Christmas Comfort Drinks!

At Christmas Zehrs' grocery store stocks Vitasoy Chocolate Mint soy beverage.  I can't seem to keep it in the house! So far this season I've bought at least 4 cartons of it and I've only had 1 small glass of it!  The kids love it!

As a child in my prevegan days I used to love chocolate mint ice cream.  This beverage tastes just like it!

I was never an egg nog person.  My husband used to drink it in his prevegan days.  We now purchase, for him to enjoy with rum during the holiday season, vegan egg nog.  Vitasoy has Holly Nog and So Nice has Noel Nog.  He likes these beverages. We have served these nogs to my mother at Christmas...no complaints!

Vegetables, Rice & Coconut Curry Sauce

This is a recipe that is very tasty...it is from Fresh, the restaurant. I edited it slightly.

Ingredients
*not all of these veggies need to be used...just use what you've got!

1 zucchini sliced, slices halved
6-8 button mushrooms, quarter
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
baby bok choy
3 carrots, peeled, sliced
1 sweet potato, peeled, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets

chick peas (canned, drained and rinsed or dried peas soaked overnight, drained)

1 cup brown rice, cooked on stovetop in accordance with package directions

3 tbsp oil
1 small cooking onion, diced
1 - 2 tbsp minced garlic in oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp flour
2 cups vegetable stock (low sodium if possible)
1 1/2 cups canned coconut milk
3/4 - 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes

Method

Steam or fry vegetables 'til el dente...don't overcook.  Make sure the colour is still vibrant and veggies aren't mushy.  Cook the chick peas with the veggies.

Make the sauce as follows:

• heat oil in saucepan
• add onion and garlic, cook 5 minutes 'til softened
• add cumin, salt and curry powder, cook 1 minute
• add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently
• stir in vegetable stock gradually to prevent lumps
• add coconut milk, stir well
• add tomatoes, stir well
• bring to a boil, stirring occassionally
• simmer 20-30 minutes until slightly thickened

Serve on plates or in bowls as follows:

rice
veggies
sauce

*this makes a ton of sauce...save some in the freezer...put it on other rice dishes, roasted potatoes etc.

Two...Count'em Two Great Restaurants In One Day!

My husband and I spent a beautiful day on Queen Street in Toronto this past August.  We spent it on Queen Street specifically because of it's great food establishments. 

The restaurants we had planned to visit were Fresh and Fressen.  Toronto is fortunate enough to have more than one location of Fresh. 



Fresh's Cookbooks



We went to Fresh on Spadina for lunch...would definately go there again!  Both my husband and I ordered their Energy Bowl.  It was great!  It was so good and upon my return home I ordered their cookbooks!

http://www.freshrestaurants.ca/

After lunch we visited shops on Queen Street, purchasing a few items and then we showed up on the doorstep of Fressen. 

It's Saturday night...dinner hour...we are asked "Do you have a reservation?" ...oops..."uh, no" is our reply.  Well, it was our day because someone had just called to cancel...we were seated immediately.

The service was good and the food was out of this world.  We have been vegan for 19 years...however, we had never attended at an up-scale vegan restaurant before...we were delighted!  We would definately recommend Fressen, just call ahead to avoid disappointment!  Not only was the food good but they go out of their way (because they have professionals in the kitchen) to display the food on the plate in such a way that you must take a picture of it before savouring it!

http://www.fressenrestaurant.com/

Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary

Last weekend we went to Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary in Lakeside, Ontario (just outside of St. Mary's).  They do not have regular visitor's hours but they do host an open house.

 http://www.cedarrow.org/

The Sanctuary is a small farm which is about the size of a hobby farm.  The weather was beautiful and the animals were out to great us in the sunshine!

We visited with calves, chickens, goats, pigs, pot-bellied pigs and donkeys.  The animals come from rescues. The young pig quite enjoyed a belly rub that my husband willingly provided! - pigs are just like dogs!

This type of an afternoon out might not be everybody's idea of an October day trip but it was awesome for me!  I love talking to the animals.  Someone gave me a carrot to feed to one of the very large pigs!  Call me crazy, but I like this kind of stuff!  I really have a  soft spot for pigs...but who wouldn't - they are adorable!

Cedar Row has had a table at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair...that's how we found out about them....check them out on the web...or in person!

Veg Out, London

Last week, after visiting Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary, we headed to London, Ontario to Veg Out, a vegan restaurant.

It was good but not fantastic...I suppose that once you've been to Fressen in Toronto nothing can compare!

I don't know that I'd go back...the kids thought that their Potato Apple Gratin was not completely cooked...my husband said this lentil loaf was good but it didn't look great to me. 

However, I was quite pleased with my sammich. I had their Bacon Mushroom Melt.  I tried to emulate this sammich yesterday for lunch and it turned out pretty good:

Ingredients

fried sliced mushrooms

carmelized onions

spicy mayo (I added hotsauce to Vegenaise)

lettuce

Tofurky's tempeh maple bacon, fried

tomato slices

Daiya cheddar

toasted bread

Daiya Foods Does It Again

While shopping at Goodness Me! in Hamilton yesterday my husband and I discovered that Daiya Foods has introduced a third flavour of their vegan cheeze shreds - Pepperjack!

http://www.daiyafoods.com/products/pepperjack.asp

We haven't tried it yet...can't wait...I just wanted to post about it...we love the other Daiya products...For lunch today I had vegan black bean chili with a grilled veggie bacon and Daiya 'cheddar' sammich!

With the Pepperjack waiting for me in the fridge I might need to go out and get me some tortillas or nacho chips....sounds like a great idea to me!!!

Earth Island Vegenaise

The last time we were in Watkins Glen, New York we visited their little natural foods store - Good Groceries.  I was envious of the people of Watkins Glen because they could buy large jars of Vegenaise...Where we live we only see the smaller jars.  I am using this stuff like mad these days and would really like a larger jar!

If I want garlic sauce I add garlic powder.

If I want curry sauce I add curry powder.

If I want a spicy mayonnaise I add hot sauce.

I use it in casseroles.

It's delicious used on it's own in a sammich or on a veggie beef burger or veggie chicken burger too! 

Love this stuff!

Jason's Stroganoff

My husband made this delicious recipe...found it on vegweb.com (he may have edited it a bit...it's just what we do!).

Ingredients

1 package Blue Menu "beef" strips, cubed (other other suitable beef substitute)
1 1/2 tbsp vegan margarine (we like Becel's vegan version, easy to find)
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp flour
5-6 large mushrooms, sliced
2 cups onion soup from package (about 1/2 package)
2 tbsp tofu sour cream (optional, we like Tofutti's brand)
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Saute onion and garlice in tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Add cubed 'beef' until all is browned.
Stir in all ingredients except sour cream.
When sauce starts to thicken remove from heat.
Put in casserole dish, cover, bake 30 minutes.
Add sour cream and serve over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

Acorn Squash Done Right

Here is a recipe that I have just started making...it is an edited version of a recipe I found on wegweb.com.  Great anytime or for Thanksgiving etc.

Ingredients

1 acorn squash, skin removed, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1/2 - 3/4 cup Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
1/2 - 3/4 cup Daiya mozzarella
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
bread crumbs

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Steam together squash and onions 'til just soft (5-8 minutes)

Mix together: Vegenaise, Daiya, salt, pepper

Mix sauce with vegetables

Put in casserole dish

Top with breadcrumbs

Bake uncovered 30 minutes

*can make your own fresh breadcrumbs by putting a slice of bread in your Magic Bullet.

*can substitute butternut squash for acorn squash

*can substitute vegan sour cream (perhaps Tofutti's Sour Supreme) for the vegan mayo

Latest Fave Vegan Caesar Salad Dressing

Dressing Ingredients

1/3 cup Vegenaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic in oil
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Salad Ingredients

Romaine lettuce shredded by hand
sliced button mushrooms
vegan croutons
veggie bacon diced/fried in oil ('til crispy) to make 'bacon' bits

Simply mix together the dressing ingredients and pour over salad ingredients.  Tasty. Yum.

This recipe was edited from one found on vegweb.com.

Raw "Tacos" - Ani Phyo recipe

Tonight I made a tasty dish for supper after viewing an Ani Phyo post on youtube.com - Raw "Tacos".  They were really nice to look at and eat...I didn't take a pic though...  :-(

It is made from a cashew cheeze, almond 'meat' and Romaine lettuce 'shell'.

Cheeze

Ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp garlic (about one medium sized clove)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup raw cashews
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon's worth)
1/4 cup water

Method:
1.  In your food processor process really well the garlic clove and salt.
2.  Add the cashews to the food processor and process.
3.  Add fresh lemon juice and water and process until creamy (maybe be slightly lumpy like Feta cheese).

Ani also added 1/4 cup of packed cilantro at the end but I didn't have any on hand so I left it out.  She said it was optional anyway.

Taco "Meat"

Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds
1 tbsp olive oil (cold pressed is raw)
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/8 tsp sea salt

Method:
1.  In your food processor process into small bits the almonds with oil.
2.  Add the cumin, coriander and salt and process some more.

Puttin' It All Together

Use Romaine lettuce leaves as your shells.

Put a layer of cheeze on the lettuce.  On top of that put some of the "meat".  Then top it off with some chopped fresh tomato and avocado.

Eat.

Simple. Fresh. Raw.

DAIYA CHEESE IN BRANTFORD

I have blogged about Daiya dairy-free cheese before...at that time I had not come across this product in Brantford.  Well...that has changed!  While at Zehrs' on Fairview Drive today I discovered it in the deli area!  They only had 2 packages of the mozzarella style shreds and were sold out of the cheddar style.  I don't get upset when items are sold out because that means that someone else besides me is buying it!  I love to see people buying vegan items and organic produce!  It was fun bumping elbows with an eldering lady today in the grocery store as we both vied for the best organic tomatoes!  The more we buy these items the more they will come available to us and hopefully at lower prices too!

...and that's all I have to say about that!!!

Raw Food Coach - GO RAW!

Karen Knowler
Raw Food Coach

Just this past week I have made an effort to eat mostly raw foods.  I have lost 3 1/2 pounds already!  I am looking to a raw food coach, Karen Knowler, for inspiration, recipes and menu ideas.

http://www.therawfoodcoach.com/

For some time now I've been the owner of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw.  It's a good place to start to get information about this lifestyle choice.  Obviously the internet has a myriad of resources which I am discovering daily! Raw food is about eating food that is not cooked, or at least, not cooked at a temperature of over 115 degrees.  Cooking foods reduces the nutrients in most foods. There is the occassional food that releases more of it's nutrients when warmed.

I am waiting for my Excalibur dehydrator to show up at my doorstep any day now so that I can expand my raw food choices!

Veg News magazine and more...




March/April 2011 issue

 

I think that I forgot to mention that Veg News magazine, although available on-line, can now be purchased in Brantford at Stan's Variety on King George Road!  No more trips to Chapters...it's now in town!  (bi-monthly)

http://vegnews.com/web/home.do

I am also subscribing to Purely Delicious raw food magazine.  I have only received one issue to date.  This is a quarterly publication. Nice magazine. 
http://www.123raw.com/

I have just recently sent in my subscription request for another raw food magazine from the UK - Get Fresh. 

http://www.fresh-network.com/

Vegan Shopping Made Easy

This past summer my husband and I travelled to Toronto to visit Panacea.  This store purports to be Toronto's only vegan health food and eco store.  It was a delight to not have to read any labels when purchasing items!  The service was awesome and very friendly....actually, I've not met an unfriendly vegan yet!

http://www.panaceaecoshop.com/

The store is located at 588 Bloor Street West, Toronto.  When asked, the staff graciously gave us restaurant suggestions in the area.

We went to a nearby place and had a fantastic lunch - One Love.  If given the opportunity, get them out!

854 Bathurst Street, Toronto

Another place that we like to shop, which is closer to home, is Goodness Me.  We go to the 1000 Upper Gage Avenue location in Hamilton.  Although this is not a vegan store and not even a total vegetarian store, it still provides us with some vegan and organic options for both food and household/personal products that we can't get in Brantford.

http://www.goodnessme.ca/

Think You Can't Live Without Cheese?

Many people tell me that they would love to be vegan but they just can't give up cheese.

As vegetarianism and veganism grow in popularity there will be less and less cravings and wants for animal products as people become used to not eating them.  I grew up eating animal products and the vegetarian and vegan marketplace is chock full of food items that mimic those animal products that I ate.

I am trying to make a move away from these animal product analogs, however, in the meantime as I make a transition and hopefully you do too, a Canadian fellow (Andre Kroecher) invented, what I find to be, the best vegan cheese substitute to date. Andre wanted to invent a cheese substitute for pizza.  He did it. Give it a whirl...

Initially my husband and I travelled to Toronto to obtain this dairy (animal) free cheese.  I have recently purchased it in Hamilton at Goodness Me....hopefully we will see Daiya in Brantford soon.

We like to use it for pizza, baked pasta, nachos, tacos...  Tonight we had it on our baked potatoes with Tofutti's Sour Supreme and Yves Veggie Cuisine's veggie bacon strips (which I made into bacon bits).

Sunny Cauliflower Broccoli Toss - Veganized

Sunny Cauliflower Broccoli Toss - Veganized

This is a recipe I veganized...the original is from a Pillsbury cookbook. I really like to eat this on it's own for lunch or with other stuff as a part of dinner.  The original recipe calls for way too much dressing in my opinion so I have reduced it by half.

Dressing:

Whisk together:

1/4 cup vegan mayo
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar

Salad:

3-4 slices vegan bacon cut into small pieces and fried 'til crispy
1 head cauliflower cut into florets
1 head broccoli cut into florets
1/2 cup (or more) jumbo Thompson raisins
1/4 cup (or more) raw, hulled sunflower seeds

Mix all this stuff together and enjoy.  Keep it refrigerated.  It doesn't last long at our house...it's a favourite.

And, of course, I use organic ingredients when available.

If you find that there is not enough dressing you can always make a bit more.  I suppose it all depends on the size of the cauliflower and broccoli you're starting with!

For vegan mayo I like:
Vegenaise by Earth Island

For vegan bacon I like:
Veggie Bacon Strips by Yves Veggie Cuisine

Raw Vegan Date Balls

As I try new raw recipes that I like I'll try to post'em here.


I got this on the web at: http://www.rawfoodhomerecipes.com/.

  In a food processor combine (as always, I like to use organic where available):

1 cup raw cashews

1 1/2 cup pitted coarsely chopped dates

1/4 cup cocoa powder (+ more if you like)

2 tbsp cocoa nibs

pinch sea salt

agave syrup (if dry)

Roll this mixture into little balls.  Roll each ball in cocoanut.

Refrigerate or freeze.

These are very tasty cold. 





Raw Vegan Date Balls



Spicy Vegan Slaw

I really enjoy this vegan slaw.  You can shred the cabbage and carrot yourself or purchase it already shredded by the bag.

3/4 cup vegan mayo
1 tbsp ground mustard seeds
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp ground black peppercorns
1 tsp sea salt

Whisk all this stuff together or mix it in a blender. 

Depending on how much slaw you want you might not want to use the full batch of dressing on the cabbage/carrot.

This has some zing...I like it!