Candy Cane Beets and Beet Marinated Salmon

Beets are plentiful during the holidays & are packed with nutrition.  How could they be otherwise with that bold, colour-drenched palette.  While the red beets are traditional, golden, yellow and beautiful candy cane beets are really dramatic for presentation.

I am roasting off two bags of candy cane and golden beets to prepare for Christmas eve, where they will serve as the accompaniment to my beet-marinated salmon.

I scrubbed the skins and put them in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.  Roasting them will allow the sugars to carmelize and for the hard, raw texture to soften.

I'm going to take the skins off, and freeze them once roasted.  The day before dinner, I will thaw them and cut them into thin slices.

I have two huge salmon filets.  I am going to shred raw, red beets and surround the salmon with the very well salted shreds. The beets will impart a gorgeous red hue to the pale, orange salmon.

Pics to follow.

The 12 Days of Ukrainian Christmas

Today marks what we observe in our house to be the First day of Christmas.  For you traditionalists out there, I KNOW that the first day of Christmas is Christmas.  But because I love this season, I always start with a little something - a stocking stuffer kind of thing - for each of the 12 days before Christmas.

The next 12 days including today are going to be extraordinarily busy.  My shopping is done, but not wrapped, and the house looks gorgeously Christmas-y.

I have decided to simutaneously completely paint and redecorate my dining room, prepare for an extraordinary Family Christmas Eve Feast, and boost my own health by eating right again and exercising to survive the holidays.  Not to mention work all next week to achieve three weeks worth of fundraising in five days.

So?  I am fuelling this ambititon with smoothies, coffee, and music - while forgoing alcohol, most TV, and "vegging".

I hope what I am left with on December 26 is a camera full of gorgeous pictures of our Ukrainian Christmas Eve and two full dishwashers.

Here is my menu:

Kolach - One for the table and one wreathed loaf for dipping in a honey garlic sauce

Opening Course (1) Kutya - a wheat and poppyseed porridge with fruit and nuts

Amuse Bouche (2)  Crispy fish croquettes in a savory tomato and onion sauce

Appetizer (3)  Pickled Mushrooms on toasted Ukrainian bread with olive oil and garlic

Jellied Fish Course (4)   Poached whitefish in a lemon jelly with capers, peas and red pepper specks

Salad Course (5)  Raw beet and Granny Smith Apple slaw with orange honey vinaigrette with candied orange slivers

Soup Course (6) Borscht with mushroom vushka

Potato Course (7) Perogies with carmelized onions

Vegetable Course (8) Cabbage rolls stuffed with brown rice and lentils

Main Course (9)  Beet Marinated Salmon over Candy Cane Beets and Wilted Kale

Cake Course (10) Orange Honey Cake with Apricot Compote

Pampushky (11) Filled puffed doughnuts with white peach vanilla jelly

Pastry Course (12) Hrusty with powdered sugar


I want these to look absolutely spectacular.  Much of it will depend on having things done ahead of time, so I am off to Home Depot to get some paint and start filling the holes in our dining room and priming the walls!!!

Starbucks anyone?

Juicing "The Redlist"

My new favourite show is "The Blacklist" starring James Spader - playing the complex and magnetic Raymond Reddington - "Red".  Now that he is maturing, I find him much more attractive than he was in "Pretty in Pink" where we were first introduced to that devilish, charming speaking style with an inimitable way of pronouncing his "S"s.

In last week's episode, the plastic surgeon to the criminal world remarks on Red's glowing skin.  "Are you juicing?"

Red remarks "Beets, mostly.  Some celery.  Loads of ginger.  No kale. It makes me dyspeptic".

So I guess this would be the Red list?

One of my new favourite students remarked on a particularly green smoothie on my desk this morning. "What is in that?"  After telling her, she remarked - "Your organs must be so clean!".

Today was one of those "GREAT" mornings.  Where I've slept, where I am raring to go at work, and where I've packed a healthy raw lunch and begun my day with a great, healthy breakfast.  I wish they were all like this (they're NOT) but today is, and I'm going to enjoy it.

This morning's smoothie was surprisingly easy and delicious - despite looking like swamp juice.  And despite all the red contained therein, kale trumps red and the smoothie was still surprisingly green.

It contained a cup of raspberries, a cup of kale, a banana, half an avocado, two tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of flax seed, two teaspoons of hemp seed, a celery stalk, an orange beet (skin on) and enough coconut milk and water to bind the whole thing together.

I LOVE my Vitamix.  That thing can puree anything to a smooth, velvety liquid better than any other blending device.  I would love to become someone who "juices", but because I can't stand the cleanup I will just stick with the fibre blended into the juice.  I keep the seeds on the counter, the kale prewashed in the fridge and the raspberries in the freezer.  It takes me less time to blend everything together than it takes to brew my coffee.

Greens have an extraordinary way of cleansing your blood and organs.  It's the photosynthesis.  Since green is the opposite of red it is a particurlarly great way of balancing out the acidity of everyday life.  On the days when you don't get it right, add some reds and greens.

So, I am going to polish off the smoothie, get a tonne of work done and anxiously await tonight's episode.

Triathlon Energy

It's finally triathlon season!  After doing all the mental preparation (reading "Triathlons for Dummies", one issue of Triathlete magazine) I decided I was really going to start training for the Sprint Triathlons this summer.  

So what better way to train than to just register for a race and do it?

While my time was a painfully slow 2 hours one minute, I did surprisingly well in both transitions (between the swim and the bike, and between the bike and the run).  Most notable was the fact that I wasn't remotely sore the next day.

For this, I credit Brendan Brazier and all my nutrition reading.

The day before the race I drank lots and LOTS of water so my muscles were hydrated even before I started.  No amount of water during a race will compensate for being dehydrated when you start.

Gave up wine.  Sad, but true.

The night before I had some seriously crispy gluten-free crackers and some cashew cream cheese.  Lots of slow burning carbs, great fats and protein.

The morning of (that's 4 am!) I had a half cup of Red River Cereal - full of serious whole grains which burn slow and fuel long!

While driving to the race I had a blueberry, roasted beet, chocolate almond milk, flax smoothie.  Purple and delicious.

During the race I had my favourite fruit gummies (Florida's Naturals) which were taped to my bike and literally all that kept me going during the against-the-current 750m swim.

Power bar during the bike leg was made of raw cashews, raw chocolate, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, coconut, dates, lemon zest and agave.  Sticky but fuelling.

Finally, after the race I made a high energy recovery gel from dates, lime and lemon zest, agave and arame (a seaweed) for iron.  Squished it into my mouth after surviving the run.  

Lots of water always, a high colour meal afterwards (sweet potatoes, spinach, avocado, tomato) and even a few of my dreaded nemesis - Salt and Vinegar Miss Vickies chips.

Can't believe I finished & can't wait to see where I can go next with some actual training!!

Shrex Appeal : Ogres are like Onions

Because they stink?

No.

Because they make you cry?

No.

Because you leave 'em out in the sun and they start sprouting little white hairs?

NO!

L A Y E R S!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When my son was younger, my favourite Mom moment, BAR NONE, was sitting on the couch watching Shrek.  Pure boy joy.

I adore this movie - the adult humour mingled with the kid humour.  I love the character development.  I love the juxtaposition of royalty and ogres.  But most of all, I love the food talk.  "Parfaits?  Everybody loves parfaits.  Parfaits is delicious!!"

And hence, my Shrekilicious reference to layers.

Mushroom pasta is like ogres.  The layers make it great.

To some (my friend Scott comes to mind immediately), mushrooms are a vile fungus unworthy of edibility.

To others, they are a meaty, flavourful delicacy.  But in order to coax the best out of mushrooms, you must MUST layer the flavours to maximize their sex appeal.

Mrs. Q.  :  Any mushroom dish is enriched by truffles.   Truffle oil.  Truffle Paste.  Truffle Salt.  Truffles are mushroom royalty.

Charming:  Dijon anything.  Grainy mustard AND smooth dijon mustard will add an indescribable uniqueness which the dish would be the poorer for.  You should always have dijon in your fridge or pantry.  

Sir Shrek:  When you pull them out of the ground, wash off the dirt and peel back the layers - ogres are like onions.  So use them - in the form of onions, chives or leeks (my personal fave).

Princess Fiona:  About a quarter cup of wine - table wine if that's all you have, and fine, complex wine if that's what's going.

Pinocchio, Gingy and the Big Bad Wolf?  Who can forget this supporting cast of thong wearing, huge-girlfriend stalked, piggy porn reading gems?  This group is your steak spice - perfect, even if you add just a dash or two.

Donkey?  Yep!  You guessed it.  The stinky, annoying, never goes away interference of garlic.  Mushroom dishes just aren't the same without it and are better because of it.

Puss in Boots?  Every movie needs an iconic, villanous hero.  Something which in large doses are unbearable, but appropriately used are just perfect enhancements to a dish.  Mushrooms LOVE toasted sesame oil, even if the position of annoying talking sidekick has already been filled:)  lol.

A few other supports?  Miso (mysterious and exotic), Soy Sauce or Tamari (salty and briny) and last but never least - pepper.  Don't leave it out.

This combination of layers will have you coming back for every sequel.

     

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Veggie burgers are showing up on menus everywhere, and make me feel like a normal eater.  But rarer is the downright decadence of a bacon cheeseburger.  Few restaurants have a vegan cheese and fewer still - I mean NONE - have coconut bacon to be added.

Seriously, coconut bacon has revolutionized my life lately.  That smoky, salty crispy deliciousness is getting added back into our menus in so many ways.

Today's was a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf!

There are some really good ground beef substitutes out there for the vegetarians who might want to indulge in a sumptuous, beefy burger every now and then.  Even though the crumbles are a processed food, I usually buy a bag once a month to add some "ground beef" to either a pasta sauce, or a shepherd's pie, or a stew.

President's Choice makes a great ground beef crumble, but many brands including Gardein are great also.

I took some leftover lentils and rice in a large bowl and mixed in 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard.  I loathe the taste of ketchup, but since it's the world's most popular condiment, you could add some here as well to give the rice a burger flavour.

I browned the 'ground beef' in a pan, and added in some chopped garlic and onions.  When it was cooked, I incorporated it into the rice.  It mixed into a nice consistency, which I put into a bread loaf pan to make a meatloaf.  As I was about to put the loaf into the oven, I had a stroke of bacon cheesburger genius.

I had some coconut bacon in the fridge, and some daiya cheddar in the freezer.

I took about half the mixture out of the pan and layered in the cheddar and the bacon.  Then I topped it off with the rest of the ground beef.

Baked it for about 40 minutes at 350, along with some sweet potato crinkle cut fries.

When the smell of a bacon cheeseburger wafted through the house - I could tell it was done.  And it was smoky, rich, cheesy, and hearty.

Slices of this cheeseburger loaf would make a fabulous snack wrap.  Just add a thick slice to the centre of a tortilla, squirt a little mustard, ketchup, relish or dijon on top and roll up for lunch or for the freezer, when you need a quick burger fix.

Coconut bacon is opening up my world again, and I can't contain my excitement!

The Genius of Culinary Parchment Muffin Wrappers

Busy.

The word actually sounds exhausting, like a bunch of bees working away.

One of my favourite tricks is to make a large batch of either cookies or muffins and separate them into plastic baggies - just ready for the wet ingredients.  Then I write the wet ingredients needed on a post-it note and throw that in the bag.

The hardest part about making cookies or muffins is locating the ingredients and the measuring spoons.

So - once I have a recipe, and ingredients AND spoons A N D motivation to make something, I multiply that exponentially to pay it forward.

I will often do 10 bags at a time.  I take 10 coffee mugs and put them on the counter.  Put 10 baggies in the cups and roll the openings over the tops of the mugs.

1 cup flour - 1 cup flour - 1 cup flour ........
1/2 tsp baking powder - 10 x
1/4 tsp salt 10x

So now your favourite recipe has 9 versions just waiting to be made on a day when you want cookies but have no time to do it. This is (of course) the impetus behind cake mixes, muffin mixes, pancake mixes and cookie mixes, but you can really do this at home with better ingredients, less sugar, salt, fat and processed chemicals.  Take one Wednesday night after dinner & treat yourself to this little project.  It's like you're your own factory!

At the end of the day, Harrison wanted something sweet.  I grabbed a bag of muffin mix, added a 1/2 cup of cocoa, some oil and enough coconut milk to bring the mixture together.  Scooped the batter into 12 muffin cups using an ice cream scoop with a release valve so that all the muffins came out evenly.  Sprinkled some vanilla sugar on the tops and studded three dark chocolate nuggets into the top for a dash of extra decadence.

This was my first time using culinary parchment made specifically for muffins and I am positively hooked.  Everyone knows that nothing sticks to parchment, but these muffin containers are absolute genius.  They are beautiful - like little culinary tulips.  Secondly NOTHING sticks to them, so the muffins release easily from the wrapper.  I hate wrappers that cling to baked goods.

Finally, they actually come up over the muffin instead of just covering the stump, so they pack nicely into a lunch bag.

Most of the muffins at the grocery store have huge amounts of fat (some as many as 23g in a single muffin) and sugar (30g???) and loads of calories (480?)  Seriously?

Personally, I like the DIY.  I can use whole wheat flour, coconut oil instead of butter and control the sugar to my taste.

Asparagus Hollandaise and Fresh Pasta

I have really missed asparagus!

And Lily of the Valley....

And the smell of Lilac...

And NHL playoffs.  Except after watching a heart-wrenching defeat of the Maple Leafs, I'm kind of sensitive right now.  And being a Windsorite, I feel like more of a Red Wings fan than TO, but that's the beauty of the hockey.  It draws you in!

Spring is such a delicious, fragrant season.  And it's BUSY!  There is yard work to do, exercise to perform, school to finish, and summer plans to make.

So "what's for dinner" gets simplified to the most basic level.

I threw 2 tablespoons of grainy dijon mustard in a bowl.  Added in 1/4 cup of heavy condensed coconut milk.  Zest and juice of 1 lemon and a splash of soy sauce.  And a healthy dash of Cayenne Pepper.

Whisked in the bottom of the bowl as if I was making a classic caesar salad dressing.

Cooked up some fusilli and added to the dressing.  The heat smoothed out any solid bits of the coconut milk, and coated the pasta in a creamy sauce.

I added some added some thinly sliced young cucumber, some fresh tomato and some blanched asparagus segments for a fresh, creamy, lemony spring dinner.

Please forgive my grainy photos - promise to fix that over the long weekend.

"Saving It For Later"

Have you ever found yourself "saving" a luxurious, delicious splurge "for later"?  And then having it go bad?

This week, I scooped out the flesh of three mangos that I splurged on.  They are called "champagne" mangos - because of their delicate flavour and burst of yellow colour.  They are smaller than regular mangos, and sweeter.  They are an unusual find, so I bought 5 (two ripe and three under-ripe).

And then I proceeded to "save" them for 2 and a half weeks.  I skipped adding them to my oatmeal in the morning.  I declined to have one as an after work snack while I was getting dinner ready.  I declined to cut them up and offer them to the guys as a delectable dessert.

Nope - they just sat there, disappointed, as I passed them by, day after day.

If you've ever heard of the marshmallow test that they give 2 year olds, you know that the ability to defer gratification is an important part of growing up, being responsible, and being practical.  It can determine the person who can put off the instant gratification of impulse shopping, because their money is allocated to more important priorities.  It can determine the person willing to stick it out in a long term career plan requiring more education when all of your friends are getting on with their lives and getting real jobs.  It can be the difference between wanting everything NOW and wanting everything all in good time.

I like to think that I am the kind of person who is up for the unexpected, but the reality is that I am probably more practical than I should be.

I will "save" my expensive vanilla bean paste instead of putting it into every dessert I make.  And sometimes it will crystallize from sitting too long.

I will "save" my truffle paste when making a delicious mushroom risotto and use only 1 teaspoon instead of two.  Sometimes I save it so long that it gets moldy and I have to throw it out.

The difficulty in always living as if today was your last day was that you will run out of truffle paste, luxurious vanilla and that extravagant Parisian chocolate.

The difficulty in saving it is that you might not indulge in daily pleasures as often as you should.

I guarantee that, when one looks back at a life lived, that no one ever says that they wished they'd enjoyed their food less!

I think the "saving" impulse is rooted in the fear of scarcity.  If you believe that pleasures are abundant, then the risk is less.

One of the yogis on our cruise illustrated how perspective colours our judgement.

Take three pails of water, one hot, one cold and one at room temperature.

Put one hand in hot water, the other hand in cold.  Wait a while.

Then plunge them both into the room temperature water.  To one hand, the water feels warm.  To the other, it feels cool.  It's all about perspective.

The mangoes were great - I got to them just in time.  That day I bought three hard ones and two ripe ones.  The ripe ones were wasted because I waited too long.

So here's the thought of the day:

Life is too short to waste a perfectly ripe mango.  

10 K Energy Bites

I finished my first 10K race today.  Not bad on zero training, but I am sure I will be feeling it tomorrow.

Today was a perfect day for a 10k run.  It was mild out, I felt rested, I had my favourite running clothes, and I had put in such a full day yesterday of "weekend work" that I felt ready for a treat.

I hadn't committed to doing the race in case something came up.  But nothing did!?!  So I went.  I thought I might just run the 5K, but I felt mentally ready to push to 10.  Mind you, I have only ever run 10k before ONCE - last summer - but felt that if I just paced myself, I could survive it.  Even if it meant I walked some of the way.

Turns out, that was not realistic and my legs were able to keep me going for the entire time.  My brother has been doing triathlons since last June, and it has inspired me to dive into some of my own.  So if not now, never.

Muscle recovery is important in training.  It's not just how you can push yourself while you are doing whatever exercise you want, but how quickly your muscles can repair and recover once you're done.  Plants are remarkable at this.  Brendan Brazier, Robert Cheeke and Carl Lewis are two vegan athletes who credit a plant based diet to improvements in their performance.

Last weekend (far before I ever contemplated today's run) I made some "energy bites" out of some parnoosh dates and everything healthy in my pantry.  They are (were?) a great way to deliver protein, carbohydrate and energy in the form of natural sugar right to my muscles.

They have also been a great "en cas".  An "en cas" is a French woman's term for something to grab just in case one is desperate and in between meals.  The French do not "snack" the way North American's do.  They eat properly and well, not fast and poorly.

My book, Salt Sugar Fat, is amazing, and makes me even more committed to non-processed nourishment.

So, here are my energy bites - fuel for my next series of races:)

1 cup of parnoosh or medjool pitted dates.  (Do not leave the pits in, or you may exercise your dentist's schedule more than your muscles) .  Soak these in hot water to hydrate them.  When they are soft, chop them up into small chunks, about the size of your fingertip.

1 cup of uncooked, plain rolled oats.
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp protein powder (vegan powders will not use casein or whey - and Brendan Brazier's VEGA line is perfect for this).
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Some honey or agave nectar to sweeten just a bit, and only if you really want to.

Take your rings off and mix with your hands.  Add any other items you like once you have a base.  I might add some chopped nuts or dried fruit.  If the mixture is too dry, add a bit more water.

Layer the mixture in a lasagna pan, and press down until very firmly packed in.  Bake at 300 for about 25 minutes, just to dehydrate the mixture and help the oats absorb some of the liquid.

Let the mixture cool, and cut into squares.  I prefer small 1 inch by 2 inch squares, because I can always take two, rather than waste half of one.  Wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container.

Now RUN!

Wrapping up the weekend...

This was was a slightly non-vegan weekend as I cooked with a friend yesterday, and handed off the last of the food we made a half an hour ago.

A mother of two busy young girls, she often finds herself time challenged trying to feed her growing family.  My kitchen is just made for team cooking, so I offered to help her prepare a few meals for the week when both of our schedules converged on a Saturday afternoon.

A trip to the store with her revealed what is true for many moms.  While we had written down "onions" for some of the recipes, she headed for the open bins.  But bulk buying (as in a 5 lb bag) would only cost us $1.99.  She'd never thought of it that way, and was surprised at how inexpensive it was to buy more rather than less.

It bears repeating that you can compare the prices of things by looking at a tiny number on supermarket shelves which is the price per 100 grams.  While shopping for mozzarella, some of the premium varieties were going to cost us anywhere from 3.20 (organic) to .88c (no-name store brand).  It's located at the top of the bar code label on the shelf.

No-name store brands aren't for everyone.  Many like the prestigious nature of packaging and marketing.  But as any insider will tell you, the no-name product is often the same one as the "regular" version, without the additional cost of advertising.  The SAME.  So for something as generic as mozzarella, I would choose to allocate my dollars elsewhere.  (I WISH THEY MADE A NO-NAME DAIYA!!) but I digress again...

When we got the cheese home and were ready to shred it for her lasagna.  There was a tiny piece of greyish-ness on one corner of the cheese (probably the beginning of a little bit of mold near the exposed corner where air was trapped).   I cut off two inches of cheese and smelled the rest, which was fine.  My friend refused to go near the entire brick, and said that she's pretty picky when it comes to cheese and mold.  (I love her dearly, but laughed inside when I thought about how cheese essentially IS a bacterial culture similar to mold.  People literally go nuts for blue cheese which is mold one can literally see!  Even nut cheeses culture this way....) However, I didn't want to force the issue and just tucked it back in the fridge, and we moved on.

But the entire brick of mozzarella was still fine, and I really hate to waste food.  So thiis morning, I grabbed a bag of tortillas and sliced the mozzarella in 4 inch by 1/2 inch hunks.

Scoop 2 tablespoons of sauce on one 10 inch, whole wheat tortilla.  Centre one slice of mozzarella, and roll it up.   

5 minutes later, I had 9 pizza rolls for a snack or lunch for Harrison.  I packed each roll into a plastic snack bag, froze 6 of them and left the last two in the fridge.

So, in a rare, non-vegan moment I decided to do a quality check (just to make sure the cheese did actually taste OK), and grilled one for myself on my George Foreman grill.  It crisped up on the outside, and the cheese was beautifully melted on the inside.  It oozed out like a perfect calzone, and was tidy enough to be hand-held.

Even though my example is pizza, and I've gone out on a limb with the story about the tiny corner of mold, I hope this idea will inspire you to grab some tortillas and make your own version of a quick snack.

White bean puree with sauteed spinach is a great go-to savoury breakfast wrap.  
Almond butter with dried cherries and pecans inside?
What about peanut butter with chocolate chips?
Crushed black beans with hot sauce and lime?

The possibilities are easy when they're all wrapped up.

Now that I've had my pizza indulgence, it is time to get back to the kitchen.  I have 2 cups of cashews which have soaked overnight, and it's time to make vegan cheese.

Once I add the soy yogurt to the pureed cashews, I'll have to leave it out on my counter for 2 days to "culture"  :)

Vegan Tim Hortons?

This morning we went out and had breakfast on the boat.  The lake weather is still crisp, and we were in our hats and gloves.  Zara refused to sit on the deck because it was so cold, but she enjoyed the smells.  She was intrigued by Canada goose watching, and the male Canada Goose was eyeing her too, as the female sat on her nest in the rocks, nurturing her eggs.  Spring!!!

As good Canadians, we drove through Tim's to get a hot coffee and a "bacon-less" BLT.  It is always a challenge to order VEGAN in a standard drive-thru.  I brought a container of coconut bacon that I made last night, and we added it to our sandwiches when we got to the boat.

While it has been years since I have eaten at any of the big three (McD, BK or KFC), I have been known to order a seven layer burrito, ("no cheese no sour cream no meat") at Taco Bell.  Subway can do a reasonably decent veggie sandwich, although I always find there is WAAAAY too much bread.

Tim's is another matter.  While they attempt to cater to Canadians, still very much of their fare is laden with animal products, and it's really hard for Bill or I to eat lunch there.  Other than a bagel and a black coffee or tea, and the most basic of veggie sandwiches, there's really nothing we can eat.  Vegans are Canadian too!??!!

One of my goals for the summer is going to be to compose letters to Tim Horton's, Boston Pizza and Starbucks to identify the need for them to have vegan options which are easy to order.  I am quite sure they are working on this, and am quite sure they have done many a market study on the idea.  The problem for me is that I have never personally identified this to them.  I want them to know that I am out there deciding NOT to eat at their establishments on occasion because there isn't enough for me to order.

 I hold a firm belief that if something is important to you, you must voice your concern.  If something isn't right & you aren't getting what you need from someone, you have to speak up.  You might not get anywhere right away, but staying silent is the sure fire way to ensure nothing ever changes.

Even for Canadians who aren't vegan, there is a growing, health conscious sector of people who might appreciate the option.  And adding something vegan to the menu might mean more business for them, also.

For Tim's, it could be as simple as adding two kinds of hummus to their wrap menu.

For Boston Pizza, it could be to simply add Daiya cheese to their list of cheese options (along with Feta, Cheddar, Jack, Goat Cheese and Mozzarella) and adding some Gardein Chicken Wings to their wing menu.

For Starbucks, it would be great to get a breakfast wrap with a tofu and Daiya cheddar scramble in one of their wraps.  They already have soy milk on their menu for any kind of coffee, and that is huge progress when one really REALLY wants a Mocha!

I think the trick is to propose menu additions that don't ask too much of the big conglomerates, or force them to change too much.  It is also about persuading them to understand that while they might need to add some inventory, they could open themselves up to more sales if a vegan can eat there.  If a plant based product is cheap (hummus, tofu) they could stand to make some money.  AND where a plant based product is NOT cheap (daiya, gardein) they can charge accordingly.

I'll pay whatever premium you want to charge me if I can "grab a bite" with my friends.  Just put it on the menu!!!


For now, I offer this navigational top five list for vegan eating in traditional establishments.

1.  Read the entire menu.  Meat or cheese can easily be left off the order.

2.  Ask for something to be substituted for the meat or cheese.  "Can you leave off the chicken and substitute extra avocado?".

3.  Watch out for the dressings.  Mayo, Aioli, and Sauce are usually code for "animal".

4.  ASK if they have a veggie burger that can be added into a sandwich, burger or fish dish.  If you like what you see on a menu as it is written (the grilled chipotle lime fish looks delicous!) see if they can switch it up.  I have been known to sub in onion rings or a portobello mushroom in chicken dishes and the result is fantastic.

5.  Most importantly, MAKE ONLY ONE SWITCH.  The trick is to make it easy for the kitchen to switch it up, and make it easy for the server to ring it in.    

Warning : Consumption of Coconut Bacon is highly Addictive

What is the difference between really liking something and being addicted?

How much of personality is involved in addiction?  How much of it is psychological, how much is imbalance, how much is will power?

I read in an article written by a 40 year old recovering alcoholic that she explained her problem to her children by saying "my body has a problem with alcohol, the same way your dad is allergic to melon".  The first time I read this, I thought it was brilliant.

Some people can drink, smoke, gamble, shop and eat all the while keeping their lives balanced in moderation, as part of a healthy life.  Others can't ever engage in these behaviours without falling prey to becoming highly addicted to the next high.

The new book, Salt Sugar Fat : How the Food Giants Hooked Us (by Michael Moss) is one I am dying to read (no pun intended).  It purports to expose all of the deliberate and premeditated ways that food companies have conspired to make people hooked on their products.

I am hooked on reading audiobooks in my car.  My commute and driving time are usually great pockets of learning for me - keeping me informed on subjects I care about (Food Writing), keeping me entertained with fun distractions (I LOVE Sophie Kinsella / Madeleine Wickham books!) and time management (If you've not read David Allen's Getting Things Done, you must!)

Audiobooks, especially with the advent of the ipod, make learning more possible than ever.  I have been in love with audio since law school, and I never tire of this kind of learning.

I have a pretty photographic memory, especially for words, but also for numerical sequences.  So I keep seeing SALT SUGAR FAT whenever I think about my newfound passion for coconut bacon.

Salt - Tamari
Sugar - Sweet
Fat - Coconut

While I appreciate the cruelty-free difference between a vegan version of coconut bacon and the usual, saturated, sad and suffering kind of bacon, it is still VERY ADDICTIVE.

The entire bag of coconut was delicious in our CLTs today, but the few leftovers that are still on the counter have been routinely pillaged by Bill, Harrison and I.  I am quite sure that there will be nothing left by the time someone has won the Master's and is donning the green jacket today.

But even if this product is equally addictive, focusing on the simple math, it is actually more fattening, saltening and sweetening than bacon.  Here's why

BACON BITS - 200 grams
Fat 42.75
Saturated Fat 14.25
Sodium 4856
Calories 712
Sugar 0

COCONUT BACON - One 200 g bag
Fat 65
Saturated Fat 58.5
Sodium 6075
Calories 1126
Sugar 65

Coconut bacon fares worse on every traditional nutritional front.  More saturated fat, more calories, more sodium and more sugar.  But when one considers the environmental impact of pig farming, the massive amount of water needed to "produce" it, the bacteria and subsequent antibiotics necessary, not to mention inhumane practices like gestational crates, thumping and just plain old slaughter, I will take a shredded coconut any day of the week. (Go ahead...f you dare.. google "pig thumping" but be prepared for your bacon addiction to shrivel into oblivion).  I might do a further post on coconut's healthy fats which distinguish it from animal saturated fats, but today's not the day for it.

They say pigs are more emotional and responsive than dogs.  When I look into our beautiful girl's eyes, I sometimes see another world of emotion there.  She can be excited to see us, jumping into the car with sheer exuberance.  She loves a great scratch, howling with pleasure.  She snuggles while watching TV, and dreams of other worlds - paws twitching, with the occasional yelp, howl or woof.  People care for and nurture their dogs, and will agonize about giving them a dignified death - and yet our piglet friends do not get the same respect in life, or in death.  Even as I went to capture this juxtaposition of coconut bacon and our dog, I see she is snuggled in for the afternoon with one of Harrison's shoes for company.

In the end, coconut bacon is the one for me.  And if this is addiction, may I never recover.

So, for those of you who think you can handle it, here is my easy recipe for the most addictive thing I have ever produced in my kitchen.  Please consume at your own risk!

1 bag flaked sweetened coconut
6 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp liquid hickory smoke

Mix everything together until evenly coated.  Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Take the mixture out of the oven to cool.  As the coconut comes to room temperature, it will crisp and get sticky.

(* Note: I do want to work on a version with shaved raw coconut, so that I can avoid the "icing sugar, sorbitol, propelyne glycol and sulphites in the "sweetened flaked coconut", but Rome wasn't built in a day.)

Coconut Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato!

For many vegans, bacon is the last thing to come off the menu.

It is salty, sweet, crisp & fatty - basically hitting the entire spectrum of what turns on a human taste bud.

While checking out various vegan blogs with my morning coffee (and a mug of miso soup), I came across a number of postings for coconut bacon.

As simple and easy recipes appeal to me always, the fact that this one had four ingredients - all of which are in my home - was a bonus.

Oven to 400, I mixed some sweetened shredded coconut with "some" tamari (a fermented soy sauce) and some liquid smoke.  The recipe called for maple syrup, but since I only had sweetened coconut, I skipped it.

I baked the coconut until it started to sizzle.  Then, I got lost in doing something else and the next time I noticed, some of the coconut had burnt to a crisp!

So I salvaged the centre bits, which were beautifully browned and crisp.  One forkful, and I was SOLD.

This morning, I had my first BLT in years!

When I think of the ways I can add this flavour back into my repertoire, I am so excited.

Fettucini Carbonara!

Caesar Salad!

Club Sandwiches!

This is the best discovery since coconut hollandaise!

Kitchen Sink Curry : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

One of the great tests of a cook is how to re-purpose leftovers.

Over the years I have coined several phrases to discuss a night like tonight.

 I coined the phrase "Four Corners Pasta" - where I take stuff from the four corners of  my kitchen's life (freezer, fridge, pantry and oil & vinegar section) and make a spectacular dinner.  Since, in my opinion, everything can be made into a pasta dish, this ability to match stuff together (with a maximum of three or four ingredients) can be a real Tuesday-saver.

I also like the phrase "Kitchen Sink Curry" - where every leftover veggie, bean, nut butter and sauce ends up in the curry - with coriander, curry, turmeric, and cumin and always with some minced garlic to bring out the zing.  Served over brown rice, jazzed up with green onion or fresh basil, it's never disappointing.  It is also a great budget extender on those nights when you just don't want to do much.

How about "Bites Buffet"?  Where I put everything in the fridge out on the island, and everyone just dives in for a few bites.  This can also be called "Snack Dinner", where raw veggies, hummus, salad, fruit, nuts, crackers and some cold pizza squares can stand in (literally) for something much more time-consuming.

Yes, in Venice they call it "Ciccheti", and in Spain, it's called "Tapas"....

But at our home - it's one great way to reduce, reuse and recycle delicious food I've already shopped for, purchased and prepared.

Tofurkey Ham Sandwich

I bought some Tofurkey Smoked Slices which were supposed to taste like ham.

When Harrison was much younger, I sent him to school with veggie "meat" sandwiches all the time, and he never knew the difference.  But now that he's older and can't be fooled, I almost never buy it.

He does like sandwiches, so I bought some.  And this morning I was just desperate in the "what's for lunch?" department to make myself one too.

I bit into it expecting it to taste like an imitation.  Like Freixenet pretending to be Veuve Cliquot.

But instead

IT
WAS
GREAT!??!!!

It tasted nice and rich, satisfying and smoky.  I'm thinking that it would make a good BLT, or go nicely on a hawaiian pizza, chopped up with some pineapple.

I have really moved away from the processed foods, but this was something that I would definitely buy again.

Easter Indulgences

The Family Celebration Feast is a tradition hardwired into human DNA.

It is NOT hardwired into Animal DNA.

No animal I know of "celebrates" with a different way of eating on a particular day.  Their eating is seasonal and appropriate to the day and the availability of food.

Enter the "EASTER BUFFET".

Our family got together yesterday to celebrate together at a lovely restaurant with a spectacular brunch buffet.  As I am accustomed to doing, I called ahead to let them know that there would be a vegan among them.  I do this for 3 reasons.

1.  It is more considerate than springing it on them and;
2.  Even though I can eat around a buffet if I have to, even most vegetarian items usually have cheese, butter or milk in them.
3.  I want restaurants to get used to hearing the term "vegan"

Nothing makes me happier than seeing a vegan choice on a regular restaurant menu.  I've seen it at football games, in airports and at food trucks.  And if some manager or restauranteur has put it there, I want to reward them by ordering it.

Yesterday's buffet was massive.  Harrison joked that the only thing I could eat was the curly kale which was garnishing the fruit platter.  I took the suggestion literally, helping myself to eight long stems.

A platter of roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus & red peppers), over top torn kale garnish, with lemon juice (I stole the half lemon garnish from the smoked salmon platter) with a few garlic crostini and a balsamic vinaigrette was a delicious, massive salad.  The restaurant very kindly prepped an angel hair pasta with tomato sauce, lots of veggies and added some chickpeas (because I mentioned I love them).

Harrison piled his plate high with free-range, antibiotic-free, hormone-free chicken (their menu was nicely specific), but ate only a few bites.  (I kept thinking of Warren Kramer's advice on the cruise "not to push too hard"...)   When asked why, he said "honestly, it doesn't have a lot of flavour".

These celebratory meals probably drive about 2500 calories or more into those who indulge in it.

Yes, I know it's Easter.

Yes, it may be a time to gather and celebrate as a family.

But if "family" is the reason we're celebrating, I want those occasions to go on for as many years as we possibly can and I want everyone to be as healthy and confident and vibrant as they can be.  When I hear talk of medications and procedures and diagnoses, I just want to scream.

I wish I could just go into everyone's house, raid the processed, sugary, saturated and terrified food and just replace it.  For even a week!

Instead I tried not to lecture, ate lots of colours, enjoyed my abundant meal and accepted my family exactly the way they are.

Black Truffle Mushroom Vegan Quiche

Maybe I should start filming the "how" portion of how I make things?

We just finished a savoury, smooth vegan quiche, and a quick French salad.

   

Doesn't this just look like the picture of a thoughtful, well-planned romantic lunch?

OR.....

Maybe it's the combination of a half a package of mushrooms, a half a block of tofu, a half a loaf of hard-as-a-rock baguette and some creative thinking, seasoned with some risk.

Bill is enthralled with a book today, and since we both are not working it is a good chance to catch up.  No- not with each other... with cleaning, laundry, fridge cleaning and cupboard organization for the long weekend.     When that stuff is done, I'll be in the mood for connecting with him.  For me, Mazlow's Pyramid (Shelter, Food and other stuff should include things like clean floors and laundry.  

I am reading Sheryl Sandburg's book "Lean In" which is a masterpiece.  She references a book called "Porn for Women" which contains supposedly contains pages like a man calling to his wife "I did the laundry and put the towels away"... and "...I'll do the dishes".  I laughed out loud at the thought.

But there's something to it.  We all have engagements that take our minds to a higher place.  For some it's reading.  For others, it's gardening - or a walk.  For me, it's organizing.  

An organized kitchen and pantry makes it much more possible to freestyle.  Hence, the elegant lunch.

While there were a cup of sliced mushrooms, some tofu and a baguette calling out to me there was also:

Braggs Liquid Aminos in my pantry - adding amino acids and a salty, meaty flavour to the blended tofu mixture,

Nutritional Yeast Flakes - on the counter, adding a parmesan-like cheesiness to the quiche

Organic Spring Mix - washed, ready to eat in the fridge, for a quick salad.

Raw, shelled sunflower seeds on the counter, in a clear jar - reminding me to sprinkle some on our quick salad.

Avocado Oil - a luscious, luxurious oil craving to be used in its raw form in the most simple of preparations

Lemon White Balsamic Vinegar - a lighter version of the well-known favourite, which won't discolour salads

Gray Sea Salt - crystals of the gods.

and finally...

Black Truffle Paste - Nothing puts a tuxedo on any food faster.  If you're not sure how to use black truffle paste, think of it where you'd use mushrooms or meat.  It is full bodied, rich, extraordinarily decadent.  I used a whole tablespoon in the humble tofu mixture.  Like when Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to the opera in "Pretty Woman" in that red velvet dress.  Perfect cinema - perfect cuisine.  I had a dress like that once in the eighties - and loved it.

I blended the tofu, truffle paste, 1/4 cup of the nutritional yeast and some sea salt in the Vitamix.  When smooth, I oiled two oval ramekins and poured in the mixture.  I sauteed the mushrooms with some earth balance and black pepper (plus a bit of white truffle salt).  I studded the mushrooms on top of the tofu mix.  Once the mixture was baking in a 350 degree oven, I poured an 1/8th cup of bread crumbs on a plate, added a tablespoon of Earth Balance to it and squished them together.  Splashed a bit of white wine and some earth balance to deglaze the pan, along with a teaspoon of dijon mustard.  Poured the sauce over the quiches.  As they were nearly finished baking, I sprinkled the crumbs on top to finish them off.  

Remember - texture, Texture, TEXTURE!

Tossed the salad with a bit of avocado oil and white balsamic, and mixed with my hands.  I was very proud of plating the salad without salting it.  Instead, I pinched some grey sea salt over top for a salty, crystalline surprise every few leaves.   

After about 25 minutes, the tofu puffed up like a quiche, and I plated it with the salad.  The crumbly, crisp top was the perfect counterbalance to the soft, rich quiche.  The mushrooms were beautifully flavoured, the dijon was a flavour burst and the salad was a fresh, crisp accompaniment.

What a perfect start to a long weekend.

The greatest Caesar Salad dressing

On the weekends, I find a system that REALLY works for me is to have three pots on the stove, all turned to medium heat.

Then I grab everything in my fridge, on my counter and in my cupboard that might make a meal and then just "GO!".

The more you cook, the better you get at this.

A head of cauliflower, some dried red lentils, and some red potatoes were destined to be a curry.

Some leftover tomato sauce, a new can of sauce, some red kidney beans and some frozen peppers were obviously going to be Monday's red beans and rice.

Brown rice in the rice cooker has now become quite the staple and we make 4 cups at a time so it's always ready.

Leftover cauliflower and potato were going to be soup.

Chopping one massive tear-jerking onion and some organic celery made adding the right amount to each of the four pots quite easy.  More celery in the red beans and rice, a little in the soup and just a seasoning amount to the curry was quite easy.

Cauliflower potato soup was quite good, and I did add two tablespoons of miso paste and a half a cup of brown rice to the finished product.

I had one head of romaine lettuce and about three final ribs of kale.  I chopped them each into pieces, kale much smaller than romaine, so they would spread throughout the salad.

My favourite Caesar dressing is a secret weapon to packing a lot of greens into my family.  The secret is capers - so use lots!

1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise, I love (organic, non GMO) Vegenaise.
1/8 cup avocado oil, but you could use EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) also
1/2 cup lemon juice, plus the zest if you love lemon.  If you're out?  White vinegar.
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon capers with their brine

Buzz up in a magic bullet, or blender and taste.  Adjust if it is too acidic or sour by adding more oil, or by adding more salt if it just doesn't taste Zangy.

White Matters

Sometimes I think Harrison isn't moving fast enough on this vegan train that I'm on.

Sometimes I think he's only there because we are.  He'll eat what's going, but if he had his 'druthers he would eat differently.

The experts on the cruise, one in particular, urged me not to push too hard.  He encouraged good substitutions, providing non-judgmental information and above all patience.

I sometimes even lose some sleep thinking about the piece of chicken he ate at some family function, or the bacon I know he wants on his sandwich, which I say he can't have.

As a parent, one never knows which lessons are actually breaking through to a teenage boy.


Then I get a glimpse into how far he is already and what he is actually absorbing.

Yesterday the family and I attended a benefit for the Alzheimer's society.  The theme was Mardi Gras.  Beads, masks, music and colours were abundant.  I knew to expect a 10 course meal, but wrongly assumed that it would be mostly meaty fare.

The chef is to be commended, as the dinner table was abundant with cajun veggies, a vegetarian pasta, delicious salads, and a gumbo which was PACKED with okra, tomatoes and peppers, and served over rice.  

The beef entree was at least HALF sauteed red, yellow and green peppers so one couldn't really gorge without getting a healthy dose of veggies.  However, I was AMAZED as my entire family passed on the beef entree, with the exception of my mom who took only a few bites.  This is real progress.

Being "vegan-ish" helps on nights like this, as I don't utterly reject food I can eat around.  I met many on our cruise who don't do this and can only say that it seems their lives are filled with unnecessary stress in the name of plant based eating.  No Subway Sandwiches cut with a meaty knife, no non-vegetarian restaurants who might grill their veggie burger on the same grill as the hamburger, etc.. etc..

Let's face it.  As healthy as we plant eaters purport to be, stress is also a killer.  Stress is also a fattener.  Stress is also aging.  And stress is also a cause of sickness and disease.  So I am really striving to reduce this kind of stress by rolling with things.  Laissez les bonnes temps roulez!

So back to the young man.  Course after course, I saw him dive into everything for at least a bite.  I saw him season his food with some chili peppers, some wedges of lemon, and eat the veggies and spicy food with gusto.

Most notable was a five year old girl seated at my table.  Her dinner consisted of two cups of apple juice (aka sugar bombs), white rice with no sauce, white bread rolls with butter and white pasta with parmesan cheese.  Dessert was white vanilla ice cream.

I know theoretically that "kids" eat like that, but haven't really seen it live and in person.  Every dish passed before her was declared "too spicy" by her father, without even giving her a taste.  To each, their own - but I desperately wanted to put at the very least a few carrots, some zucchini and peppers, some tomato sauced pasta with basil, some saucy okra and lots more water in front of her.

Our waiter refilled our water pitcher 8 times!  Harrison can really pound that stuff back.

On the ride home, he commented on the girl's dinner choices.  (Although "choice" is putting it mildly, since every entree was unceremoniously declared unfit for her before even tasting it).

"Did you notice that everything on her plate was white?  It had no nutrition at all!  It was just white rice, white pasta, white bread, butter, white cheese and vanilla ice cream! 

And then he said an utterly profound sentence that will stick with me until the day I die.

"It wasn't even food."  He searched his brain for the right word.  

It was just...  matter".

We talked a bit about how the body instantly converts processed items like that to sugar almost immediately.

                                                  "It was just...  matter."

Bill talked a bit about unprocessed whole grains, like rice and oatmeal, and I mentioned how I am loving the proportions of my new Macrobiotic-ish way of eating.
                                                                                                "It was just...  matter."

He clarified his position (as if he needed to) that he wasn't about to "go vegan" for his choices, and that he just liked many of the vegetables and grains that we eat, and that he just liked eating healthy "most of the time".

"It was just...  matter."

He recounted a story about once going to a buffet, eating like that and feeling bloated and gross afterwards, and that's how he figured out that no matter how much the food looks good, he had to at least include things which had some nutrition in them.
                                                                                                          "Just...  matter."

He worried that unless kids learn to eat a variety of foods, their kid energy turns to teenage overweight and under health.                                      

Just when I think things are never getting through.  It matters.  He gets it, even if he's not there all the way.
                                                                                   
                                                                              "It was just...  matter."

The fact that he can recognize these things made me very calm.

I slept like a baby, regardless of what we ate.

Go Green and a Full Stop for Red

In life there are moments where you literally wonder - "How did I get here?".

How did I get to a place where I feel comfortable and satisfied and balanced WHILE sitting at my computer eating a pile of red river cereal, topped with kale which was blanched in the miso soup I am drinking from my favourite coffee mug?  And loving it?!

I have been travelling for the past two weeks, and this is the first chance I have had to blog about the healthiest vacation I have ever taken.

Enter "Holistic Holiday at Sea", a vegan cruise designed to rebalance and subtly reboot body, brain and soul.   I first learned of the cruise in a great magazine called "Veg News", a contemporary vegan magazine.  Great articles - great recipes (another batch of brie is culturing on my kitchen counter right now!), and great and provocative ideas.

We weren't able to go for the past two years for a host of reasons.  But we did make it a priority for 2013.  This cruise was exactly where we needed to be.

I am 100% vegan about 94% of the time, and I am comfortable with that.  There are some times when I yield to a familiar, yet non-vegan edible, but it really isn't often any more.  I have noticed such a huge improvement in my overall health that I don't want to go back.

I have more time.
I have more disposable income.
I have a better figure
I have a healthier spouse
I have a healthier child
I have perfect blood pressure and perfect cholesterol levels
I have better dental checkups
I have a smaller environmental footprint
My body eliminates toxins more easily and can focus on those which I can't consciously avoid, like air quality and VOCs.
I sleep well at night knowing that no animal or fish suffered for my sustenance
I recover more quickly after workouts
I have cleaner, more efficient energy for my workouts.

and...here's the kicker...

I eat food that is more delicious than before I went vegan.

The cruise was spiked with the most intellectually delicious lectures I have ever attended. My friend Andy described the guest list of lecturers as "Vegan Rock Star Royalty".

T. Colin Campbell, Neil Barnard, Warren Kramer, Rory Freedman, Coleen Patrick-Goudreau and Jessica Porter to name just a few.

To hear Dr. Barnard's simple explanation for why humans are literally DESIGNED to eat colourful plants was one of those "lightbulb moments".  We have colour vision!  Dogs, cats and other predators are colour blind.  They are designed to catch their prey through sensing and seeing movement.  And scent.  Anyone who gardens knows that the ripe fruits and veggies literally beg to be picked.  They are bursting off the plant, vibrant with fresh smells and ripe juices.  It's like one giant STOP sign that says "EAT HERE!"  It's why fast food restaurants draw you in with red and yellow signs, not to mention a rainbow of other colours, and then proceed to serve you white and brown food.  

Our eating impulses are driven by colour.

Even our teeth, flat molars and all, don't have the fangs and ripping power of even the most docile cat or dog.  And people have an extremely long digestive tract designed to assimilate plants, and perhaps the occasional scrap of animal food or insect, unlike our carniverous friends whose digestive innerds are much shorter.

Point is, this cruise was extraordinary for me.  I slept at night, awoke at dawn, meditated, exercised, ate regularly, stretched my mind, made time for loved ones and nurtured friendships.  I let go of some baggage and about five pounds.

I can't wait to get back to these blogs, write recipes and meal plans for my friends, and share photos of my offerings.  For now, though, I will get through my kale porridge, and polish off the last few sips of miso soup.

Brie Even More Amazing

Most vegans will admit that cheese is the hardest thing to give up.  (Some might argue it's bacon, but spend 5 minutes on the internet seeing how those sweet animals are treated in factories and reconsider).  We think cheese is more ethical, but actually the cycle of pregnancy, kidnapping the calves for veal and enforced confinement is equally difficult to think about.

So what's a body to do when one misses the creamy, oozy, soft richness of a delicate wheel of brie?

I have the answer!!!

This is the second time I have made this recipe from Veg News, and it is fantastic.  Who knew that nut milks culture and ferment the way dairy milk does?

1 cup cashews
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tsp agar agar


Soak 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews in water overnight.  They will become dense fat bombs - perfect for a creamy cheese.

Combine in a high speed blender with 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup plain soy yogurt.  Add 1 tsp nutritional yeast and 1 tsp salt.  Add one cup filtered water and BUZZ.

Pour into a bowl and let rest for 24-36 hours at room temp.  Taste for a creamy, sharp flavour.  The more it cultures, the richer the flavour.

Add 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour and 1 tsp agar agar and whisk the mixture in a pot on medium to low heat until it thickens.  Keep whisking, and be patient.  You will be rewarded.

The original recipe calls for pouring this new dense cheese into a cheesecloth, rubbing the top with salt and letting sit for another 12 hours.  Then repeating.  I am too impatient just to create a fake skin on top of the brie, so I just pour the mixture into jars and refrigerate for about 4 hours.

Smeared on a soft baguette with a little bit of wine jelly?
On a toasted English muffin for breakfast?
A soft wedge with some crackers and pears?

Decadent, yet plant based, this brie will free you once and for all from thinking that vegans can't enjoy cheese.

Meatless Money

My absolute favourite blog belongs to Gail Vaz Oxlade.  www.gailvazoxlade.com/blog

Today, the blog was on extreme savings, so I thought I'd re-post one of my favourite blogs from our vegan experiment in 2009.  [Thank goodness my "biological imbalance" has passed, mostly due to spinach and chard smoothies blended with orange juice!]

The original post is from November, 2009.

52.8% on Meat, Dairy and Eggs??

Premise #1. Our family does not eat a lot of meat when we are at home. At least 3 meals a week at our place were already vegetarian before I began this vegan experiment.

Premise #2. On days when we did include meat, we would only consume a 4 oz portion of meat eggs or dairy per person as a part of our regular routine. It would consume no more than 1/4 of the plate.

Premise #3. The majority of my food purchases were not packaged ingredients, and rather healthy building blocks for home-cooked meals.

Premise #4. 18 months ago, I really eliminated any family reliance on packaged foods (from pre-made lasagna, to premade pizza, to any style of pre-packaged dinner). This reduced my grocery bill from approx $300 per week in half, to about $150.

Premise #5. In spite of the price reduction in premise 4, I was already paying premium prices for meat and dairy and eggs. I would rely on thigh meat (cheaper than breasts), whole chickens (making stock and stretching it for several days) and buying the smallest cuts of meat in the case. Ie: if there were packages costing $15.37, $12.49 and $11.12, I would buy the cheapest one possible knowing that I probably wouldn't even know the difference once I got it home.

Why am I telling you this??

Because, in light of all of this carefullness, I am shocked to learn that a full 52.8% of my food budget was going to things that I no longer eat on a vegan diet.

That means a huge portion of my already meat-limited food budget will go back into my disposable income!!!

Since our family likes to eat at restaurants (almost as entertainment) I grabbed four similar receipts. Foia, Swiss Chalet, Chanosos and The Keg.

In restaurants, it is almost impossible to avoid all the value-added cost that meat based food costs. At our most recent family meal, the average entree cost $24.50. Bill's and my veg option was 9. 64% less!

Our family's budget divides into home meals, lunch meals in restaurants, and entertainment meals for a date or a treat. They all roughly works out to about $350 per week on food, and I have a feeling that is extraordinarily conservative. When I entertain, that figure is much much higher. When we celebrate meals with family (baby nights, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, etc) those figures just do not hold up... (there was nothing like that in September or October...so the figures were bare bones).

How shocking would it be to literally add more than half of our food funds back into our lives, and keep them out of our bodies and arteries?

During this challenge, everyone is asking us how long we plan to "do this".

I can not ignore the fact that we feel better, have added time into our day, have dramatically slimmed, and (if we keep it up most of the time) have very likely cut our risks of cancer, heart problems and stroke. Also, we have virtually no food safety concerns (other than deadly spiders in our food, but I digress...)

What if we can add thousands of dollars back too?

Talk about an investment in the future.

Fried Taste Buds and Audible Chili Verde

My taste buds are fried.

Last night, Harrison made a Tomatillo Chile Verde on audible directions from me, from the couch.  I just finished some for lunch, and can't taste a thing.  Having said that, I can feel the sensation of having eaten spicy food - without any trace of it.  But the crisp tortillas and raw shredded green apple served with it still gave the crunch balancing off the smooth textures of the chili.

The sensation of eating a tart, crisp Granny Smith apple can sometimes be quite overwhelming to your taste buds.  Just sharp, puckering tartness.  Yesterday?  Nothing.  I could feel the taste buds pucker WITHOUT any taste.  It defies logic.

This morning, plodding through my workload, I grabbed a cup of peppermint tea.  Warm flavourless liquid, but then - the sensation of freshness and cooling.  Again - I could feel the periperal effects of what I was eating, but without the taste.

There is ALWAYS hot sauce in my vicinity (my desk, my car, my overnight bag, my briefcase...) while writing this I decided to take a tablespoon of hot sauce just for fun.  Surely I will be able to taste that!?!  I did it twice just to try to describe the sensation.  An energetic flush.  My pulse jumps up. I feel myself getting warmer (not unusual with the fever I've been fighting) but clearly induced by the hot sauce.

It is so crazy to "eat" without tasting.  Here is a great recipe for an unusual, but really great green chili.

* This recipe has been adapted from Veganomicon.  The original recipe contains cubed white potatoes, but I have skipped them here.

Audible Chile Verde

1-2 cups chopped cubanelle peppers
1 cup chopped white onions
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 jar Tomatillo Salsa (President's Choice makes a great one)
1 can (rinsed) white kidney beans
1 can (rinsed) white navy beans
3 teaspoons cumin
optional? 1/4 cup white wine
1 cup Vegetable Broth or water
2 Granny Smith Apples

In a large pot, saute peppers, onions, garlic and cumin until veggies are soft.  Add white wine, reduce slightly.    Add the jar of salsa, the two cans of beans, and enough stock or water to get the chili to the consistency you like.

Shred the green apples, and add them at the last minute.

Fresh cilantro, finely chopped jalapeno and sliced avocado are great green garnishes.  Hopefully they are a good jump start to my immune system, too.

Miso Soup Surprise

I'm quite sure that most moms think that their kids are the greatest.  I certainly think that of my son:)

Tuesday evening, I could feel like I was coming down with something.  Working in a busy building with 600 Type A personalities during flu season doesn't help.   Flu bugs and viruses were making the rounds with our entire office admin.  And yet, after going mostly vegan for 3.5 years I was quite proud to say that I haven't had one cold or flu.  At most I would feel mild " biological imbalances", puree up some greens, up my fluids and flavenoids, and come out the other side unscathed.

Until Tuesday around 1:30.

My muscles felt like I had just come through an exhausting workout - weak & sore.  I was sweating, yet freezing.  Pushing through a workload made more ominous by the vacation of my fabulous co-worker (she's getting a RED CARPET when she gets back!) I just refused to give in to it.  I worked the afternoon with my winter coat on, looking ridiculous, but certain that it would pass.

I would be arriving home much later than usual, and had telephoned Harrison several times to keep him posted.

I inhaled the smell of something homey, and comforting.  He hugged me and said "Mom, I made you some soup to help you feel better".

Red miso broth, bright green onions, some fresh garlic and cubes of soft tofu greeted me on the stove.  Miso - the fermented soybean paste that the Japanese enjoy for breakfast - is great for your digestion and internal balance.

But it was unbelievably good that night as a gesture of kindness, and nurturing.

Almond Flax Vanilla Butter : DIY Satisfaction

I am finally learning how to make nut butters in my Vitamix.  They are "more healthy", but they are "less delicious". lol.

Pure, raw nut butters taste nothing like the sugary, creamy peanut butters of one's childhood.  They are grainier.  They are more dense.  They are nowhere near as sweet.  Sort of like cookie dough.

So after my first venture into peanut butter, I made an almond butter and added lots of flax seeds - both golden and brown.  Flax seeds are tremendous sources of everything great - amino acids, Omega 3 and Omega 6, fibre and good oil.

But the resulting butter just didn't wow me.  So - I poured in a bit of peanut oil to help with the consistency, and added some agave syrup for sweetness and some vanilla paste for taste.

If you want to make your own without the world's best blender mix an entire jar of raw almond butter with some vanilla beans and some ground flax.  You can probably skip the sweetener.

Your stomach has a sensor that tells you that you are full, both with VOLUME and NUTRITION.  While we usually focus on volume (water, popcorn, fibre) there is less emphasis on the nutrient content of the food.  When this sensor is happy, you just feel full.  Satisfied.  Done.

There is a great line from the Norah Jones song "Turn Me On" that says... "after all, you're the one who turns me off...."    At first blush you might thing - oh, great!  who wants to get turned OFF?  but it's a great line.

It means that you're there - you're done - you've had what you wanted... no more searching, no more unfulfilled stuff.  Just TURNED OFF.  Again, I will liken a foodstuff to something much more other-worldly.  

Served over a crisp apple slice (another perfect food in it's own right), this vanilla almond flax butter will keep you satisfied for hours.

I just drank a cucumber and three oranges!

A great high speed blender is a must have if you want to get your veggies.  Most people think of blenders for smoothies or margaritas, but I am going to take five minutes out of my crazy busy day to blog about juice.

Of course, in the New Years' aftermath, everyone seems to be on one juice cleanse or another.  It might be a profound thought to just incorporate a juice cleanse every so often into your life, every couple of days?  Would you want to be "crash healthy"?  Of course not.  So why be "crash clean???"

Juice isn't like a Catholic confession - one minute you're a sinner, the next your soul's Etch a sketch is another blank slate.  Juice cleanses, and more dangerously other silly celebrity "cayenne lemon" cleanses are just a temp solution, and won't erase a brutal and toxic diet.

Rather than go extreme for anything, why not just add the habit in a few times a week?

I buy a few cucumbers a week because of their beautiful cleansing properties, and rock star alkalinity.  Spa food at it's finest.  I throw them in a smoothie, with lots of filtered water and as much citrus as is lying around the house.  I literally just drank four cups (16 oz) of cucumber and oranges - skin, seeds and all.

They blend well, skin and all.  Peel the citrus, but you could add lemon zest (organic) for fun.

Is it the greatest thing you've ever tasted?  No.

Is the vitamin C, blood balancing, fibre and hydration great for you?  Yes.

Sometimes, with all the craziness in life, you just want to skip the extremes, and the drama and just go slow and steady.  Your health is the sum total of ALL of your daily decisions.  So the more you incorporate good ones, the better you will feel.

p RICE less!

Yesterday was Monday, so that means Red Beans and Rice for dinner.  Yesterday I pulled together a half a bag of veggie ground beef, some chopped celery, some chopped onion and garlic, a jar of tomatoes from the summer (but canned would have been great, too) and a can of red kidney beans and simmered for about 20 minutes.

It amazes me how many times I make this recipe, and how it is literally different every time.  On top of that, dinner Monday usually means lunch on Tuesday (which I just polished off).  And it was delicious!

I keep thinking I am going to get sick of the recipe and I just don't.  Why is that???

Freestyle recipes are like snowflakes - no two are alike.  Yesterday I used the opportunity to add in about a quarter cup of super-spicy salsa which has been lingering in my fridge since the holidays.  It gave the sauce a terriffic kick!  I also added some tiny chopped beets, which added an earthier flavour.

I have two new students working for me this semester who are really fun to have in the office, and we talked a bit about food yesterday.  We talked about how skills like shopping, cooking, eating and leftover management are life skills which one absolutely MUST acquire.  And the sooner, the better!

Essentially, as a busy person, there is something immensely satisfying about Red Beans and Rice Mondays.

I know "what's for dinner".  I can freestyle what I want into a basic recipe and know it will turn out OK.  I can make just a bit extra and freeze some for the next time meal time is crazy.  I added a second can of red kidney beans when this occurred to me last night.

Kathy Freston, the author of "The Lean" which is a fantastic book on eating, balance and healthy habits, suggests eating a bowl of brown rice for breakfast in her book.  Talk about outside the bowl.

Having said that, I thought about my years of enjoying Rice Krispies, Rice Crackers and Rice Pudding and realized that it's not T H A T weird.  So I tried it.

On Monday night, I make extra rice.  Tuesday morning I grate an apple, add some cinnamon, nuts or seeds (this morning it was green pumpkin seeds) and coconut milk, and breakfast is done!

Some mornings it is chocolate almond milk, apples and cranberries.

Chia and Peaches...

Hemp seeds with Blueberries...

Raspberries with some Nutmeg (you'll swear you are eating a jelly doughnut!)

Oranges with Vanilla... (creamsicles??!!??)

It is extremely filling and satisfying.  (Heck, just writing "oranges and vanilla" make me want to eat breakfast all over again!!!)  Very inexpensive, great fibre, great flavour and easily transportable.  The perfect quick breakfast that I can eat at my desk "whenever" I can fit it in.  No soggy cereal turning to mush....  The fruit and nuts just amp up the nutrition.

Sometimes the busiest among us just need to adopt one little habit to make our weeks go a bit more smoothly.

Killing off "What's for dinner?", "How can I use up these leftovers?", "How can I save some cash?", "How can I eat healthier?", "What's for Lunch?" and "What's for breakfast?" with one shot??

P RICE less.

Souvlaki and Common Cents

I suppose I would concede that it takes more than a little ego to even write a blog.  As if people are going to read what I write about food.  Just some regular woman leaning in to the healthiest lifestyle and food choices that she can make and then just writing about it, and sharing photos and ideas...

And yet?

Every so often I amaze even myself with a recipe.  A string of thoughts, combined with substitutions that are actually better than the original...  these are the things that remind me why I blog.

This souvlaki is absolutely up there with one of the best things I have ever made (vegan or not!).

As per usual, it's Friday and I am wiped .  The calm of the holiday break has broken, and real life crowds in.

Bill is up for dinner "out" because he doesn't want me to have to do "too much work".  I, however, am not wanting the budget-buster Friday dinner AND have sworn off wine and booze for a while as I train for my first triathlon.  I decide that a restaurant is just too tempting and laden with obstacles, and start thinking about what I can pull together at home.

So - what's a body to do?  On my drive home, I am ruminating.  What would we eat even if we were going to go out?  Italian, Indian and Thai all showed up on the menu this week.

I'm tired.  I want an easy and cheap dinner which will fuel us, yet enough to be comfortable for a date night.

There is a gorgeous Greek restaurant we love that makes great souvlaki, Greek salads and delectable fries (what is that seasoned salt, anyway??).  But I don't need fries, I don't want grilled animals, and I don't want feta.

IF you get used to listening to your body, you can usually isolate what it is you're craving.  And for me it was that garlicky tzaziki and the salty seasoning of Greece - lemon, garlic, salt and oregano.  If I could get these things on the plate (all vegan, I might add) I could recreate that Greek Diner dinner, without the thousands of calories, nutritional voids and empty carbs and fats.

I have cukes, garlic, lemon, Earth Balance mayo, coconut yogurt at home!

I could get veg "chicken strips" except that Bill doesn't like them.  He prefers the unprocessed foods.  We differ on this point, as sometimes I JUST WANT TO FEEL LIKE THE OLD "NORMAL' and veggie ground beef, beef tips, turkey and chicken help me do that.  But it is date night - which by definition should satisfy both of us.  I decide on a chunky mashed chickpea instead.  Turns out this is the real genius behind this dish, because it drastically ups the fibre and protein, and drastically reduces the cost.  ( We are a great team!)

Given "beets" is also my new year's resolution, I wanted to see what snack-y beet chips might be lurking in the natural food section.  Lots of lovely choices were there, and I settled on TERRA : Exotic Mediterranean Flavour Root Vegetable Chips ($5.29) to stand in the place of the fries.  They are spectacular, and added beautiful colour and crunch to the plate.

For a final dash of inspiration, I also picked up a small box of baklava ($2.29)(butter, I know...) but "progress, not perfection" is my new mantra.

I whizzed through the kitchen and in about 10 minutes we were eating the most delicious souvlaki I have ever had.  And the healthiest.

I threw the whole wheat greek pitas ($2.19) on the (George Foreman) grill to lightly warm them and crisp up the outside.  That thing heats up so quickly and makes the bread soft and easy to fold.

I put some beautiful purple and green baby romaine leaves down, in place of the nutritionally void iceburg lettuce.

In my Vita-mix blender I scooped a quarter cup or so vegan mayo, a quarter cup or so vegan coconut yogurt, two baby cucumbers and a clove of garlic, with some sea salt.  10 seconds later I had a light, delicious and fresh vegan tzaziki.

The mashed chickpeas, plus some fresh oregano, lemon zest, lemon juice, a dash of salt and some olive oil rounded out the rest, and provided the filling.

A final presentation item lurks in the tiny ice-cream scoop I use for cookies.  It created even, perfect little balls so the plate looked like skewered souvlaki.  We eat with our eyes first, after all!

This dish was so delicious, that writing about it doesn't do it justice.  And the reason is all the stuff I usually write about in this blog:

1.  Have good ingredients on hand - a well stocked pantry and fridge allows for more freestyling, especially when time is tight.

2.  Try a non-animal version of your favourite dishes - most flavours and sauces are plant-based already.

3.  Use fresh ingredients - zing and crisp are great additions (onomatopoeia is the word you're looking for!!)

4.  Combine textures and colours - they elevate your cooking.

5.  Have the right tools in your kitchen - they are well worth the investment.

6.  Keep an eye on the hidden cost of having others cook for you.  Eating out would have run us around $42 bucks, between souvlaki dinners, baklava and whatever other temptations may have lurked on a menu.

Eating in was $9.77, and was enough for both dinner last night, and lunch today, with an average cost?

$2.44

Common cents.