Vegan Ambrosia

When I was a kid, my favorite color was magenta.  I think I loved the word (which I of course learned from a box of Crayolas) as much as the color itself.  While my favorite color has matured (or devolved) into the popular blue, I must admit that magenta still makes me happy.  When I got my juicer this fall, I discovered that I can drink magenta - and it's sweet!  Beet juice should be drunk in moderation, according to anyone who writes about this on the interwebs.  Beets have a very high oxalate content, which can be toxic in large amounts, and oxalate likes to bind with calcium.  So don't juice it with fruits and vegetables high in calcium, like oranges or leafy greens, or you'll get a bunch of gritty calcium oxalate in your magenta juice.  And don't drink it at all if you get kidney stones.  That said, it's a wonderful world where this:  becomes this: That's a tall glass of magenta - Yum!

How have I just discovered this?  It's probably because I've lived without a microwave in two of my previous apartments.  Apparently you can nuke sweet potatoes.  You should, really.  I made a meal out of it - lunch, dinner - whatever it is that happens at 4:30.  This is too silly to write up as a recipe, but what the heck. One sweet potato (1/2-1 lb) Earth Balance (optional) Put sweet potato on a paper towel on a plate, poke with a fork a few times, and microwave for 5-10 minutes.  Mine was about 3/4 pound, and 8 minutes seemed just right.  Add Earth Balance.  Enjoy! Now, on to the debate (no, not the one about yams and sweet potatoes - Whole Foods claims sweet potatoes are a kind of yam, Barbara Kafka of Vegetable Love says they're different, and I'm not sure I care).  No, this debate: what do we call the meal that's eaten in the late afternoon, after a late morning brunch?  Lundinner?  Dunch?  Linner?

These are a version of one of my favorite baked goods.  They are not as low in fat and sugar as many of my other recipes, but sometimes we just need to indulge.  The coconut helps keep the cookies together and adds another element of flavor. 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup Earth Balance or other vegan margarine 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 ripe banana, mashed 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips 1/2 cup dried shredded coconut Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet. Mix together flours, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In large bowl cream together margarine and sugars. Mix in mashed banana, vanilla, and baking powder. Add coconut and flour mixture in three batches, and stir well. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until just firm and with golden brown ...

Yes, I know it's just a sandwich.  This is less a recipe than a way to share something I love.  Here's what went into it: 2 slices artisan bread (this was a When Pigs Fly multi-seed variety) 1-2 T Vegenaise 1 carrot, finely shredded 1/2 tomato 4-5 slices Tofurky (the pre-sliced kind) 2 slices red onion The salad is just mixed spring greens tossed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. The pickle is from Grillo's Pickles, a local company I discovered at Dave's Fresh Pasta at Midnight Madness (where local businesses in Davis Square were open late a week after Thanksgiving).  A final note: It took me a few years after I stopped eating real turkey to try these Tofurky slices, but now I'm hooked.  I'm also hooked on Vegenaise, although I keep hoping to find the low fat version around here.   I know they're processed, but both are made with organic, non-GMO ingredients, and they're yummy.  So, that is that.

Here's another soup I like to store in the freezer for the winter.  (When defrosting, it just needs to be stirred well, and the nice texture will return.)  I blend the mushroom stems (whose texture can be woody) with silken tofu  to make a creamy base.  (A non-dairy milk can be used instead of the silken tofu but would make a slightly thinner stock.) Half pound white mushrooms Half pound crimini mushrooms Half ounce dried mushrooms One onion 3 tablespoons chopped garlic 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons vegan margarine 1 Quart veggie broth 2 tsp Better ‘n Bouillon (or 1 bouillon cube) 2 cups hot water 2 tablespoons flour ¼ cup wine (optional) ½ package silken tofu ½ teaspoon cumin 1 bay leaf (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Soak dried mushrooms in hot water for about a half hour.  Remove and keep mushroom stems.  (With many mushrooms, just squeeze the stem and pop it out from the cap; I used kitchen shears to snip off the stems of the recons...

Since returning from a year in Minneapolis, the Mock Duck Capital of North America, I have been in withdrawal from the wheat-gluten-based vegan protein.  I found some seitan at Whole Foods (different color/basically the same food), and it was great but expensive - $4 a package.  Seitan has the highest concentration of any vegan protein source, at about 22-23 grams per 100 calories.  (In contrast, tofu has about 9-12 grams of protein per serving.)  It's delicious (imho) and, it turns out, really easy to make. For the boiling broth: 4 cups vegetable broth/bouillon 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons chopped garlic For the seitan: 1 cup vegetable broth/bouillon (room temperature or cold) 1 cup wheat gluten 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder Bring the broth (first mixture) to a boil in a large pot.  Mix the wheat gluten and spices together and add the cooler broth slowly, mixing until it forms a spongy dough. Knead the dough for ...

I posted this a few weeks ago on my Facebook page, but I thought I would reproduce it here.  I might copy a few others over as I go along, and so I'm sorry for the repeat to my FB friends. I recently discovered the joys of candy-making when I had an excess of vegan caramel (and pecans and chocolate) leftover from making candy apples with friends (hence - turtles!).  So I thought I would try making some of my other favorite candies at home.  It is surprisingly difficult to find vegan peanut butter cups, but not so hard to make!  They may not be pretty, but they're yummy! For the filling: 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used a mini chopper, but you could probably crush them by hand) 3/4 cup powdered sugar 3/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (no added sugar) For the chocolate coating: 1/2 pound vegan dark chocolate (I used Trader Joe's)   Mix the ingredients for the filling together with an electric mixer on low until it resembles cookie ...

This is a version of a soup I make almost every year, out of whatever winter vegetables (squashes and root vegetables) I have on hand from my Boston Organics bin.  Sweet potatoes can also be a nice addition, but I didn't have any this year.  This recipe isn't precise because I make it up as I go along.  This time I added silken tofu for some protein and a creamy texture. 2 Butternut squashes, cubed (about 1" square) 3-4 carrots, cut in 1-inch chunks 2 onions, cut in 4 sections 2 tablespoons chopped garlic 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 2 quarts vegetable broth 2-3 tablespoons agave syrup, to taste (maple syrup or honey would probably also work okay) 1 package silken tofu salt paprika cayenne pepper (leave out if you don't want it hot-spicy) 1-2 bay leaf cumin Preheat oven to 450 F and coat a large roasting pan with olive oil.  Add squash, carrots, onions, and garlic to the pan, sprinkle with olive oil and mix to coat.  Shake salt, paprika, ...

I just got an inexpensive, small ice cream maker ( Hamilton Beach ), and I'm having fun making vegan ice cream.  It's cheaper than buying non-dairy ice cream in the store, often lower in fat and calories, and I can play with flavors.  I like to make a large batch of the liquid mix and then make one serving at a time.  The ice cream from this machine is soft and doesn't keep well, but it's quick and easy. My second try, this peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream, turned out great.  The peanut flour gives it a peanut buttery taste with all the protein but a lot less fat.  You could substitute any non-dairy milk combination for the coconut-almond mixture I used. 1 package silken tofu 3/4 cup coconut milk beverage 1/2 cup almond milk 1/4 cup agave syrup 1/4 cup maple syrup Peanut flour (Trader Joe's carries this now) Mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life) Mix all ingredients in a blender except chocolate chips until smooth.  Pour into ice ...

I love food.  I love talking about food.  And I am, ostensibly, a writer - in that I am writing my doctoral dissertation, which unfortunately has little to do with food.  Since moving to an entirely vegan diet, I find that preparing food has become an exciting creative endeavor.  I've been lately sharing my food creations, both in life and on Facebook, and a few people have suggested a blog.  I must admit I don't know much about how to do this, but it seems like a great way to procrastinate, and so I'm going to give it a try. If you like what you see, leave a comment.  That way I'll know I have an audience.  Enjoy!