Not Abandoned, Just Delayed....

I will be getting back to this blog soon....as usual, daily life has seemed to interfere with timely posting.

I now eat entirely as a vegetarian--actually, I am closer to a vegan (with the exception of an occasional egg). Recipes from this point forward will reflect that change. The last red meat/turkey/chicken I consumed was Christmas Eve 2010...and the last fish was consumed on New Year's Eve 2010. I started my New Year off with an even more altered lifestyle than before.  I simply can't digest meat...it's not worth the misery I suffer when attempting to eat it. This choice is also a good  fit with my love of animals, and a decision I had actually pondered for years (voluntarily, stemming from my emotions, not just due to my health issues). I was always bothered by the idea of an innocent creature having to give their life to provide me a meal. Now, I can truly feel good about what goes into my body. No one is harmed (unless the news report I saw once that plants have feelings is correct, in which case, I would feel terrible), and the menu choices I have discovered and keep discovering are healthy and delicious. You won't find any deprivation here! My new motto has become "if I can't find a healthy and safe alternative for it, I didn't need it in the first place."

Bear with me, as the construction of this site continues...

Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Honey-Lime Dip

These are a favorite in my household. Even those without any sort of dietary restrictions seem to love them. I will include the "regular" ingredients as well.

Recipe by Our Best Bites

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4" match-sticks (or one bag of pre-cut frozen fries, recommend Alexia brand)
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
1/8 tsp black pepper

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper.

Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated. Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat. Alternately, you could shake them in a large Ziploc baggie or toss them in a bowl.

Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other. Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp. Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Honey-Lime Dip

6oz non-dairy sour cream (such as Tofutti)
1 T vegan mayo
1/2 T honey
1 Tbs fresh lime juice (you may use bottled lime juice as well)
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t oregano
1 t parsley
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t kosher salt

Mix all ingredients until combined. Chill until ready to use.

Original recipe for dip: 

6oz container plain, low-fat yogurt
1 T mayo (low cal is fine)
1/2 T honey
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 t cumin
1/8 t oregano
1 t parsley
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t kosher salt

Oh, the delicious desserts to be made from beans...

Yeah, you heard me. Beans. For dessert. Trust me...try these recipes. Don't be afraid. They don't taste like beans. They just taste 100% yummy.
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The first recipe comes from the blog Happy Herbivore. (http://happyherbivore.com)
I highly recommend this blog as a source for healthy recipes that can easily be adapted if needed.

Black Bean Brownies Recipe

Servings: 9

Description:

Dense, fudgey and ultra-healthy, these brownies are a great alternative to traditional brownies! It's amazing how they taste like chocolate and fudge and not beans!

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 whole bananas (make sure they are very ripe! this adds the proper amount of sweetness)
• ⅓ cup agave nectar
• ¼ cup carob powder (unsweetened cocoa may be used if not on restrictions)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ cup instant oats

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approx 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudgey, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.

Nutritional info:
each brownie (if cut into 9 squares): 85 calories, 1g fat, 16g carbs, 4g protein
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Spicy Bean Cake

This is an absolutely divine spice cake--you would never know it's made from beans! To keep it moist, be sure to use the glaze!

Preheat oven to 350 and liberally oil an 8" square or round pan.

In one bowl combine:
2 C Oat or whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbsp of cinnamon
1 Tsp ground ginger
½ Tsp ground cloves
½ Tsp kosher salt
2 Tsp baking powder

In a blender-puree:
2 C cooked cannellini beans (either from a can or cooked from dried)
¾ C unfiltered apple juice OR cold coffee (I've used orange juice, and it works well)
¾ C pure maple syrup OR honey (I stick with maple syrup)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Pour bean mixture over dry ingredients and stir until very well blended. If it seems a little too thick-add a bit more coffee/juice to mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on middle rack for about 45 minutes. Cover with glaze.

Glaze:
Simply stir together:
1 Tbsp of your favorite vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)
3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
½ Tsp of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla

Spread over warm cake. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable, olive, or sunflower oil 1/2 cup minced onion 2 (8 ounce) packages tempeh * 1/2 cup minced green bell pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup tomato sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper **

1/4 teaspoon celery seed 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 pinch ground black pepper hamburger buns ***

Directions:

1.

Heat oil in a deep, 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the onion in the oil until translucent. Crumble the tempeh into the skillet; cook and stir until golden brown. Add the green pepper and garlic; cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, molasses, cayenne pepper, celery seed, cumin, salt, coriander, thyme, oregano, paprika, and black pepper; stir. Simmer another 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon hot onto hamburger buns to serve.

*If you do not have or do not like tempeh, try using kidney beans. Or, add more veggies.

**I have left out the cayenne pepper to make a sweeter version, which also tastes good.

***I use oatmeal sesame or wild rice buns with molasses or honey in them--any sort of bun that is NOT made from white refined flours, HFCS or sugar!

Whole Wheat Crepes

This recipe makes 5-6 crepes.

• 1 cup rice milk
• 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 egg whites
• cinnamon to taste
• nutmeg to taste

In a mixing bowl, whip the milk and egg whites. Add flour and the spices and mix together well. Batter should be thin.

Heat a lightly-greased (I just melt a little bit of vegan butter into the pan) medium skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. The pan is ready when a drop of water dropped in the pan dances on the surface.

For each crepe, use 3 Tablespoons of batter. Immediately swirl the pan gently to distribute the batter in a very thin layer. Cook the crepe until the surface appears dry -- about 1 minute.

Fill crepes with your favorite filling. I use blueberries, cherries, all natural fruit spreads, or I eat them plain. I generally top them with pure maple syrup.

Roll and enjoy!

Maple Cookies

No white flour, no white sugar, and no HFCS or preservatives. Delicious to boot.

They aren't much to look at, so feel free to use cookie cutters or a fork to create a shape or pattern.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vegan butter (like Earth Balance), softened
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• Ener-g Egg Replacer for 1 egg or 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together the vegan butter, maple syrup, vanilla and egg replacer (or egg whites). Add the flour and stir until well combined.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms of cookies are golden brown.

Some of my staples...

 Here are a few items I keep on hand, and what they are substituted for.

--Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (for white flour)

--Arrowroot Flour (acts as a thickener in place of corn starch)

--Rice Milk (used in most every recipe in place of dairy milk)

--Almond Milk (used for non dairy ice cream)

--Soy Milk (used in recipes that call for a thicker consistency than rice milk)

--Honey, agave nectar, pure maple syrup (NOT regular syrup) & molasses –all are natural “sweeteners” that  are not processed.

--Turbinado sugar and sucanat (I use them sparingly, but they are safe for me--better than white sugar, as they are right off of the cane, and not processed) for baking. Turbinado sugar has a courser consistency than white refined sugar. Sucanat replaces brown sugar.

--Cashews. They make a fabulous substitute for dairy whipped cream, and can also be used to make a non dairy ricotta cheese.

--Organicville Ketchup. No high fructose corn syrup or sugar. Sweetened with agave nectar.

--Bragg’s Organic Healthy Vinaigrette. No HFCS or sugars.

--Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother. I drink 2-4 tablespoons of this daily, either as a straight shot, or mixed with 100% grape juice. It has allowed me to quit my prescription proton pump inhibitors.

--Archer Farms casing free chicken sausage. To be used in place of pork sausage in things such as spaghetti sauce and calzones.

--Turkey bacon. Can’t have pork—‘nuff said.

--Earth balance vegan butter. Tastes the same, without the potential to hurt ya.

--Sweet potatoes. You can make everything from mashed spuds to fries to biscuits and pancakes. Not in the same class of carbohydrate as white potatoes—therefore safe.

--Wild rice. It’s a grass, not a grain. Safe carbs, and delicious.

--Quinoa (Keen-Wah). Also a safe grain, and a complete protein.

--Daiya cheese, both Italian and Cheddar blends. It looks like cheese…it melts like cheese…but it’s so not dairy…

--Ezekiel bread. Whole grains baby…whole grains.

--Wizard’s organic vegan Worcestershire sauce. No HFCS, no sugars, no anchovies.

I will add to this list as the mood strikes. I find new products all of the time, and learn more and more about safe substitutions as I go. In the recipes I post, I will try to remember to reference what the ingredients are substituting. That way if you are able to tolerate something I can’t, you can still salvage the recipe.

I eat as a vegetarian/vegan 98% of the time. I am allowed very lean meats in small quantities, but I have found my body remains in better balance if I simply forgo meat as much as possible. Accordingly, my recipes may tend to have a vegetarian/vegan bend.