Everyday Vegan Diet Tips

In my last blog, you learned how to make Vegan Eggs Benedict. I suggested you make extra sauce to use in other dishes. Why? Because that Cheesy Mustard Sauce is just SO lip smackin' good! So, since I had some leftover English muffins and some tomatoes on hand, and hubby Jeff was hungry for a snack, I whipped up some Vegan Cheesy Pizza Burgers. They're so simple and delicious that you'll be Jonesing for them in no time. ;O)

So why do I like this little snack/lunchtime treat? Well, not only is it crispy, juicy and lushious, but it's chock full of Vitamin B12 from the LOADS of nutritional yeast in the sauce. Plus, the whole-wheat muffins are a fun way to add grains to your diet, and the tomato is loaded with antioxidants and Vitamin C.

Begin by fork-cutting whole-wheat English muffins in half and toasting them to a light golden brown. Then generously spread some of the Cheesy Mustard Sauce shared in the last blog over the top of each half. Top with a slice of tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 400-450F until the muffins seem crisp and the sauce is very warm. Then place under a broiler for a few minutes to brown which brings even MORE flavor out of the sauce and roasts the tomato beautifully.

Don't these look delicious? THEY ARE!

Vegan Cheesy Pizza Burgers

Happy cooking!

November 6, 2007 08:09 - Vegan Hummus

Hubby Jeff is on a garbanzo bean kick. This week, he made a giant batch of garbanzo beans because he's bound and determined that we find a way to make our own Vegan Hummus versus spending $4-5 at the store each and every time. I couldn't agree more. However, it's just SO EASY to buy your own, ya know?

Sure, I've made hummus in the past, but I always used canned garbanzos. And I always felt sad that my hummus never tasted like the delectable hummus you find at Middle Eastern restaurants where they KNOW hummus.

But let me tell you what I've discovered: The difference is in the cans. After tasting the difference between hummus made with canned garbanzos and the hummus we created with freshly cooked garbanzos, we'll never go back.

Sure if you're in a pinch, use canned garbanzos (organic, if possible). Your hummus will be less expensive than if you buy it premade at your store and YOU control the ingredients.

But if you have the time and the desire, make a big ol' batch of garbanzo beans from scratch. Then make a big ol' batch of Vegan Hummus. Then freeze the extra hummus so it's ready when you need it.

This is so completely easy and quick, that you'll be making hummus every week for the rest of your life. Use as a dip all on its own, or swiped onto a burrito or a wrap or your favorite sandwich.

But the best part about Vegan Hummus is how nutritious it is!

Garbanzo beans, like most beans, are super high in fiber and protein. Not only that, but garbanzos (or chickpeas) are also a great source of iron and a little-known nutrient called molybdenum ("moly-what!?" you ask? Visit my article Byte of Beans at VegWeb.com to learn more about this interesting nutrient.)

Vegan Hummus also contains sesame tahini which is also high in protein and fiber. Sesame tahini is made with pretty much one ingredient: Sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are a great source of calcium -- in fact, 1/4 cup of sesame seeds provides you 35% of the daily amount of calcium you need! Delicious hoorays!

I also like to add some nutritional yeast. It really adds a nice flavor and includes the all-important Vitamin B12 we Vegans need. ;O)

So, let's begin. If you're going to make your garbanzos from scratch, then visit the Beans main page to discover how it's done. And if you don't have the time right now, or the desire, to make your own beans from scratch, then just grab a can or two of organic garbanzos and get started making your lushious Vegan Hummus.

Here's what you'll need:

(psssst....All of you are going to be making differing amounts of hummus depending upon how many garbanzos you start with. So these directions are for approximately 2 1/2 cups of cooked beans. Adjust your recipe according to how many garbanzos you're using.)

Vegan Hummus

2 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3 Tablespoons sesame tahini (I like roasted because I think it tastes better, but you can use raw sesame tahini too)
5 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 - 1/2 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (optional)
2 green onions, chopped
3 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste

That's it! These are the ingredients for your basic Vegan Hummus.

Begin by placing the garbanzos and garlic in a food processor and process until they're mostly chopped. Next, add tahini, olive oil and lemon juice, Bragg's (or other soy sauce), and the chopped green onions. Continue to process until completely smooth. Add nutritional yeast, water and sea salt. Tweak the recipe until it has the taste and consistency that makes you happy. You may need more olive oil or lemon juice (the usual suspects).

You can also use a blender to make your hummus. Since it's more difficult to mix it up in the small container of a blender, I recommend adding all the ingredients at once (on the light side) so the blade will spin and chop the beans up nicely. Add more liquids as necessary until it reaches the consistency and taste you like.

For a nice presentation, spoon hummus onto a small plate and sprinkle with paprika. Mound a handful of pine nuts in the center. Devour!

Vegan Hummus

Happy cooking!

Today's spotlight was on Beans. By using the information found within the pages of the Vegan Coach website, you too can create quick and easy vegan meals without recipes! Ideas for flavorings in this meal were inspired by the Garbanzo Bean "Vegan Flavor Matches" -- they make cooking a breeze!

November 9, 2007 10:48 - Creamy Vegan Thanksgiving Soup

You know, it's really interesting when a dinner you're about to prepare seems like it's going to be a snoozer, but then miraculously it becomes your new favorite dish.

That's exactly what happened last night when I was faced with 1 onion, 3 carrots, a medium yam, and a small sweet potato. This is SERIOUSLY the only fresh food I had left in my kitchen. So it's with utter amazement that this beautiful creation, which I'm calling Creamy Vegan Thanksgiving Soup, came into being. It's so delicious and pretty that you can feel comfortable serving it at your Vegan Thanksgiving dinner.

Now, as you may know by now I like to teach you the tools you need so you can create your very own recipes. But do you know what I've discovered? That you don't always feel so creative and you REALLY just want to see a recipe.

So from now on I'll keep track of the amounts of each ingredient I use and form it into a recipe that you can try. And for those of you who like to fly by the seat of your pants in the kitchen, turning up your nose at recipes, I'll still provide the tools you need to play around.

Hooray for compromises! ;O)

Ready? Let's make our Creamy Vegan Thanksgiving Soup...

As I said, I had a nice little selection of autumn-colored foods (carrots, yam, sweet potato), and one of my absolute favorite ways of preparing these beautiful foods is to make a nice, warm and comforting soup. Creamy. With biscuits, if possible. Is that too much to ask?

I think not. :O)

The First Step:

Pull out the "Vegan Flavor Matches" for Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes and Yams. This should always be your first step. Why? Because the "Vegan Flavor Matches" help to take the guesswork out of recipe creation. You simply choose those favorite flavors from the list that you happen to have on hand.

Here is a shortened version of Sweet Potato's "Vegan Flavor Matches" (for the full list, visit the link above):

Agave Nectar, or Brown Rice Syrup
Apples
Apricots
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Cloves
Coconut
Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter)
Garlic
Ginger
Lemon
Maple Syrup
Nutmeg
Onion
Paprika
Pecans
Pepper, Black
Pineapple
Rum
Sage
Salt
Sour Cream, non-dairy
Sunflower Seeds
Thyme
Walnuts

My soup adventure begins by coarsely chopping my onion. What do I mean by "coarsely chopping"? Quite simply, it means to cut imperfect and slightly larger pieces.

Next, I slice my carrots, sweet potato and yam, making sure they're all reasonably the same thickness. I toss all the veggies into my soup pot with enough vegetable broth to cover -- for convenience, I just add water and then drop in a couple veggie bouillon cubes -- plop the lid on and set it to boiling.

I also add some of the stronger spices so they'd have a chance to mellow out a bit. These spices were chosen directly from my "Vegan Flavor Matches" above: cinnamon, cloves, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, salt and pepper. Feel free to add the flavors you prefer and have on hand.

When the water starts boiling, I turn the heat down so the whole lot of it will simmer until the veggies are tender.

Here's a photo of my tender veggies. It's starting to look like a soup now. The wonderful thing about using sweet potatoes in your soup? They begin to break down into very soft hunks of sweet deliciousness which, when blended, turn your soup into a creamy, dreamy concoction.

When my sweet potatoes are starting to break apart, and the carrots are tender, I'm ready for the next step.

Blend the soup, in batches if necessary. I have my powerful VitaMix so I just pour the entire contents in and SLOWLY process the contents until completely smooth. Always be sure to let some of the steam escape while you do this or you'll have a huge mess on your hands (and literally on your hands too). So if you don't want to be a burn victim, please be careful when you blend hot foods.

Pour soup back into pot. Taste. What might you add next to make this soup perfect?

I feel the spices are a little strong and need a little mellowing out, so I add some non-dairy milk and nutritional yeast.

Further taste testing reveals it needs to be sweeter, so in goes some Agave Nectar. Taste.

A little saltiness is needed. I've already added sea salt, so for a change I reach for the miso which is a wonderful way to add a salty flavor to your dishes -- since it's a fermented food, it's healthy AND delicious. (A word about miso: Once you add it to your soup, don't let it come to a boil again or you'll destroy the fabulous nutrients inherent in the miso.) Taste.

Just a little flavor perking up is in order, so I add a dash of lemon juice.

Now, I taste one last time. It needs SOMETHING. But what?

Let's think about the 4 Basic Flavors: Salty, Sweet, Bitter and Sour. Thanks to the sea salt and miso, it doesn't need anymore salt. The sweetness is covered by the sweet potatoes and the Agave nectar. The spices I added certainly take care of the bitter flavor. Sour! What can I add that's sour? How about some sour cream, one of the Vegan Flavor Matches listed above?

Since I don't have any sour cream on hand, I whip up some Cashew Sour Cream. It literally takes one minute. (To make: Toss 1-2 handfuls of cashews in a blender, carefully and slowly add about 1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1/2 - 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar, or to taste, and enough water to reach the desired consistency (add slowly!). Sprinkle with a little salt, if you'd like.)

Why make your own sour cream instead of using store-bought? Because YOU control the thickness. Keep it a bit on the thin side so it's pourable. Then you can spoon it over your soup to make a fun little garnish. Very hoity-toity, don't you think? ;O)

Tomorrow, I'll share my recipe for Vegan Green Onion Biscuits, the perfect accompaniment to this delectable soup.

Happy cooking!

Creamy Vegan Thanksgiving Soup

Creamy Vegan Thanksgiving Soup
Serves: 4

1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
1 small sweet potato, sliced
1 medium yam, sliced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Salt & pepper, to taste
================================
1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I like almond milk)
3 Tablespoons Agave Nectar (or pure maple syrup)
1 teaspoon miso
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Add first 10 ingredients to a large soup pot and add enough vegetable broth to cover. Cover, and bring to a boil. Then turn heat down and simmer until veggies are very tender.

Pour ingredients into a blender and process slowly until very smooth. Be sure to let the hot steam escape while blending. Pour mixture back into soup pot.

Add the next 4 ingredients. Heat gently until warmed. (Never boil miso.)

Pour into bowls, and spoon a little Cashew Sour Cream over the top (recipe above). Serve with piping hot Vegan Green Onion Drop Biscuits.

Today's spotlight was on Sweet Potatoes and Yams. By using the information found within the pages of the Vegan Coach website, you too can create quick and easy vegan meals without recipes! Ideas for flavorings in this meal were inspired by the Sweet Potato and Yam "Vegan Flavor Matches" -- they make cooking a breeze!

November 10, 2007 11:50 - Vegan Green Onion Drop Biscuits

I love a vegan biscuit that's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It makes my mouth water to watch the spread I've placed on top get all melty and fill in the crevices. Yum.

As promised, here are the delectable Vegan Green Onion Drop Biscuits I talked about in my last blog. These biscuits are the perfect little accompaniment to Creamy Vegan Thanksgiving Soup.

These little biscuits are so simple to make, and the results are so simply delicious, that you'll want to make these often. And go ahead, because unlike store-bought biscuits, these contain no preservatives or additives or unknown flavorings. To feel this good about something you eat helps you to enjoy them even more. Yay!

Don't blink -- you might miss this recipe. Yes, it's THAT quick and easy. ;O)

Vegan Green Onion Drop Biscuits
Makes: 8 biscuits

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional
3 Tablespoon Earth Balance (or other non-dairy buttery spread)
1/8 cup finely chopped green onions
3/4 cup vegan buttermilk - to make, combine 3/4 cups non-dairy milk with 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, set aside

Preheat oven to 400F.

Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Cut in butter with a large fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in green onions.

Add vegan buttermilk, stirring just until the flour mixture is moist.

Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Let biscuits sit on baking sheet for a few minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Green Onion Drop Biscuits

Happy cooking!

November 14, 2007 09:30 - Vegan Quinoa & Spinach w/Sour Cream Topping

If you need to get dinner on the table and FAST give this Vegan Quinoa & Spinach w/Sour Cream Topping a try. I promise you'll love it and it will likely find a snuggly place in your dinner rotations.

Why? Because it's just so darn tasty!

Well, that and the fact that it's stuffed to the gills with some really important nutrients you need.

Take the quinoa, for starters. It's really difficult to find a grain that is THIS tasty and contains this much protein. Plus, quinoa is high in manganese which offers MANY benefits including assisting brain function and clearing out free radicals, those snotty little molecules that cause all sorts of trouble in your body such as premature aging and cancer.

And then, there's the spinach, which always seems to bring up memories of our good ol' strong pal Popeye. Spinach is sooooo important to your bone health. Why? Because spinach is a great source of calcium, which your bones need to stay strong AND which your blood needs to perform certain functions. If your blood doesn't have the calcium it needs, it steals it from your bones. Oy!

Plus, 1 cup of spinach provides you with 200% of the amount of the Vitamin K you need for the day -- Vitamin K helps your bones stay healthy. Go spinach!

So, how will you make this delectable dish that's filled with these fabulous nutrients?

The secret to creating your very own vegan recipes is by letting the "Vegan Flavor Matches" be your guide. These cheat sheets pinpoint the foods and flavors that match perfectly with your main ingredient. Click here for a short tutorial on how to use "Vegan Flavor Matches".

Begin your adventure by gazing upon both the Quinoa "Vegan Flavor Matches" and the Spinach "Vegan Flavor Matches". Simply zero in on your favorite foods and flavors that are listed and which you have on hand.

When all was said and done, with the Flavor Matches as my guide, my recipe came together like this...

Vegan Quinoa & Spinach with Sour Cream Topping
Serves 2

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup quinoa, unrinsed
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 cups veggie broth (or 2 cups water and 1 veggie bouillon cube, or equivalent powder)
4 cups coarsely chopped spinach
1 Tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or other soy sauce), or to taste
1 Tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Salt & pepper, to taste

Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large pan.

Add finely chopped onion and garlic, and cook until the onion turns transluscent. Next, add the unrinsed quinoa (there's no need to rinse the quinoa as you normally would since this direct heat will cook off the natural bitter coating). Let cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the veggie broth.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until the little quinoa filaments begin to show which indicate they're done.

Add the coarsely chopped spinach -- you need a lot since spinach has this ability to turn into a teeny tiny little mound once cooked. Cover and cook until wilted...

...like this! Stir to mix.

At this point you'll taste your concoction and decide what it needs. I chose to add lemon juice, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper.

I could have stopped right then and there -- the dish is perfect on its own. But Jeff and I LOVE sauces -- they just seem to elevate any dish to gourmet status. :O)

Since sour cream is a perfect match with both quinoa and spinach, I whipped up a small batch of Sour Cream Topping in 2 seconds by blending 1-2 handfuls of cashews (healthy fats!) with about 1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar and enough water to reach the desired consistency. A final sprinkle of salt and you're done. (Be sure to add the ingredients a little at a time until you reach the flavor you like -- you can always add more!)

I much prefer this quick little rendition versus the store-bought sour cream because you can control the consistency -- plus it doesn't contain the not-so-healthy ingredients you simply don't need.

Here's the finished dish in all it's glory. Serve with a few slices of crispy garlic bread. Yum!

Vegan Quinoa & Spinach w/Sour Cream Topping

Happy cooking!

November 17, 2007 19:42 - Quick Vegan Garlic Bread

We had a huge lunch today, so we opted for a light dinner: A big green salad with some tender pinto beans on top, along with some lightly steamed kale tossed with a delectably simple vinaigrette. It was all just about ready to serve when I realized that something crispy would balance this leafy green meal nicely.

Within minutes I had on my hands crunchy and delicious Quick Vegan Garlic Bread.

Sure, there are more gourmet ways of making garlic bread. But if you need your garlic bread now, this delicious little recipe will work beautifully.

The type of bread you use can be important, but it's not totally vital. We always have on hand a nice fat loaf of unsliced mutli-grain bread that just happens to have these yummy oats and seeds along the outside of the crust. But I've even used plain ol' sliced bread in a pinch, such as whole grain or spelt, and the results are always simple and perfect.

So, if you're not using pre-sliced bread, slice your bread into the thickness you desire. Thinner slices will create very crispy garlic bread, and thicker slices result in slightly crispy garlic bread. Mine sort of falls somewhere in between. Just be sure all slices are pretty much the same thickness so they cook up in the same amount of time.

Spread a thin layer of Earth Balance (or other non-dairy butter) on the side facing up. Sprinkle a little garlic powder and sea salt, to taste. Round it out with a good coating of nutritional yeast.

I like adding the nutritional yeast because not only does it add a nice little dose of Vitamin B12, but it helps to make the garlic bread taste slightly cheesy.

Broil for 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully. You want them to brown but not burn.

That's all there is to it. Your garlic bread will be crispy on the outside and tender and buttery just under that crunchy layer.

Enjoy!

Quick Vegan Garlic Bread Happy cooking!