Monday, September 1, 2008

Couscous with Lemon, Mint and Garbanzo Beans

This nummy delight is what we had for dinner at my house tonight. Try it! You'll love it!


Couscous with Lemon, Mint and Garbanzo Beans. Created for BUSH’S ® Beans by Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., nutrition instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, mom and author of "The Sonoma Diet."

Ingredients:

  • 1 10 ounce box couscous
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 lemons, juiced and zested
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 16 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1 cup seeded and chopped red bell pepper
  • 2 cups chopped cucumbers
  • 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Prepare couscous per directions on the box.

Place couscous and raisins in a large bowl, set aside.

Combine water, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small pot. Bring to simmer, pour over couscous mixture and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, let sit for 15 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap, gently fluff with fork. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine beans, red pepper, cucumber, and tomatoes. Pour in lemon juice and remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Combine fluffed couscous, garbanzo bean mixture, parsley and mint in a large serving platter. Gently toss to combine. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Its Vegan Muffin Time! ...and they're GOOD!!!

I find that it is incredibly simple to use egg replacer and soy or almond milk to make egg-free and dairy-free vegan muffins, and no one ever complains about the substitutions. They vanish just as quickly as the ones made with dairy products.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes:


Stacy's Yummy Vegan Strawberry Banana Muffins










INGREDIENTS:

* 3 ripe bananas, mashed
* 3/4 cup light brown sugar
* Ener-G egg replacer for 2 eggs
* scraped seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp. good vanilla extract
* 1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
* 2 1/4 cups flour
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp baking soda
* dash nutmeg and cinnamon
* dash sea salt
* 1 cup diced organic strawberries (for some reason frozen works best)

PREPARATION:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line a muffin tin.

Beat together the bananas ( I let them get really soft and overripe first) , brown sugar, egg replacer, vanilla bean or extract and vegan margarine.

In a separate bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Add to the banana mixture and stir just until combined. Gently fold in the strawberries.

Fill each muffin about 2/3 full with batter. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Stacy's Tangy Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins




This is both a sweet and tart muffin recipe, chock full of zesty lemon flavor - just the way lemon poppy seed muffins should be! Be sure to use a vegan margarine when making this vegan lemon poppy seed muffin recipe.


INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cups flour
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* 1/2 cup soy milk
* 1/2 cup margarine, slightly softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 tbsp Ener-G egg replacer
* 1/2 tsp vanilla or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
* zest from one lemon
* 1/4 cup poppy seeds

PREPARATION:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line a muffin pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk together then lemon juice, soy milk and vanilla.

Add the margarine and sugar, then add the egg replacer. Stir in the lemon zest and poppy seeds.

Gently combine the flour mixture with the soy milk and margarine mixture just until mixed.

Pour into prepared muffin pan. For extra sweet muffins, sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of extra sugar.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.


Ta daaaaaa! Vegan muffin goodness!
Mmmmmmmmmm! Good!

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Squash Pie


Squash Pie

8 Servings

The glowing colors and the smooth texture of cooked winter squash are evocative of winter feasts, home and the holidays. These sturdy gourds have been around since long before the Pilgrims shared their first Thanksgiving with Native Americans. Squash is believed to have been eaten as long ago as 5,500 BC. The winter squash family boasts a bewildering number of varieties, from acorn to Hubbard, the most recognizable of which is probably the pumpkin. But despite great differences in shape, size and the external color of their hard skins, most can be treated the same in the kitchen -- baked, pureed, or as a component of soups and stews. Perhaps best of all is the rich nutritional value they have in common. Beta carotene, potassium and fiber are just some of their most notable assets. With a nutty and often sweet taste and a smooth texture, winter squash is good and good for you.

Ingredients:
two 9" crusts,
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1 cup water
4 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot
6 cups cooked puréed winter squash (buttercup, banana, or Hubbard)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons brandy
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a blender, grind the cashew pieces until very fine. Add the water and blend on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the cornstarch or arrowroot powder and blend on low speed for 30 seconds.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the squash purée, sugars, brandy, and spices.

4. Add the cashew mixture to the squash and mix well.

5. Divide the pie filling equally between the two pie crusts. Top with the chopped walnuts. Bake the pies for 50-60 minutes until lightly browned, cracked, and well-set.

7. Remove the pies from the oven, cool, then refrigerate overnight to allow filling to firm up. Serve cool or at room temperature.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Know your labels


Sticker labels on the fruits actually tell you how the fruits have been grown — whether they were organically grown or conventionally grown with pesticides and herbicides or if they are genetically engineered fruits.

Conventional Fruit Labels

Four digits and does not start with 9

** mostly starting with the digit 4

Organic Fruit Labels

Five digits and starts with number 9

Genetically Modified Fruits

Start with the digit 8

If you come across a peach in the store and it’s labels 4922, it’s an conventional peach grown with herbicides and harmful fertilizers. If it has a sticker 99222, it’s organic and safe to eat. If it says 89222, then it has been genetically modified (GMO).

So next time you go shopping, remember these critical numbers and know how to avoid purchasing inorganic and GMO fruits.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Living in Food Porn Heaven

Ok....as a general rule, I try to eat locally grown produce because of the impact that eating imported goods has on the environment. However, once in awhile, I do splurge and go completely off the foodwagon. Yesterday was one of those days.

Fava and Lemon
There are home cooked meals and there are restaurants....and then there is San Francisco. I have attended foodie sections of cities all over the place, but never have I encountered such an abundance of gourmet gastronomic delights as in San Francisco's current offerings. Seems like every time I step off the BART I find some amazing new tasty delight.

There are Farmer's Markets and ethnic eateries galore in this city, but non surpass the Foodie Mecca that is known as the Ferry Market Building on the Embarcadero where we spent the day yesterday strolling from shop-to-shop and booth-to-booth. Every weekend during the spring and summer, the exterior of the building is lined with white tents offering everything from the most beautiful tomatoes you've ever laid eyes on, to the more obscure varietals of eggplant or plantains. Inside, there are specialty shops, each dedicated to its own kind of exquisite gastronomical delight. Food is artfully displayed in bursts of creative, harmonious color and composition. Just looking at it almost makes this writer high!

Gourmet Salts

One shop sells only olive oil and specialty salts and a couple of spices. The salts come with such descriptive monikers as "Micro-Milled Tahitian Vanilla Pink ". Salt restaurants are beginning to crop up here and there as more and more foodies are jumping on the bandwagon. In fact, the latest addition to many of the gourmet food shops is "saltware" i.e. serving dishes made of salt stones. I purchased this wonderful little tin of "Micro-milled Himalayan Fennel Pollen Pink" to go on a fresh fennel salad that I like to make.
Fancy Schmancy Saltzy

I also got some Lavender Salt and these beautiful organic tomatoes.
Tablescape

Additionally, I grabbed two bottles of infused E.V.O.O., one with lemon zest and the other with hot chilis.
Oilive Oil

To go along with the oil, I chose a spice blend called, "Zhug" (pronounced zzz-hoog, one syllable) to float on the oil to use as a dipping sauce. It is a hot and tasty condiment that contains very high quality cumin, hot chili, garlic, coriander, cardamon, cloves and specialty salt all ground together to create a lovely Roussillon ochre-colored dry mix. Mmmm!

The shop a couple of doors down sells nothing but mushrooms, with the exception this week, of some delicate fiddlehead ferns, one of my very favorite foods. These are only available during a short time span in the spring. I fell in love with this asparagus-like delicacy when I lived in New England and eat them lightly steamed with just a squeeze of lemon and a wee bit of salt. They virtually melt in the mouth and are so delicious!
Fiddlehead Ferns

...but the fiddleheads were not the only thing I bought. Check out these beautiful shrooms! I went nuts and bought Lions Mane, Morels, Golden Chanterelles, Velvet Pioppinis...and others.

Lions Mane Shrooms

Shrooms 3

Shrooms 2

Shrroms I.

Oh, and the pasta! I will be combining mushrooms with these visually striking taste treats, to be sure!

Ebony and Ivory

Pasta More

Pasta e Basta

I also picked up some beautiful rosemary bread from the Acme bakery, crispy on the outside and velvety soft on the inside with just a hint of rosemary. This bread is perfect eaten all by itself without butter or other condiments.

Bread

And on the way out, we picked up some fresh fennel to use in my tomato, fennel and watercress salad:

Fennel

Oh...and I can't omit the chocolate...and this is another place where the "edge" gets teetered on and falling to the wrong side! These beauties, unfortunately, are not vegan. However, we just had to stop by Recchiuti Confections and pick up some of these. Each delicious square has these beautiful designs painted on. This "Parisian-inspired shop, softly lit with hand-blown Murano lamps and appointed with a jewelry case chocolate display" has an unimaginable array of chocolates, with flavors such as honey crunch, fresh lavender, lemon verbena or tarragon. Some of them feature artwork by such artists as Michele Carson painted in chocolate on each piece:. These are the ones we chose:

Fancy Candy

We don't shop like this every day, but once in awhile...it is really wicked and fun. You'll have to excuse me now...I'm off to the kitchen!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Tri-Fungi Quinoa Pasta by Stacy Alexander

Ok....this is the "edge" part. This is a vegetarian dish that is not a vegan dish...so if you just sub. a vegan cheese for the parmigiano reggiano that I've used here, you'll have a nice, vegan dish.

Years ago, I used to go to a restaurant called, "The Rammekin" (and I hope I've spelled that correctly...) where all entrees were served in individual dishes. I always enjoyed that concept, so that is what I used for this dish.

I've been experimenting with quinoa pastas lately. They handle differently than gluten-containing pastas and have totally different properties so can be a little tricky in that they require far less cooking time. The textures are sublime and they have the added benefits of being high in protein and, as mentioned, gluten free so you can fill up on them without getting that post-pasta drowsy sensation. The down side is that I usually make pasta from scratch and I don't have a clue about how to make this one, nor can I find a ready-made fresh one anywhere... so I used a dried red bell pepper and spinach one.




This is a dish I made that has chanterelles, shitakis and criminies combined with the best parmigiano reggiano I could find, veggie/vegan meat, onions, fresh basil, fresh garlic, telicherry pepper - which I prefer more for its' aromatic contributions than for the fire. (It is very mild, but smells heavenly!) and sel gris (gray salt) which is a nice, mineral-laden cooking salt from France that you can pick up at any gourmet cooking shop such as Sur la Table or, I think Trader Joe's is carrying it now. I am way into the salts these days..finishing salts...dessert salts...etc...sel gris is a great all-purpose one that has a nice, earthy under taste.

Ok...so let's begin. Shall we?

I preheated the oven to 350 F. and brought some salted, olive-oiled water to a boil. Then I prepared the pasta curls:



I used my mortar and pestle to prepare the pepper and sel gris. I prefer this method to a grinder because I can actually see the size of the grains and process them exactly as I want. (This is a very large, heavy duty m&p that I picked up from Sundance. I couldn't live without it!) :


I worked in the restaurant business for many years and pride myself on being able to thinly slice shrooms at the speed of sound. ;-) Unfortunately, due to the size, textures and shapes of this particular mushroom trio, I opted to cut them into thick chunks. Here we have the chanterelle, shitaki and criminie delights, each with a distinct flavor, texture and appearance:



I cooked the mushrooms in olive oil just slightly...maybe 2-3 minutes tops, so they had begun to soften.

Then I cooked a small white onion (chopped) until clear, with 3 cloves of fresh garlic and some finely chopped fresh basil...about 1/3 C. I added the veggie meat to this. If you choose to use veg meat, the cooking time is far, far less than actual animal product, so watch it closely:



One can use any sauce of preference. I used a homemade one with chanterelles simmered throughout & processed finely. Turned out to be the perfect choice with this particular selection of ingredients. I began assembly of this dish by adding sauce to the bottom of the rammekin.


Then I layered the other ingredients adding a nice, aged parmigiano reggiano between layers.



Just prior to adding the top layer of cheese, I added just a whisper of a nice white wine. This is a French chardonnay, but you can use whatever you prefer:


Since the ingredients were pretty much pre-cooked, I just sprinkled cheese over the top, covered each rammekin with foil and popped it into the oven for around 20 min. to allow the wine to steam up through the layers and for the cheese to melt. When it began to bubble and sing, I removed it from the oven and served it with a nice, cold citrus salad with mixed lettuces and pomegranate. I forgot to photograph the salad so am using a pic that I nabbed from the net. Mine looked pretty much like this with more greens:


It was a good meal...the hot, bubbly individual casseroles contrasted with the cool salad. We had some nice green beans almondine with this as well. Good stuff.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Tired? Eat figs!

My food guru, Dr. Michael Greger says this about fig consumption for fatique:

In search of some of the most nutrient-dense foods in existence, chemists at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania started looking at dried fruit. Since 90% of a fruit's weight is water, they figured that dried fruit might be ten times more nutritious by weight than fresh. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. The drying process destroyed about 80% of the chief antioxidant compounds, but, given that the nutrition in dried fruit is ten times more concentrated, dried fruits did still come out ahead, finishing out with about 10% more antioxidant content than fresh (by weight). And with all the fiber and minerals intact, dried fruit did test out to be little nutrition powerhouses.

A new study out of Korea just found that the antioxidant boost provided by fruit consumption only seems to last about 2 hours.[13] So carrying around some trail mix is a convenient way to make sure your body is constantly flooded with antioxidants throughout the day. Which dried fruits are the best? Of the six fruits tested--apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins and plums--shooting to a surprise finish at number one was... figs! (OK, OK, the study was paid for in part by the California Fig Advisory Board, but still...).

Aren't dried fruits packed with concentrated sugars though? And isn't sugar a pro-oxidant? Well, yes, but dried (and fresh) fruits are so packed with antioxidants that not only do they successfully counter the potential detriment of their own sugar, they are powerful enough to take on a can of Coke, too. When you drink a dozen spoonfuls of sugar in a soft drink (aka "liquid candy"), the antioxidant capacity of your blood drops dramatically as your body starts using up its antioxidant stores to deal with the oxidant stress caused by all that sugar. Well what if you doubled the amount of sugar you ingested by drinking a cup of soda with a serving of dried figs on top? Even the high fructose corn syrup in the soda is no match for the antioxidant power of fruit. Despite the double sugar load, subjects washing down their figs with soda still experienced an overall rise in antioxidant levels in their bloodstream.[14] No, that doesn't mean you can eat or drink all the candy you want as long as you pop a few raisins. Stick with the fruit.

In addition to having the highest antioxidant content among the six fruits tested, of the thousands of whole foods in the USDA nutrient database, figs make the top ten for fiber content.

(For the curious, the top five are #1. Cloud ear mushrooms (the number one fiber-containing whole food on the planet and I've never even heard of it?), #2. Flax seeds (I've heard of those), #3. Sesame seeds, #4. Dried unsweetened coconut, and #5. Air-popped popcorn).

And fiber consumption, according a new review, may help boost energy levels.[15] Half the fiber we swallow is eaten by the good bacteria in our colon. Our colonic comrades ferment the fiber we eat into short-chain fatty acids, which our body then absorbs and sends straight to our muscles to be used as a ready fuel source. Of course, another byproduct of this fermentation product is gas, some of which is absorbed by other bacteria to produce even more fuel for us, but the rest of which is indeed excreted. Maybe a more appropriate title would be Fight Fatigue with Fig Farts.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

The Latest Food Deception


You've seen all the bruhaha of late..."Chocolate is beneficial to our diet"....right? Food gurus all over the place are now espousing claims that it has become now a magical treat because of its health and wellness benefits which can affect our body and mood in the most profound ways. We heard in the news that dark chocolate has super antioxidant powers and that cacao, the source of chocolate has also antibacterial agents that may reduce tooth decay. Reports go further to say that the smell of chocolate can actually increase brain waves and help relax the body, and maybe those were some of the reasons why cacao and chocolates are now being used in the upscale spas and beauty salons for body scrubs....blah...blah....blah.....

What these news reports are NOT telling you is that the main health benefits come from the raw cocoa powder BEFORE it is infused with all that refined white sugar.

Dark chocolate -- not white chocolate and not milk chocolate -- lowers high blood pressure, say Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the University of Cologne, Germany. Their report appears in the Aug. 27 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

But that's no license to go on a chocolate binge. Eating more dark chocolate can help lower blood pressure -- if you've reached a certain age and have mild high blood pressure, say the researchers. But you have to balance the extra calories by eating less of other things.

Antioxidants in Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate -- but not milk chocolate or dark chocolate eaten with milk -- is a potent antioxidant, report Mauro Serafini, PhD, of Italy's National Institute for Food and Nutrition Research in Rome, and colleagues. Their report appears in the Aug. 28 issue of Nature. Antioxidants gobble up free radicals, destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments.

"Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate ... and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate."

Translation: Say "Dark, please," when ordering at the chocolate counter. Don't even think of washing it down with milk. And if health is your excuse for eating chocolate, remember the word "moderate" as you nibble.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Stacy Alexander's Spring Garden Puree


This Spring Garden Puree is a nice twist on pesto. It can be added to pizza as a base ingredient or used in any kind of pasta dish for a fresh, bright spring garden flavor:

Here is what you'll need:

  • 1 lb organic asparagus, ends discarded, and chopped into 3-inch lengths
  • 1 lb organic green beans, halved, ends removed and discarded
  • 1 cup frozen English peas (the smaller the better)
  • 1 cup slivered pecans, walnuts or almonds
  • 3 garlic cloves(or more)
  • 1 cup loosely packed Italian parsley
  • 4 scallions, green parts only, coarsely chopped
  • 2.5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 juice of 1/2 large lemon + 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  • 1 lb extra firm tofu drained and pressed
  • 1 cup chopped basil leaves
  • Here's how to make it!

    1. Have ready a large bowl of ice water.
    2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
    3. Add the asparagus and green beans; boil for 2-3 minutes. Add the frozen peas and boil for 2-3 more minutes.
    4. Drain vegetables and submerge in the ice water to stop the cooking.
    5. Pulse the nuts to a fine powder in coffee grinder or blender
    6. Add the vegetables, garlic, parsley, scallions, olive oil, lemon juice, and nutmeg; puree until smooth, adding small amounts of water as needed to thin.
    7. In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a potato masher or hand held immersion blender until it has a ricotta cheese-like consistency.
    8. Add the puree and mix well.
    9. Fold in the basil.
    10. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

    Friday, March 7, 2008

    My take on flax seed and a Pina Colada Smoothie recipe!


    When my husband and I took a vegan nutrition course a few years ago, the benefits of flax seeds couldn't have been emphasized more. What a lot of people don't realize, according to our instructor, is how quickly the flax seed oil deteriorates. She recommended that rather than purchase expensive flax seed oil in liquid or capsule form, we should simply buy the inexpensive raw flax seeds that are sold in the bulk produce section of most natural foods stores. Using a coffee grinder, we were told to grind a week's worth (according to recommended dosages for our body weight and height) and to keep these in an airtight container in the freezer.

    The flax seed has its own protective coating and if you fail to grind it up prior to ingestion, it will simply pass through your body without bestowing any of its many health benefits. The nutrients in flax seeds also weaken when they're heated, so buying hot cereal that has flax seed in it is kind of a moot point. Sprinkle them on your cold cereal or stir them into your yoghurt. You can also put them in smoothies or juice.

    The seeds can be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature or in a glass jar or other airtight container for up to several months as long as they are not ground. After they are ground, into the freezer they should go.

    Flax seeds are most sought after because of their high content of alpha linolenic acids. Alpha linolenic acid is a type of plant-derived omega 3 fatty acid, similar to those found in fish such as salmon. Benefits of flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) levels. Other benefits show that flax seed may also help lower blood triglyceride and blood pressure. It may also keep platelets from becoming sticky therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack. I found that an added benefit is that my hair gets nice and shiny when I take flax seeds on a regular basis, and that my nails are strong and skin clearer.


    Aside from alpha linolenic acid, flax seed is rich in lignan. Lignan is a type phytoestrogen (antioxidant) and also provides fiber. Researches reveal that lignan in flax seed shows a lot of promise in fighting disease -- including a possible role in cancer prevention especially breast cancer. It is thought that lignan metabolites can bind to estrogen receptors, hence inhibiting the onset of estrogen-stimulated breast cancer.

    Recent studies also showed positive benefits of flax seed oil in IBD (Crohn's Disease and Colitis). Flax seed oil seems to be able to heal the inner lining of the inflamed intestines.

    Nothing in this blog is medical advice, ok? If you're sick...see a doc.


    Stacy Alexander's Pina Colada Smoothie

    Toss these ingredients in a blender with some ice:

    1 banana
    2 C. almond milk
    1 T. ground flax seed (fresh)
    1/2 C. coconut milk
    1/8 C. almonds
    1/2 C. fresh pineapple

    Blend until ice is slush-like. Add more almond milk if mixture is too thick.

    Pour into chilled glass and enjoy! Ahhhhhh!

    Thursday, March 6, 2008

    Cooookies!!!




    Who doesn't love cookies? I do...but most store bought varieties are filled with partially hydrogenated oils and other ingredients that I don't want to put into my body. I have a tasty little cookie recipe for you here, however, that doesn't do so much damage. They have olive oil in them as well as other wholesome additions like chopped almonds and they taste really good!


    Stacy Alexander's Almond Sesame Drops

    Ingredients:
    3/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour (wheat, spelt, brown rice...any flour you want)

    3/4 cup unbleached white flour

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    1/8 teaspoon salt

    1/4 cup organic sesame seeds, toasted

    3/4 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped

    4 ounces soft Silken-brand or Trader Joe's brand tofu

    1/2 cup light olive oil

    3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (I like the sugar from Madagascar)

    1 tablespoon almond extract

    seeds from 1 vanilla bean

    1/4 tsp. cinnamon


    Instructions:
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    2. In a bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the sesame seeds and chopped almonds.

    3. In another bowl, mash the tofu and combine with the olive oil, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon, and almond extract. Mix well.

    4. Using a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. Roll the mixture into one-inch balls, flatten between your palms, and place them on ungreased baking sheets. Bake the cookies about 10 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the cookie sheet and cool on a rack.

    Nutritional Information:

    Per serving:
    86 calories
    6 g total fat (1 g sat)
    0 mg cholesterol
    7 g carbohydrate
    1 g protein
    1 g fiber


    Wednesday, March 5, 2008

    Living on the edge of veganism

    Fact is, I'd love to be a vegan...but I'm not. This means that despite my efforts, I will occasionally eat cheese or yogurt or cottage cheese. ...not every day...but sometimes. So shoot me. Most of the time, I don't. I substitute almond or soy milk for cow's milk. I eat soy yogurt most of the time.....so I say I live on the edge of veganism but am not quite there.

    I don't eat meat.

    Most of the recipes published herein will be vegan. I will try to list nutritional content when I have it.

    There will be some product and restaurant reviews, cooking tips.....You get the picture.

    Welcome!