Holiday Recipes

6 Comments

Cranberry-Apple Glazed Tempeh

4 Portions

  • 8oz block Tempeh, sliced in half and then sliced in half through the middle to make four 2oz portions
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • Juice of 1 apple or 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1/2 cup of cranberries
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 2T brown rice syrup
  • 1/2T low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 sage leaves, sliced
  • pinch of pepper

Directions:

  1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, pour in the broth and place the tempeh in a flat layer.  Bring up to a simmer, flipping once the broth has reduced by half.  Continue to simmer until the broth is gone. Remove the tempeh and set aside.
  2. In the pan over medium-low heat cook the cranberries, apple slices, brown rice syrup, soy sauce and pepper for 1-2 minute until the apple start soften.  Stir in the apple juice and cook for 3 minutes until the apples soft and cranberries burst.  Strain the liquid from the sauce and reserve both the fruit and liquid.
  3. Place the tempeh back in the pan over medium heat and add the liquid. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and glazed the tempeh.
  4. To serve top with some of the reserved cranberry-apple mixture.

Ciabatta Squash-Sage Dressing

Serves 2-3

  • 4- 1/2inch slices of ciabatta, diced
  • 1T vegan margarine
  • 1T olive oil
  • 7 sage leaves, sliced
  • 1/2 cup onion diced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 cup butternut squash, diced and roasted
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup vegan chicken gravy
    • 1T vegan margarine
    • 2T AP flour
    • 1 cup vegan chicken broth

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the squash with a little oil, salt and pepper; place on a sheet pan and bake for 30 minutes until the squash is soft.
  2. In a cast iron skillet or saute pan heat the olive oil and margarine until margarine is melted.  Toss in the sage and cook until crispy and then toss in the onion and saute for 3 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 4-5 more minutes until the onion is soft.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave place in a bowl; set aside.
  3. Place the bread in the pan and stir around, coating with the oil.  Cook on medium-high until the bread is toasty.  Remove from the pan and set in the bowl with the onions.
  4. Place the squash in the bowl with the onions and the bread.
  5. In the skillet heat the broth until bubbly and then pour over the bread; toss to coat and serve immediately.

Dining in DC: Cafe Green

4 Comments


We started our DC trip off with a visit to Cafe Green, a vegan restaurant near Dupont Circle. I lucked out and got a a great deal on Groupon. The lunch menu has a great selection of salads, sandwiches and raw entrees. We had a really hard time deciding on what we wanted but eventually decided to go with Cheeseburger and Raw California Pizza Platter. The Cheeseburger was really delicious however the slaw was really the star of the plate. The Raw California Pizza Platter was so delicious however unfortunately they were all out of kale chips so I had the kimchi instead and it was amazing.  The Hubz and I were overall very impressed with our meal, the location, the service and it also had a great drink list.

Cheeseburger Soy patty on a wheat bun, topped w/ cheese, lettuce & tomato, sautéed pepper, and onion

Raw California Pizza Platter (GF) Our raw pizza with guacamole and raw cheese topped with tomato, cucumber, carrot onion and peppers. Served with Kale Chips and a petite spinach salad

Ratings:
Value: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Vegan Friendly: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5

Kale Colcannon

4 Comments

Kale Colcannon

Serves 4
Ingredients:

  • 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled until soft
  • 1T vegan margarine
  • 3T non-dairy creamer
  • 4 cups kale, ripped into bite sized pieces and steamed until soft
  • 3 scallions, sliced thinly
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Mash the potatoes with the margarine and non-dairy creamer until almost smooth.  Stir in the kale and scallions.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

White Bean Mash

2 Comments

White Bean Mash

Serves 4
Ingredients:

  • 1T olive oil
  • 1-15oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2T non-dairy creamer
  • 1/4C white wine
  • 10 oil packed sundried tomatoes, sliced
  • 1t Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high heat, toss the onions in the oil and saute for 5-7 minutes until the onions are softened. Stir in the garlic and then stir in the wine; cook for 3-5 minutes until the wine has reduced.  Stir in the beans, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning and then mash until chunky.  Stir in the sundried tomatoes and the non-dairy creamer.

Guest Post: Noelle’s Journey to Veganism

1 Comment

Please enjoy this guest post from Noelle aka An Opera Singer in the Kitchen regarding her journey to veganism.

November marks my FIRST complete year of following a vegan diet. I am an opera singer married to an aspiring conductor and even though these two lifestyles come together very nicely our eating lifestyles are so different. When I approached my husband about changing my eating lifestyle he did not know what was coming. I had been a vegetarian for two years back in 2005 but incorporated meat back in my life after I started dating my husband. After a year of marriage, my diet was in hysterics. I was suffering from migraines, digestive issues, and moodiness. When I switched to a vegan diet I slowly started seeing changes, especially after adding vitamins, minerals and more. As of last night, my husband told me that he can tell how quick I am on the racquetball court because I am not out of breath and I am living healthy. Even though my husband chooses not to be vegan, he enjoys all the dishes I prepare that are vegan, even requesting them again.

I know it sounds so cliche’ but I really was moved by Alicia Silverstone’s book The Kind Diet and nearly read the entire book on a flight back from Houston last year November 2009. Before dating my husband I had been focusing on a vegetarian diet but was easily swayed by stress to eating lots of dairy and unhealthy foods. After I started dating my husband I decided to give up my healthy eating. What did that do for me? I went up 2 dress sizes before the wedding and it got worse after the wedding. I added diet colas, meat, dairy, and too much sugar to my daily diet.  As a result I suffered horrible migraines, worse than my normal heat and exercise -induced headaches, and decided it had to be diet-related.

After a year and a half of being married I sat with my husband and told him I needed to make drastic changes in my life. I was not a happy person around him at times because my food choices were making me a moody person. I think the fact that I cried showed him how serious I was being wanting to change my eating habits, he just wanted to make sure it was not going to affect what he was going to be eating. It was hard at first trying tomake 2 meals an evening, cooking meat for my husband and making an all-vegan meal for myself.

I am an experimenter when it comes to cooking so I knew that I was going to have fun making new meals. The more I tried the recipes in the The Kind Diet the more I knew what type of recipes I needed to make. I started substituting cheese for vegan cheeses, even though Daiya was not out yet. I purchased tofu, Match vegan meats, and Field Roast sausages and added more fruits and vegetables to my diet. As soon as I eliminated the diet colas and the increased amounts of sugar I lost my first 20 pounds.

I know it is hard for people to realize that I did not become vegan because of the pain caused to animals, but I know that in my becoming vegan I am not supporting the pain caused to animals. My becoming vegan was a personal conviction to become a healthier eater focusing on whole and natural foods. Every day is one step towards supporting the love of all God’s creation and if it means eating from the fruits of the earth, I will do that.

After visiting a naturopath in July 2010 I found out I was B12, Vitamin D, iron deficient. I added a whole vitamin and minerals regimen and started enjoying protein shakes and a more focused meal plan. I have been working out consistently at a gym daily and feel better than ever! I continue to strive towards my goal of not being deficient in an area and being at my goal weight. Being vegan is the best thing that has happened to me!

Being vegan has tremendously improved my migraines, increased breathing support for singing and changed my whole emotional well-being too!

If you enjoyed this check out these other guest posts:

  • I Missed Eggs the Most by Bianca Phillips
  • JL Goes Vegan
  • Lauren of Ginger is The New Pink
  • Ich bin Veganerin: An American Vegan in Germany

    • Guest Post: Britta’s Journey to Veganism

    4 Comments

    Please enjoy this guest post from Britta Conner regarding her journey to veganism.

    My journey into plant based eating began in October 2009.  My birthday was in the month before and I make it a habit to get a check up around that time every year as a gift to myself.

    I had long known that high cholesterol ran in my family, on both sides, so I knew it was likely that it would hit me at some point.  In 2005 I was tested and found that my cholesterol was 224.  Until that point I had eaten the Standard American Diet, mostly white and brown foods.  I decided to do a diet overhaul and reduced white sugars, stopped buying white flour and I opted for all whole wheat products to include all breads and pastas.  I started cooking more foods and relying far less on convenience foods.  I started portion control and exercising and I dropped 15 pounds in a month.  I reduced meat intake, and only ate red meat once a month or less.

    I didn’t think about my cholesterol at all, I just assumed it was going down as I was eating healthier and exercising regularly as well as losing weight.  I didn’t get it checked again until September 2009.  It was 251.  Somehow it had raised!

    I have a friend who goes in and out of being vegan, she loaned me some reading material and I decided to commit to it for 6 months, when my insurance would pay for another cholesterol test.  It was an interesting time becoming vegan, right around the holidays, but it was a wonderful time to try out new recipes and really dig in to the new way of eating.

    I didn’t experience weight loss right away.  It’s never been easy for me and though I had read many accounts of weight falling off of people who began a plant based diet, I was not one of them.  By January I had only lost 2 pounds.  I found that to lose weight, I still had to count calories, despite all the promises I had read that a change to vegan eating would be an end to weight problems.

    Six months from beginning to eat vegan I went back to the doctor and found out that my cholesterol was 188.  No longer the danger zone.  I hope it continues to drop, but if it doesn’t, my heart is safe at this level.  I got checked again this October, after a full year as a vegan and I am waiting on results.

    In that time I have had more weight loss success.  I went from 174 pounds on a 5’1″ frame (after my second child was born) to 152.  I am about half way to my goal weight.  In the beginning as a vegan I made a lot of the less healthy vegan foods to prove to myself that I wouldn’t have to lack the things I grew up loving.  I made candies, baked goods, and rich savory things.  I also did this for my husband, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of vegan eating.  I eventually moved away from this and now use those foods for parties and special occasions.  I get the bulk of my nutrition from whole grains (like bulgar wheat, cous cous, millet and brown and wild rice), vegetables, beans and some nuts and fruits.  I am also adding a lot of raw foods into my diet.  I still have a long way to go with my dietary reform, I make mistakes and hinder my own progress frequently, but I am getting there one step at a time.

    If you enjoyed this check out these other guest posts: