Everyday Vegan
Cooking and Nutrition

Hello, and welcome to the latest addition to Vegan Coach, a blog dedicated to bringing you the most up-to-date everday vegan diet and vegan cooking tips, along with easy vegan nutrition advice.

Thanks for visiting!

May 5, 2007 23:52 - Vegan Vegetable Soup

Since we leave tomorrow morning for 2 weeks, today was "Clean Out The Fridge Day". It's sort of a ritual around here -- we try to use up every last bit of food whenever we leave town. Waste not, want not, right? We had a hodge podge of various veggies and beans, and the easiest dish I could think of was SOUP! And since it's been pretty chilly in these parts, something warming like soup really hit the spot.

Another benefit is the leftovers can be frozen, leaving us something healthy and yummy to eat when we get home and I'm feeling too lazy to cook.

This surprisingly fantastic soup was chock full of carrots, onions, garlic, corn and swiss chard. And I tossed in the last of our beans too, which happened to be red kidneys and garbanzos.

When making soup, I've always felt it's a good idea to focus on just ONE of the ingredients and play up the flavors of it. So I decided to focus on the garbanzos. And what is one of the most all-time famous dishes made with garbanzos (or chickpeas)? Hummus! Hummus usually contains some tahini, green onions, lemon juice, salt and lots of garlic! And at the end, I tossed in a bit of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, just to make it as hummus-y as I could.

The results?

Well, as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words. But I can only think of one: DELECTABLE.

I served it with a huge green salad, complete with Sassy's Seed Mixture, which I'll share with you when I get back from vacay.

In the meantime, happy cooking!

May 22, 2007 08:42 - On Being A Responsible Vegan

By now many of us have heard about the tragedy of the "Vegan baby death" that has been sweeping the news recently: A Vegan couple unknowingly starved their baby to death due to inadequate nutrition. As a caring human, I'm moved by the sadness of this news and my heart goes out to the parents, friends and family. As a Vegan, I'm filled with mixed emotions, as I'm sure many of my fellow Vegans are at this time.

And as expected, a rumbling can be heard about THE DANGERS OF VEGANISM. For those of us long-term Vegans, our friends and families have pretty much reached the point where they see that our diets are working for us and understand that, wow, there CAN BE such a thing as a healthy Vegan. Imagine that!

But what about all of you who are fairly new to Veganism, or are a Vegetarian who has been considering making the switch (as Vegetarians tend to do...eventually). How will you deal with the possible onslaught of naysayers you may encounter? What will you say to those in your life who TRULY care about you and just want to be sure you're not making a decision that will surely lead to imminent death? Will you put up your dukes and come out fighting about the virtues of Veganism?

Well, speaking from experience here, this attitude will only wreak havoc on your relationships and your peace of mind. It's no fun, and in fact downright distressing, to go through life trying to convince others to agree with you. Not to mention, it's really difficult for people to believe you when you don't have the benefit of time and experience on your side.

So what are your options? Is it possible to defend your decision to Go Vegan without saying a word?

Absolutely. It's a lesson that can take YEARS to figure out. And the answer is more simple than you can possibly imagine. It's called LEADING BY EXAMPLE. (Shout out to my sweet Mom for helping me to understand this important point years ago.)

And the surest way to lead by example is to become a responsible Vegan.

What does this mean?

Well, let me tell you what it DOESN'T mean.

Responsible Vegans DO NOT:

• Simply remove animal products from their diet without a thought to replacing them with healthy alternatives
• Subsist primarily on prepackaged, canned and/or frozen foods
• Consume soy products excessively
• Create meals without taking the time to learn of the body's needs for vitamins, minerals, protein, carbs and healthy fats

This list is not all-inclusive, of course, but some of the BASIC rules of Veganism. Are you doing all you can to be a responsible Vegan? If you're not sure, or this short list confuses you, then it's time to take the bull by the horns and learn everything you can about the food you're putting into your body. It's not difficult to do, but it IS necessary.

If you're one of the many Vegans out there who have the time, energy (and desire!) to learn how to be the best, healthiest and most responsible Vegan you can be, then give yourself a big pat on the back. You'll lead the way in educating yourself and others about the many benefits of going Vegan, such as healthy weight loss, lower incidences of the chronic diseases that other dietary choices seem to cause, and a nearly-miraculous anti-aging secret.

One of the main reasons I have created my website VeganCoach.com is to help my fellow Vegans (or wanna-be's) learn the ins and outs of how to be a healthy Vegan in a way that's easy to understand and apply. Be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter "The Golden Banana -- The Straight Poop On Vegan Food And Nutrition" if you need some free vegan coaching and advice. Click here for a Free Subscription to The Golden Banana

But on behalf of the entire Vegan community I beg of you: If you DO NOT have the time, energy or desire to devote to learning how to "do Vegan" right, then the answer is simple. DON'T GO VEGAN. The choice is yours.

Please choose responsibly.

May 25, 2007 20:11 - Lemon Cashew Asparagus Bundles, Baked Portobello Mushroom and Black Beans

Since I'm suffering from a bit of a hangover today, I was REALLY craving something rich. Wow, did this dinner fit the bill. While I've had each of these dishes before, this particular combination has never crossed my path. The flavors worked perfectly together and Jeff and I promptly scarfed our dinner down and only yummy "mmmmm" sounds could be heard. :o)

While the picture doesn't do justice to this delectable meal (I promise to work on taking better pictures in the future!), it will at least give you a visual.

The key to the fabulousness was the sauces. I don't know about you, but I am a sauce fanatic. Everything just seems to taste better with some sort of rich-tasting sauce poured over it, don't you think? Of course, because these sauces are vegan, they're chock full of healthy fats and ZERO cholesterol. But MAN the tastes just blow the mind.

As you may have figured out, I have discovered my life is much easier since I've removed recipes from my daily routine. But sauces can be tricky, so until I get the chance to learn to make sauces without recipes (which I will, of course, promptly share with you) I'm afraid I'll have to rely on sauce recipes for a little while.

Since asparagus is in season again (remember, buy organics whenever possible ESPECIALLY asparagus) I bought a lot. This was the focus of the meal. Wrapping "just tender" asparagus in lightly steamed Napa Cabbage makes for a delicious and slightly crunchy package. That alone would make a yummy dish! But I couldn't stop there. I made a quick sauce that I stole from Renee Loux Underkoffler's wonderful raw book Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods (props to Renee and her fantastic recipes!). This sauce has cashews as the base (healthy fats!) and miso (which is a fermented soy product -- since it's fermented it's a very good thing to add to your diet). Just blend and pour over the top of the asparagus bundles.

LEMON CASHEW SAUCE:
1/2 cup whole raw cashews
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon white miso
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons dill
1 teaspoon brown rice syrup
1/4 cup fresh water

The Portobello Mushrooms are a snap to make. Place them upside down in a baking dish. Thinly slice some onions and place on top of the mushrooms. This sauce has almonds as the base (more healthy fats! plus some good protein). The ingredients combine to make a special sauce that causes one to swoon -- I usually make a double batch. Blend the sauce ingredients and pour over the shrooms. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. (This recipe is from the fun vegan cookbook The Garden of Vegan: How It All Vegan Again! by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer.)

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SAUCE
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano

To round out the meal I heated up some black beans which were already made -- you DO have beans handy, don't you? Beans are one of the most important parts of a vegan diet. (Learn how to select, prep and cook beans on my How To Cook Beans page.) Although I lightly flavored the beans when heating them (with a little Bragg's Liquid Aminos, nutritonal yeast and salt), what I DIDN'T count on was how beautifully the Lemon Cashew Sauce would blend with them. Reminiscent of a lemony sour cream. It all just seemed to meld together perfectly.

This was certainly one of those meals that fills you up, but makes it nearly impossible to stop stuffing your face because it's so delectable.

Happy cooking!

May 27, 2007 19:46 - Spinach Chili and a Super Salad

Well, here we are on the eve of another trip out of town. What does that mean? It means another "Clean Out The Fridge" extravaganza!

What I had on hand:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Red Leaf Lettuce
• Bean Sprouts
• One Entire Bunch of Spinach
• 1/2 Yellow Onion
• Garlic
• 1 Cup Pre-Cooked Black Beans
• 3 Roma Tomatoes

My biggest question was what to do with all those greens? I figured a salad was in order, but if I added the entire bunch of spinach to the salad, it would be enough to feed 4 (or more). So I decided to wilt the spinach so it would shrink up. Once I figured that out, and eyed the beans, I started to picture some sort of chili.

(Once again, many apologies for the poor quality of this camera phone picture but our good camera is already packed away! Have no fear -- better photos are on the horizon!)

I began by heating a little Extra-Virgin Olive Oil in a medium saucepan, then added chopped onions and garlic and sauteed until tender. Next, went some coarsely chopped tomatoes and the leftover beans, heated (covered) until the tomatoes were softened. The tomato juice created a nifty little sauce, just enough for a chili.

Finally, I added the entire bunch of spinach, coarsely chopped, then covered until wilted. For a little flavor, I tossed in a veggie cube, some chipotle chili peppers (the kind in a spice jar), salt, and pepper, and then for a little zing some Brown Rice Vinegar and yellow mustard powder.

I found some Crispy Onion Rings in the cupboard which I tossed on top just for a little crunch and added flavor -- of course, these are NOT a health food so I don't use them often, but sometimes they add JUST the right touch, ya know?

The salad is a staple in our home -- we try to have one every day. I add the usual Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, lemon juice, and some herbs and spices. But what makes this salad super special is adding what I call "Sassy's Seedalicious Topping". I promised to share this delectable topping with you, so here goes.

Sassy's Seedalicious Topping

Mix 2 parts flax seeds with one part each sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds. (Mix up a bunch of this seed mixture at once and store in your fridge or freezer). Then, grind 2 Tbsp. of the topping together in a coffee grinder (or VitaMIx or similiar) with double the amount of nutritional yeast and a little salt.

Sprinkle on your salad, and toss.

(This topping is delectable on soups too. You can also grind ONLY the seeds and add them to your daily breakfast cereal. In fact, the topping is great on just about anything!)

So what's the big deal about Sassy's Seedalicious Topping? It's CHOCK FULL of Omega 3 and Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids in the perfect proportion that you need them. For a crash course in EFA's, please visit the Vegan Coach's Vegan Nutrition Articles page for a 3-part article entitled Vegan Fats of Life which gives you the lowdown on the necessary Essential Fatty Acids for human nutrition.

Today's spotlight was on Spinach. By using the information found within this site, you too can create quick and easy vegan meals without recipes! Ideas for flavorings in this meal were inspired by the "Vegan Flavor Matches" -- it makes cooking a breeze!