Tag Archives: vegan

Balls Galore

Posted on by

0

Image

Last weekend I went a little ball cray, and perhaps a little coconut crazy as well since all these recipes include desiccated coconut.  The problem is that they are so dang easy to make, and the kids love getting involved.  Although it is a great way to get them involved in food prep, it probably diminishes the outcome by about half.

On Friday, I made ‘Power Balls’ which I discovered and modified from my German Thermomix book.  These are basically date-nut balls with a bit of orange punch.  The kids all love them and I feel good giving them an energizing afternoon snack that they can get involved in. (the dark balls on the right of the picture)

On Saturday, my five year old son was begging to make what he calls ‘Snowballs’ that came from an old childhood cookbook of mine with the original name, ‘Quick-Energy Pickups’ (the balls on the left in the picture).  I think they get the quick energy from the use of 1 cup of powdered sugar which I can’t bear the thought of now, so I played around with the recipe to lower the sugar and to make it vegan.  For those in germany, I recommend using a pure organic product such as Rapunzel’s Erdnussmus which is one of the only products I have found that is 100% peanuts. 

On Sunday morning, I was flipping through my new ‘A Taste of Vegetarian’ by Thermomix which has so many fun and healthy recipes, that I decided I had to try yet another ball recipe.  This one is called ‘Carob Bites’.  I haven’t really used carob much or been a fan of other recipes I tried it in.  This recipe mixes carob, tahini and honey for a really unique flavor.  Obviously many vegans will find issue with the honey, and rice syrup could be easily substituted.  The other issue is that it does have quite a bit of sweetener. I was a little confused by the recipe in that it instructs you to cut into squares and then roll it in this ‘LSA Plus’ mix.  I ended up making the squares into balls, and that made it a bit more time consuing, but for my last few treats, I rolled the squares in the LSA Plus mix, and that worked fine and would make this a really quick treat. The LSA Plus that you make to roll these in is highly recommended.  It makes a fair amount, and I have been keeping it in my fridge to add some goodness daily to smoothies, salads, cereals or whatever strikes my fancy.  I did not add the ‘pimento’ as in my mind that is marinated red peppers and is totally out of place.  However, I recognize that ‘piment’ is allspice in German, so that would make sense in this recipe (I will need to research this before I do my next batch).

As a final note, although I was inspired by my super duper Thermomix to make these recipes, I think any high powered blender   would do, and you should be able to figure out the recipes.  Just keep in mind that the speeds on the Thermomix go from 1-10 with 10 being the highest.  However, I wouldn’t blame you if you decided to buy a Thermomix to simplify your life:-)

 

 

Power Balls
A few of my own modifications, but very popular with the kids.

INGREDIENTS:

- 250 grams almonds
- 2 tablespoons flax seed
- 200 grams dates, stoned
- 1 orange zest
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons orange juice
- coconut for rolling

METHOD:

1. Put the orange zest, flax seed and almonds in the mixing bowl for 10 sec / level 10 to grind finely. (see note to use a whole orange instead)

2. Put the dates, vanilla and cinnamon in for 15 seconds / level 10 grind.

3. Add the orange juice and mix 10 seconds / level 3 mix.

4. For each 1 tsp of the ground mixture, make a ball of about 3 cm. Roll in coconut.

5. Keep in the refrigerator.

SOURCE: Thermomix

Quick-Energy Pickups

Modified to a lower sugar/vegan version.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup rice syrup
- 1/2 cup powdered soy milk
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup coconut

METHOD:

1. Mix all ingredients except coconut.

2. Roll into bite-sized balls and roll balls in coconut.

3. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.

SOURCE: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook for Boys and Girls

Carob Bites

- 60 grams carob powder
- 220 grams tahini
- 290 grams honey
- 170 grams soy milk powder
- 2 tablespoons LSA Plus

METHOD:

1. Place all ingredients except LSA plus into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds on speed 4.

2. Tip onto a clean work surface and press out into 2 cm thick rectangle. Cut into bite sized pieces, roll in LSA Plus and refrigerate.

SOURCE: A Taste of Vegetarian

LSA Plus

A great healthy topping for cereal or salads or mix in for smoothies.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 measuring cup flax seed
- 1 measuring cup sunflower seeds
- 1 measuring cup almonds
- 1/2 measuring cup goji berries
- 1/2 measuring cups desiccated coconut
- 1/2 measuring cup pimento

(the measuring cup refers to the cup on the top of the Thermomix which is about 1/2 cup(?), but the exact amount is not really important.  The important thing is that you have the same measure of the first 3 ingredients and 1/2 of that measure for the second 3)
METHOD:

1. Using the measuring cup front eh top of the thermomix, place the flaxseed into the Thermomix and mill for 5 seconds on speed 9.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and set dial to closed lid position. Pulse the Turbo button twice for 1 second each.

SOURCE: A Taste of Vegetarian

Power Breakfast

Posted on by

3

Homemade, Healthy, Happy.: Raw Superfood Chia Porridge.

So my standard breakfast these days is either oatmeal or smoothie.  I enjoy both, and you can make each with a variety of fruits so it’s not always the same.  However, it is always nice to have more options.

I keep hearing about the wonders of chia and goji berries, so when I came across this recipe, I knew I had to try it.

Any google search on chia will bring up sites praising the seed.  In brief, it appears to be a great source calcium,  anti-oxidants, and omega-3s.  Additionally, it is supposed to curb hunger, intensify flavor and be a healthy gelatinous substitute for eggs and fat.  We haven’t been able to get them in Germany, so I haven’t really tried anything with them.  However,  my friend. Angela recently gave me a bag, so I have been adding it to smoothies.  Now I have discovered they are available at Amazon.de, so I am looking for more ways to use them.  In fact, I wouldn’t have tried this recipe if I didn’t have another source as it uses quite a bit of chia.

The Goji berry is well known by the Chinese and has been used for thousands of years there.  According to About.com, some of the benefits are that they:

  • protect the liver
  • help eyesight
  • improve sexual function and fertility
  • strengthen the legs
  • boost immune function
  • improve circulation
  • promote longevity

With benefits such as these, who wouldn’t want to use them?!  I have already been throwing them into my oatmeal, and my Taiwanese friend says you can even add them to soups!  Goji berries are also available at the Reformhaus stores in towns in Germany.  I have even seen monster bags of them – 1 kg perhaps?

So I was quite pleased to find this breakfast porridge with both chia and goji and figured I had to try it.  I don’t think you need a Thermomix as it is only a little mixing required.  The instructions have you mixing on a reverse blade which means the non-cutting side.  It would be equivalent to mixing by hand.  I was actually a bit surprised by this as I thought you would want to grind the chia like flax seeds.  I did not have any incaberries (don’t know anything about those) or raw cacao nibs.  I have never used the cacao nibs before, but I know they are available here and I will get some for the next time.  I did add all the suggested spices and let the mixture sit for the recommended 45 minutes. (The wait time is evidently necessary, but you can prepare it the night before.) Then I topped with bananas, almonds, ‘bromberries’ (whatever they are in English), and I had a hearty, healthy and tasty breakfast.

I loved the flavor, and I loved that I was eating so much healthy goodness.  The popping of the chia seeds is a bit surprising, but I thought it was fun.  Unfortunately, the breakfast was not a hit with my first 3 kids.  The 10 year old  and 5 year old wouldn’t even try it (but that is typical with most of my experiments), the 3 year old tried it, but wasn’t enthusiastic.  The one year old ate it just as well as any breakfast (not refusing, but not super enthusiastic either).  I don’t expect I will be making this too often because my kids weren’t too thrilled with it and because of the necessary wait time, but I would definitely like to work it in every couple of weeks, and I recommend you give it a try as well just to have so much healthy goodness!

Not your SAD (Standard American Diet) Meal

Posted on by

0

When I served my dinner last night, it made me laugh because it looked like a standard American meat and potatoes meal even though it was a wonderful whole-foods plant based one.  Although the picture isn’t the greatest, you see how it looks like something you could be served at any American household.  However, the menu read:

No-Fu Love Loaf

Mushroom-Basil Au Gratin

Gingered Baby Bok Choy

The Bok Choy recipe is one of my favorites which I have almost weekly.  It comes from Dr. McDougall’s Mobile app on my iPhone.  It is a bit of a pain to use recipes from the phone, but I have found several really delicious recipes, so I may invest in one of his other books.  Bok Choy is one of those amazing dark, leafy greens you should try to have every day, so it is nice to find some good recipes for those.

The loaf recipe was a new one as I am constantly trying these out in search of  a decent loaf.  Too often they are too crumbly or rice based and end up more like a pilaf when I serve them.  This was the first one that really looked like meat loaf and held up well.  It is a bit daunting as it has a long list of ingredients, and some of the ingredients (like vegan Worcestershire) are difficult or impossible to find in Germany.  Fortunately, the author gives lots of alternatives for the ingredients that make it doable.   I also like that the loaf doesn’t depend on rice.  Instead, it has bulgar, oatmeal and chia seeds.  This recipe was a preview from “Let them eat vegan:200 Deliciously Satisfying Plant-Powered Recipes for the Whole Family‘ soon to be released and available from Amazon.de (in English) for just under 15 euros.  Based on my success with this loaf, I plan to add this book to my collection as soon as it comes out.

I was really excited to try the Mushroom Au Gratin recipe which I found on the ‘Forks Over Knives’ website as I loved the idea of a healthy version of some old-fashioned comfort food.  However, I found the dish quite bland and not at all satisfying.  My baby liked the potatoes, but I don’t need to go through so much effort to satisfy her.  I will NOT be making that one again.

Here are the recipes I can recommend.  I hope this inspires you!

Gingered Baby Bok Choy
try doubling the amount of greens

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 lb. baby bok choy, quartered

METHOD:

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

2. Place the bok choy in a large non-stick sauté pan with just a splash of water. Cook, turning frequently, until it begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened slightly and bok choy is tender.
SERVINGS: 4
SOURCE: Dr. Mcdougall

 

No-Fu Love Loaf
Many vegan versions of meatloaf are made with tofu, veggie ground round, tvp, or even seitan. Those tofu-averse will be happy to know there is no tofu or veggie meats in this loaf. This savory version uses only lentils, cracked wheat, oats, and chia seed, along with a mix of seasonings to make it all magically come together!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup brown (green) lentils
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 3/4 cup bulgur (toasted cracked wheat) (for gluten-free version, use certified gf steel cut oats)
- 1 cup water, boiled
- 1/4 cup natural ketchup
- 1 cup rolled or quick oats (ensure gf certified for gluten-free)
- 3 tablespoons tamari (use wheat-free for wheat/gluten-free version)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons ground white chia (or can use flax meal)
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (see note for gf version)
- 2 tablespoons tahini or sunflower seed butter
- 2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon ground fennel (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Topping:
- 3 – 4 tablespoon natural ketchup
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional) OR 2 tsp vegan bbq sauce (optional)
METHOD:

1. Combine the lentils, vegetable stock, 1⁄3 cup of water, and bay leaf in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until just about tender. Once done, add the bulgur and boiling water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for another 8 to 9 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil an oven-proof glass loaf pan and line the bottom of the pan with a strip of parchment paper to cover (place it in to protrude along the short ends of the pan; this helps for easier removal of the veggie loaf from the pan). Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Once the bulgur is cooked, remove the bay leaf and add all the remaining ingredients (except topping). Stir very well. Transfer the mixture to prepared pan and pack it in. Spread the topping mixture over the top.

4. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 to 28 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes or so, before cutting to slice and serve.
SERVINGS: 6
SOURCE: Let Them Eat Vegan

A Lenten Challenge

Posted on by

0

So here in the Rheinland, we are finishing up our 5 crazy days.  This is the traditional time for people to do everything to excess before beginning the austere Lenten season.  Now it is simply an excuse to party as people don’t fast the way they traditionally did.  For example, when I was a child I would sometimes give up chocolate, but I have a friend from Georgia (the country) who said it was common in her country for people to stop eating meat, cheese, sweets and bread with yeast.

Now that I am eating a whole foods, plant based diet (and I gave up alcohol a few years ago as well), it is almost like a permanent fast.  I realize this may be extreme for a lot of people as I used to think the same.  However, in giving up things, even for a short time, we realize the part they play in our lives and we are able to focus our energy else where.  Fasting is a practice that our modern western culture has abandoned, but it seems to be regaining some popularity as people recognize its role in helping to refocus their lives in this age of distractions.

Since we are now entering Lent, this is a perfect opportunity for those of you to try out this lifestyle.  I believe you can benefit by even just having a short time to clear your mind.

The Daniel Fast page gives ideas and tips with Biblical principals applied.  They propose a diet of only fruits and vegetables – no sweeteners or bread, so it is a pretty ‘extreme’ version, but it would offer many more spiritual benefits of fasting.  The purpose is more spiritually based as it includes prayer and Bible reading.  They have a book as well as recipes and ideas on their web page.

PETA also recommends a 30 day pledge and will send you literature (if you want to be on their mailing list).  Otherwise, they have a good resource page for recipes and menus at http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/default.aspx.  They also have information about how to ease the transition.

So, take the challenge and see if you can try to go plant based for the next month!

Non dairy cheeses in Bonn

Posted on by

0

Finally found some non dairy cheese in Bonn! Cream cheese – one of the things I find hardest to do without, and non-dairy mozzarella are now at Basic Bio in Bonn center. In fact, they have started to label all vegan products, so it is quite helpful. I haven’t tried the cream cheese yet, but I put the mozzarella on a pizza tonight, and the pizza was great. However, it was not a cheesy tasting pizza, but the flavor came from using capers and sun dried tomatoes.

No more rice milk for me

Posted on by

0

I have to say that I was quite happy at first to find that there were so many choices for non-dairy milks, but I was also overwhelmed. After all, with dairy milks it’s just what percentage of fat and organic or conventional. So I have been buying the ones I have found here: soy, almond, rice, oat, spelt, coconut. They do have different tastes and some places I have read suggests different ones for different purposes.

I know that soy is the mainstay, but I enjoyed experimenting some. Rice sounded like a good idea, and when you pour it, it looks just like dairy milk However, I found that I just didn’t like it, so I decided to figure out what the difference is. Basically, there are a lot of differences among the milks, and that does make the choice more complicated. On the positive side, you can go for different milks for different purposes.

From my initial reading, it seemed that rice milk didn’t have much to offer. It is one of the lowest milks in nutritional value and one of the lowest protein choices. However I also found this site http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/pros-and-cons-of-rice-milk.html which points out that it is good choice for people with a lot of allergies. (On the other hand, it is a terrible choice for diabetics). So it seems that for me, rice is not an option I need to include. Honestly, I am happy to simplify my choices by making that decision.

Bento Box

Posted on by

1

I don’t know if I am the last person to learn about these or if it is new to others as well, but while searching for a new lunch box for my daughter, I discovered that there is a huge movement of Japanese bento lunches in the States.  Basically, bento describes the traditional Japanese packed lunch.  The idea is to cleverly arrange items so that they completely fill the space, but it has become a very popular movement to make really cute designs.  In fact, there are tons of blogs, books and even competitions.  Some people take pictures of their bento boxes every day.  They can be amazingly cute and creative, and I will admit, that has a definite appeal for kids.

As I mentioned, I discovered this trend while looking for lunch boxes for my daughter.  She does NOT like sandwiches and microwaves are not allowed at school (a new German law I believe).  Additionally, becoming vegan has presented a new series of lunch  challenges as I did not find the school lunches very wholesome, and I didn’t want to send my kids with PB & J and cut up apples every day (even though that is what the 4 year old has requested).

Vegan Lunch Bento Style

Panda Lunch Box

So inspired by the bento movement, I came up with the following lunch for my daughter last week.  Obviously the box is super cute.  My daughter picked it out from Amazon.com while we were in the states.  It has 2 levels, and I put our leftovers from dinner in the bottom layer (tempeh non-meat loaf, sweet potato fries and green bean vinaigrette).  I used a silicon muffin tin to keep the juicy stuff from spreading to the other items.  In the second layer, I put some fruit.

Now the modern takeoff on bento is often not healthy or vegan – think lots of cut-up deli meats and cheeses and shaped hard boiled eggs, but there are some good resources for healthy and vegan options as well.

Just Bento is a great resource for bento techniques and recipes.  This site also tries to write healthy options and gives instructions for making sushi rolls with brown rice. The blogger has also written a book which is one of the most highly rated Bento books on amazon.

Vegan Lunch Box is also a blog turned book.  I haven’t used this blog that much, but I bought the two books.  The original book is marketed to making kid friendly meals.  It actually has menu ideas based around themes like – quick and easy, make ahead, asian style, etc.  The choices are relatively healthy, and there are lots of recipes.

For someone new to this business, I have found these resources extremely helpful.  However, to plan lunch menus in addition to my evening meals has been a bit overwhelming.  This week I am trying to integrate the two so that lunch can basically be leftovers with a little twist or addition.  However, I am excited about making fun and healthy lunches for my kids!

Brewer’s Yeast

Posted on by

0

So I haven’t done much research into the difference between brewers yeast and nutritional yeast. However I know I have heard some people say they don’t like brewers yeast.

As some of you may, or may not, know, one of the primary reasons vegans use yeast is for vitamin B12. B12 is a byproduct from eating bacteria in the soil. Usually we absorb B12 through eating animal products as our soils have been so heavily treated that plants often do not absorb it. Therefore Vegans do not usually have enough B12 and look for it in other sources.

Yeast is a great way for vegans to get their B12 as it can be sprinkled on salads or used in items to give cheesy flavors. Unfortunately, B12 is an additive and not in all yeast. I have found a couple of ‘nutritional’ yeasts in Bonn, but neither had B12. Today I found this ‘Brewer’s’ yeast in the vitamin section of Hit, and it has B12!

20110830-025052.jpg

My First Vegan Pizza

Posted on by

0


Last night I made my first pizza without cheese, and I thought it was delicious. I think it would have been approved by Joel Fuhrman as it was certainly healthy as well.

I started by making a whole wheat crust. I then spread it with some leftover hummus which had sundried tomatoes. I then threw on a bunch of vegetables that I wanted to use up. One was 2 leeks that my assistant sauteed in olive oil, and I think that really added to the flavor. There were some cooked mixed veggies as well, and fresh mushrooms, red pepper and tomatoes. I sprinkled salt, pepper and dried basil over the top. In the end a tasty healthy pizza with so much flavor that you didn’t even notice there was no cheese!

The only drawback, the kids wouldn’t eat it. They certainly have a preference for the unhealthy stuff!

Vegan Cream Cheese

Posted on by

0

This morning I had my first taste of vegan cream cheese, and I liked it. I was amazed how ‘real’ it tasted. I gave it to my kids as well, and they didn’t even notice the difference!
I also bought some coconut milk creamer for my coffee, and I don’t notice any difference.
Being able to buy pre made products such as these makes going vegan a lot easier in the US than in Germany. However, I wonder if these count as ‘whole’ foods. Having lived abroad for so long, I am used to making everything from scratch, and I have come to prefer being able to control my ingredients. I also believe that eating whole foods is more pure and better for my body. I really enjoyed both of these vegan products as they are two tastes that I miss and would often ‘cheat’ on, but I also noticed that there is actually quite a long list of ingredients in each. I don’t mind the oils and salt in the cream cheese, but what about tricalcium phosphate? And what exactly makes up ‘natural flavors’ and ‘vegan culture’? If I choose to avoid animal products because I want more wholesome food, does choosing these pre-made foods defeat my purpose?

20110710-082726.jpg