Ninety-Five

This is a beautiful book I picked up at the gift shop at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY this past summer.

It is brimming with glorious photographs of farmed animals and contains their stories as told by those who adore them. These animals have been rescued from the lives of torture usually endured by farmed animals. Their care givers allow them to live their natural lives, never being slaughtered for meat, never milked, never force fed...

The title?  Ninety-five represents the approximate number of animals saved annually by one vegan person. Ninety-five lives spared.

Purchase this book at:

http://www.farmsanctuary.com/
http://www.chapters.ca/
http://www.amazon.ca/

WOW (Wild Organic Way)

Last night the hubby and I made the trek to WOW in Guelph for the first time to dine on raw food.

I don't know where to start to tell you how good it was!  I have been interested in the raw food diet and am just starting to dabble in it.  Foods are considered raw so long as they are not heated above 115 degrees.  Anything over that temperature begins to deplete the food's nutrients. 

Raw food is all about eating foods in their natural state.  Sometimes the food is ground up, soaked, dehydrated at a low temperature....

Last night we had fruit smoothies to drink.  I chose the Quesdilla Plate and my better half chose the Tasty Tacos.  We decided to share the Mediterranean pizza.  All three of these menu items were outstanding!  Try to imagine these foods made without heat...without animal products!  Honestly, you've got to go and see for yourself.  Delicious!

Of course, skeptical, you go in there thinking you'll be hungry seconds after you leave the table.  I was definately full after dinner (even though I don't like to stuff myself) but I just had to have dessert.  We decided to get two desserts to try.  Chocolate Dream Cake and Berry Cheese Cake.  Again, both were made with raw, uncooked ingredients and no animal products. No milk. No cheese. No eggs.  Fantastic!

http://www.wowrawcafe.ca/

22 Carden Street, Guelph, Ontario   519-766-1701 
(across from City Hall)

WOW - this pic is from their website...I think they've got new signage now

WOW is a quaint little place...it has been closed for a few months as it goes under a facelift.  It recently reopened with a select menu.  In November 2010 they plan to have a grand reopening with a much larger menu and perhaps a grocery area.  The owners are also compiling what I guess you'd call an uncook book.

Vegan Quiche

My April 2010 issue of Veg News got me into the mood for vegan quiche.  Page 50 includes a recipe called Red Chard Tofu Quiche.  I did not have all of the ingredients it called for so I made substitutions.

Vegan Quiche

Ingredients

1 homemade or frozen vegan pieshell

1 pound firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1/3 cup soymilk
1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chopped frozen spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced button mushrooms

1/4 cup veggie bacon bits (can be made by crisp frying finely cut up Yves Veggie Veggie Bacon Strips)

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a food processor blend tofu and soymilk 'til smooth.

3.  Fry over medium-high heat the olive oil, garlic, onions, mushrooms and salt.  Cook for several minutes until onions are translucent. 

Vegan Quiche

4.  Add oregano, turmeric, pepper and spinach.  Cook until spinach has thawed.

5.  Turn off the heat and fold in the tofu/soymilk mixture and veggie bacon bits.

6.  Pour the mixture into the pie shell, spread evenly.

7.  Bake 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown - rotate in oven once midway to ensure even browning.

Quick Basmati and Nut Pilaf

Quick Basmati and Nut Pilaf

This is probably my favourite rice recipe.

I wish I knew what cookbook it's from.  I tore the page out (totally not like me to do that to a book) and the title of the book is not on the page I have.

This serves about 4 or more people. 

I purchase and use as much organic ingredients as possible.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups basmati rice
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground coriander
4 cardamom pods
2 cups vegetable stock or water
1/2 cup raw cashews

Method

1.  Wash the rice, drain well.

2.  In a large pan, gently fry the onion, garlic and carrot in the oil for a few minutes.

3.  Stir in the rice and spices and cook for a minute or two so that the grains are coated in oil.

4.  Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer very gently for about 10 minutes or so 'til the rice is cooked.

5.  Stir in the nuts and let sit with a lid on the pan to soften the cashews.

Remember to remove the caradamom pods.

NUMMER YUM YUMS DESSERT



Simple, simple, simple yet so delicious.

So here's the deal...I had organic strawberries in the fridge just begging to be gobbled up.  Once again I turned to The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book for inspiration.  Within it's pages I found a recipe called Blueberry Cream Salad.



Inspired, I made what I guess I would call That Strawberry Kiwi Thing with Banana Sauce!!

As usual, I prepare my foods with organic ingredients where possible.

Ingredients



That Strawberry Kiwi Thing With Banana Sauce



1 banana

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon of agave sweetener

3 - 4 kiwis, peeled cut into bits

1 pound strawberries, tops lobbed off and berries quartered

Method

1.  Blend the banana, vanilla and agave together until creamy in a blender.

2.  Mix the creamy sauce with the strawberries in a bowl.

3.  Place the individual servings in bowls and toss some kiwi bits into each bowl.

4.  If you've got blueberries kickin' around - don't be shy - toss some of those in there too!

This is a very simple dessert that is nice and fresh and tasty!

Vegan Caesar Salad

It had been years since I had had Caesar salad. It wasn't one of my most favs but I wanted a change so I went in search of a vegan recipe. In my quest to start eating raw food (I'll go into that in another blog) I have purchased some raw food preparation books. In one of the books I found a recipe which I have made a staple at our dinner table.



VEGAN CAESAR SALAD



The greatest thing about eating vegan is that I am often surprised at the ingredients. People have gotten very clever with what they use to obtain certain flavours in foods. This recipe is made almost entirely from avocado! At first my kids loved the salad...'til they noticed that the leftover dressing on their plates was green! "Why is it green?" they gasped. You see, they don't like avocado! Eventually my oldest son got over the fact that it was avocado...the yougest one, well, we're still working on him! It's all in his head. It's a great salad.

This salad can be made 'raw' or if you like, you can make it 'rawish' as I do. I add a couple ingredients which are not defined as raw.

The recipe is a very slightly modified version of the one I found in The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book by Mike Snyder (with Nancy Faass and Lorena Bull).

By the way, I use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients

2-3 cups romaine lettuce, rinsed, patted dry

1 avocado, peeled

2 tbsp olive oil (cold pressed is 'raw')

1 clove garlic (or more to taste) - could also use garlic powder

1 tsp salt (or less)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup water

4-5 strips of Yves Veggie veggie bacon strips

handful of dry roasted soy nuts or raw almonds/cashews

1/2 - 1 cup sliced button mushrooms (or more)

method

1. Tear the romain into bite size pieces and place in a mixing bowl.

2. In a really good blender or food processor combine the following until creamy: avocado, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and water.

3. While the blender/processor is making a racket in your kitchen, cut up the veggie bacon strips into bitty pieces and fry them to a crisp in some oil in a pan. Once crispy, place on paper towel and pat dry.

4. Add the creamy dressing from the blender/processor to the greens in the mixing bowl.

5. Toss in the fresh veggie bacon bits and mushrooms and give'm a good toss together.

6. Find a lovely plate on which to serve the salad. Put the handful of roasted soy nuts on top.

To make this a raw recipe, omit the veggie bacon bits and roasted soy nuts. In place of the soy nuts you could add raw pine nuts.

The Everything Raw Food Recipe Book says this salad serves 2. I suppose it would if that's all your gonna eat. If you have other items on your dinner table this would feed 4.

Me with Summer

Donkey Sanctuary of Canada

Eeee-awwww....on August 4, 2010 my husband and I finally ventured to Puslinch to visit the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada.

http://www.thedonkeysanctuary.ca/

Please make an effort to visit the sanctuary...check them out on-line for visiting hours. We really enjoyed the hours we spent there.

We packed a picnic which we ate by the beautiful pond. This a picture of me hugging Summer. She is the oldest donkey at the sanctuary right now. She was born in 1970 and is therefore, 40. This past February the sanctuary lost its two oldest donkeys who were 47 and 41. Typically a working donkey has a lifespan of 25-30 years. Summer is a very friendly donkey. She is soft and lovable.

The Sanctuary is home to mini donkeys, donkeys, mammoth donkeys, mules and hinnys. Mules are the offspring of a mare and a male donkey (jack/jackass). Hinnys are the opposite of mules.

Visit them as soon as you can!

MY FAV 'ZINE

VEG NEWS

I absolutely love Veg News magazine. Check it out at vegnews.com.

I see that the March/April 2010 issue is out now so I'll head to Ancaster with the hubby. We'll drop by Chapters to pick up the issue and then across the parking lot to Booster Juice for a Sonic Soy smoothie!

When I get home I"ll curl up on the couch with my new magazine.

It's not just recipes like the other vegetarian magazines. Also, it's vegan, it's green and it has a great format!

SO YOU'RE VEGAN? WHAT DO YOU EAT? ANSWER: EVERYTHING, WELL ALMOST!

HERE IS WHAT YOU'LL FIND ON MY VEGAN GROCERY LIST...

When at all possible, I buy organic (for my health, for the health of the farm workers, for the environment).

whole wheat / whole grain bread
all the typical veggies (lettuce, spinach, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, yams, mushrooms...)
all the typical fruits (bananas, apples, oranges, pears, kiwis, melons, grapes, grapefruit...)
tofu, firm
tofu, silken
meat analogs (like Yves Veggie bacon, lunch slices, hotdogs, chik'n etc.)
veggie burgers (Lick's)
basmati rice
natural nuts such as cashews, almonds
jumbo raisins (nice'n'juicy)
baked chips
natural popcorn
vegan cereal bars
egg replacer
vegan mayonaise (Earth Island's Vegenaise)
soy milk (I like chocolate Silk and original Natura)
vegan sour cream (Tofutti's Sour Supreme)
vegan pudding cups
vegan yoghurt
vegan cheese slices (Tofutti brand)
vegan cream cheese (Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese)
black beans
chick peas
pasta sauce (Shopper's Drug Mart has some nice organic sauces)
canned tomatoes
pasta
peanut butter
jam
orange juice
soy ice cream (Natura brand)

When I say vegan...I mean:
no milk products
no meat products (that includes no: cow, pig, turkey, deer, chicken, fish, lamb...you get the idea)
no honey
no eggs

I have found that some processed meat analogs might have ingredients where the origin is not known. Some of these ingredients could be either animal or plant based and without checking with the supplier it's hard to know...Many items we purchase are labelled vegan.

Some ingredients have names that you might not realize are animal products but they are. Over the last 17 years I've come to know what those things are. I continue to read labels weekly as I shop...sometimes companies amend their ingredient lists so it's good to check the labels time and again. We're already checking the labels for nuts/peanuts so why not take a look at the other stuff we're putting into our bodies! Get to know your ingredients. Google them. Get a good reference guide.
GO GREEN.
GO ORGANIC.
SAVE YOURSELF.
SAVE YOUR FAMILY.
SAVE THE PLANET.
I also purchase eco cruelty-free cleaning products. This includes all of our household cleaners, soaps and personal hygiene products. Thankfully our grocers are up to speed and adding more products all the time. I really must write to Zehrs to thank them for their continued efforts!

EW, TOFU? WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

We buy a few pounds of tofu every week. My kids ask for more. But then again, my kids don't know anything but vegetarianism.

Most people tell me that they think tofu is gross. Well...you know...I don't like all tofu either. If it's the right kind and it's made certain ways it is very tasty!

BAKED TOFU

Baked Tofu

We often bake our tofu. We buy firm, organic tofu.

Once the package is open - dry it in paper towels, gently squeezing to eliminate excess moisture.

Then slice it to about 1/4 inch think 1.5"x1.5" pieces.

Cover a baking sheet in aluminum foil and add a light base of oil.

Lay the tofu on the oil. Brush with organic BBQ sauce (I like Organicville brand). Coat both sides.

Toss the baking sheet in the oven at about 350 degrees, oh, I'd say check it in 5-10 minutes, turning as necessary.

Serve with steamed or fresh vegetables and other sides as desired.

GENERAL TAO'S TOFU

My husband found himself on vegweb.com again last week. This recipe was very good!

ingredients
1 lb firm tofu
egg substitute for 1 egg (I like Kingsmill Egg Replacer powder)
3/4 cup cornstarch
oil for frying
up to 1 tbsp ground ginger powder
1 tbsp minced garlic
2/3 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
3-4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
method
1. drain, dry, cut tofu into 1" cubes
2. create egg using replacer and add 3 additional tbsp of water
3. dip tofu in 'egg' - sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely - watch that the cornstarch doesn't clump up
4. heat oil in pan and fry tofu until golden. set tofu aside. drain any remaining oil.
5. heat 5 tbsp of oil over medium heat in the pan.
6. add ginger & garlic, cook 2 minutes - do not burn garlic
7. add veg stock, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar
8. mix 2tbsp water with 1 tbsp cornstarch and pour into mixture, stirring well.
9. add fried tofu and coat evenly.
serve with steamed broccoli and rice.
devour.

TOFU PAD THAI

I currently buy a vegan pad thai sauce but am looking for a good recipe for a vegan pad thai sauce.

I fry together, basically whatever I've got- such as:

cubed tofu
broccoli
onions
mushrooms
cauliflower
carrots

I then add 1 packet of sauce. I think it's House of Thai brand...I'll have to check that...I get it at Zehrs. It doesn't contain fish.

The rice noodles are easy to cook. Basically boil a big pot of water. Once boiling, remove it from the heat. Put the noodles in the water and cover with a lid for 7 minutes. The noodles should be done at this point.

After draining the noodles, add them to the pan of vegetables/tofu, add another packet of sauce and mix well. Once plated you could add crushed peanuts to the top as a tasty garnish.

Grab your chop sticks and go to town on this one, baby!

ARE YOU SAUCY?

SAUCES

With inspiration from the web I made three sauces for our Summer Rolls...we had leftover sauce so we saved them and used them for a number of things...for instance, vegetable dip, cracker dip, veggie chik'n nugget dip...

CURRY GARLIC DIP

In your food processor mix together:
1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I like Earth Island's Vegenaise)
1/2 cup vegan sour cream (I like Tofutti's Sour Supreme)
3 tbsp ketchup
3 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp vegan worcestershire
1 tsp onion powder

Then add about 1/2 tsp each of: salt, pepper and garlic powder until seasoned to taste. I added extra curry powder and some cayenne pepper powder!

Ooo this was a good one!

THAI PEANUT DIP

Toss this stuff in your food processor and send'em for a spin:

1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
- add crushed hot pepper flakes if you like

SWEET & SOUR DIP

Heat the following few ingredients in a small pot. Mix well 'til all sugar melts. Serve warm or cold.

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
salt & pepper

SUMMER ROLLS

SUMMER ROLLS

We spent New Year's Eve together as a family this year as we have pretty much since the kids were born. Despite being winter, we made homemade summer rolls for the event! What a fun thing to do! We also had oven baked tofu with organic BBQ sauce and a few other finger foods.

We bought the rice paper at the grocery store and a few other ingredients. You can put what you want in your summer rolls, but this is the type of stuff we used:

Lettuce, rice, avocodo, mango, cucumber, shredded carrot...

Basically we wet the rice paper in a large bowl of warm water for 5-10 seconds. We then lay the paper on a towel...added a bit of lettuce in a little row near the bottom and then added a few thin slices of cucumber, mango etc. - not too much because you then have to roll the paper up tightly. First fold in the sides towards the middle and then roll the whole thing up. Serve cold with sauces. I will post the sauces we made which are also good for other stuff!

GARLIC AND DILL DIP

I found a veggie/chip dip on vegweb.com which I altered to my taste...I love it! I like to make dips from scratch...that way it's fresh and you know what's in it.

As a child I remember my mom adding dry onion soup mix to sour cream. As an adult I added the mix to tofu sour cream (homemade or store bought - for instance, Tofutti brand's Sour Supreme). But it's not just onion powder it's bad things like salt and MSG. When you make your own dips you avoid those nasty ingredients.

GARLIC AND DILL DIP

Put all this stuff in your food processor until it's creamy:

1 pkg firm silken tofu (Mori-Nu brand or other)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
ground pepper
2 tsp dried basil
3 tsp dried dillweed
3 tsp chopped garlic in oil
2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp minced onion

RICE & LENTILS

Check out vegweb.com for great vegetarian recipes and inspiration.

My husband found a rice and lentils dish on there the other day...basically you take the recipe and add what you want - this is how my husband made it and it was yum yum! The great thing about rice and lentils is that they cook at about the same rate - a nice pair.

RICE & LENTILS

ingredients

1 cup uncooked basmati rice
1 cup dried lentils
1 medium onion, diced
2 gloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp oil
4 cups vegetable bouillon
14 oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained
dried herbs to taste: oregano, basil, parsley

method

1. In a pot, saute onion and garlic in oil 'til soft and turning brown. Add herbs to taste.

2. Add bouillon, lentils, rice and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 'til liquid is gone and rice/lentils are tender but not mushy.