chuck everything in a blender or food processor and let it get mangled up till it's smooth and creamy.

Thanks, mum.

Okara Seitan Fajitas

Cut into slices, and saute together in a bit of canola oil:

• 1/4-1/2 red onion

• 1 small zucchini

• 1/2 green pepper

• 1/2 red, orange or yellow pepper

• 1/2 batch okara seitan, or other seitan

As you stir fry these, add in a generous amount of freshly ground pepper, a sprinkle of fajita or taco seasoning, and a sprinkle of chipotle powder to taste. You don't want to use more than a tablespoon of taco seasoning, because it will be too salty.

Put a little bit of filling in small flour tortillas and garnish with your choice of salsa, guacamole, cashew sour cream, rice.

Lentil Tacos

This is one of our favourite suppers.

I use this recipe for the lentil filling, except instead of a bullion cube, I use 1/2 packet of taco seasoning (2-3 TBSP if you are buying in bulk). The other modification (and this is true of all crock pot recipes I've so far encountered) is that the cooking time listed is waaaay too long. These take four hours in the crockpot at most, on low. If you don't have a crock pot, you can do it in a regular pot on the stove, on low temp.

Garnish however you like. These have cashew sour cream, avocado, lettuce, rice, salsa and soy cheese.

Vegan Parmesan Cheese Substitute

I have this thing about commercial vegan cheeses. They all taste like feet. I haven't met a one that has tasted ANYTHING like cheese. Every one I've tried is awful, and expensive to boot. So, I avoid them altogether. I'll sometimes put it on as a garnish, if there's lots of other flavours to mask its putrescence, but generally, I'd just as soon do without.

The problem is, I LOVE cheese. LOVE. Cheese, however, does not like me. I can't really digest animal products very well (and it's only gotten worse as I've aged) which is the main reason why I eat vegan as much as possible.

My favourite cheese of all is parmesan. Spaghetti just isn't the same without it. My dear friend Sara recommended I try making my own parmesan substitute, since I don't like any of the vegan ones I've tried.

Here's my version of the recipe:

1/2 cup raw, shelled almonds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 tsp sea salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground and resembles parmesan.

It doesn't taste like parmesan, but it doesn't taste like feet either, and it's apt to fool you when it's sprinkled on your spaghetti.

Mushroom Miso Gravy & Shepherd's Pie

Not the most photogenic food ever, but a great stick-to-your-ribs meal.

First, peel and chop about 5 potatoes into large chunks, and boil.

While they are boiling, prepare the gravy. My gravy recipe is based on the Simple Shallot Gravy recipe in The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard & Sarah Kramer (p. 140), although I have modified it to my own tastes.

Gravy
• 2 tbsp miso, any kind will do
• 1 tsp marmite or vegemite
• 2 cups water
• One onion, chopped finely
• About 6 brown mushrooms, chopped into small bits
• 1 tbsp olive or canola oil

• 1/4 cup white flour
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• freshly ground pepper


Dissolve the miso and marmite in 2 tbsp of the hot water and put it aside.

Saute the onion and mushrooms in the oil on medium heat until they are soft. Turn the burner to low. Add in the flour slowly by spoonfuls, stirring consistently so you don't get flour lumps. (I use a whisk). Add in the miso/marmite mixture, maple syrup, thyme and pepper while stirring. Slowly add the rest of the water, stirring continually, until you have a thick, rich gravy. You may not need the full amount of water.

When you are done the gravy, rehydrate your TVP (see link below) and mash your potatoes thoroughly with vegan margarine and non-dairy milk of your choice (I use home-made soy-barley).

Mix into the gravy about 1-1/2 to 2 cups of rehydrated TVP granules OR a mixture of rehydrated TVP and cooked brown lentils. Also add in the following optional things:
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or sunflower seeds (to vary the texture)
- 1/3 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup frozen or canned corn

Spread gravy/veggie mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish or baking pan (I use a 2 L corningware dish). Then spread the mashed potatoes on top of it. Top with vegan parmesan if desired. Bake in 400 F oven for 20-30 minutes, or until you see gravy start to bubble up, and the top starts to brown. Serves 4-6.

Okara Seitan

I find most home-made gluten-only seitan to be a bit too chewy. Since I've also been looking for ways to use up my okara, I was thrilled to find this recipe for a "vegetarian chicken substitute" made with okara and gluten. I modified it a bit, and here is my version. It has become one of our favourite protein sources.


Mix:
• 2/3 cup gluten
• 2 heaping tsp vegetarian chicken-flavoured broth powder (available at most bulk & health food stores)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• about 1/2 tsp each onion powder and garlic powder

• about 1/4 tsp each rosemary, sage, thyme (optional)

Add in:
• 1 tbsp olive or canola oil
• About one cup okara (one soy milk makings' worth, if you use a SoyQuick.)

Knead mixture until it is uniform and sticks together.
Make into patties about three or four inches in diameter.

Bake in the oven on parchment paper at 450 F, 10-15 minutes each side, or until golden brown.

Let cool, and then cut into chunks or strips if you are using it in a stir-fry or casserole.

Quick Vegetable Chowder

I threw together this lunch the other day, made from leftovers. I made it up as I was going along, so all of the measurements are approximate. You could use any combination of vegetables you have on hand.

1 large Yukon Gold potato, scrubbed and diced into smallish cubes
1 cooking onion, chopped
1-2 tbsp canola oil
Water
1 tbsp herbes de provence (mix of savory, basil, thyme, fennel, lavender)
1/8 tsp. mace
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
Generous handfull of mixed green & yellow beans, topped, tailed and cut in thirds
1/2 vegetable bullion cube
3/4 cup cashew sour cream
1 cup soy-barley milk, or other non-dairy milk

Saute potato, onion and herbs in canola oil in a medium-size pan until they start to go soft. Add the bullion cube, beans and just enough hot water to barely cover the vegetables in the pan. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, or until beans are somewhat cooked but still have a bit of firmness to them. (Mushy vegetables are gross). Take the soup off the burner and let it cool for a few minutes. Ladle half the soup into a blender, along with your sour cream and "milk." Blend thoroughly, and return to pot. Heat the soup through on low, and serve. Alternately, if you have an emersion blender, add the last two ingredients to your soup pot, and then pulse the soup until it is creamy and blended, but still has some chunks of vegetables.