Vegan Digest Blog

I came across this rice cooker at my local thrift store last week.  Only $5 and it was in like new condition, including the cooking pot, steaming rack, special spoon, measuring cup, and instruction manual. The cooking pot was almost 3 times the size of my current one, so for $5 I figured it was worth a try.  And now after using it to cook vegan brown rice, seasoned white rice, lentils, beans, and even quick oatmeal, I love it!  It’s amazing how much faster this one heats up.  Steam starts coming from the vent within minutes of turning it on.  My old one would take 10-15 minutes at least to heat up and start boiling. I’m going to donate the smaller one back to the thrift shop.

A new Vegan Digest exclusive recipe was added today for a Citrus Couscous salad.  The ingredients are whole wheat couscous which you make with orange juice instead of water.  Add chickpeas and grapefruit pieces to create the salad.  It’s refreshing, delicious, and a great way to utilize the in season cirtus available now.  Enjoy!

A trip to the grocery store is never an quick visit for me. There are so many decisions.  Even in the produce aisle alone.  My first choice is to buy local, organic produce.  I find organic produce (especially fruit) tastes way better than non-organic and it is best for the planet, of course.  But buying local organic, produce is not always possible for many reasons.  First, it may not even be available.  Second, it may be too expensive for my budget.  So as I study the produce options at the local grocery store, I have to make decisions.

Case in point, my visit to the local Publix this past week.  Non-organic peaches from Chili were on sale.  I literally began drooling.  I hadn’t had a peach in so long!  (Since eliminating most processed food and sugar from my vegan diet, I live for good fruit.)  I bought six peaches.

Later, I felt a bit guilty for buying the peaches.  Seems so silly. I tell myself that everything is a give and take.  I’ve made huge strides in cutting down on my pesticide intake by simply becoming vegan.  We are faced with choices everyday and do the best we can.  Thoughts?

Being a vegan over the holidays is difficult for me.  When I’m not faced with office parties and holiday gatherings, I am dealing with family get togethers that often involve eating out in restaurants.  What can a vegan order at a barbeque restaurant that isn’t an iceberg lettuce salad?

A couple of tips that I have learned.

1. Pack food with you. Travel with some essentials, so you’ll have something to eat when caught in a bind.  I like cans of beans, fresh fruit and vegetables, small containers of soy milk, etc.

2. Check out area restaurants. Find out which restaurants are vegan friendly, or those that have just one vegan option.  Especially focus on places you know others in your family will like, but have something a vegan can eat, too.  You’ll never talk the whole group into trying the raw vegan restaurant 30 miles away.

3. Research the places you know you’ll be visiting. Even the local steak place may be able to accomodate you if called in advance.  Check the restaurant’s website for ideas, too.

4. Treat yourself. It’s hard not to feel deprived when everyone around you is splurging on holiday treats.  You can bake and bring your own.  Or find a local grocery store where you can pick up some goodies that happen to be vegan.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

The last post got me thinking about parchment paper.  I use it in my baking, but I don’t really bake that often.  It is a great way to reduce the fat content in your baking because you don’t have to grease the pan.  You can use it to line cookie sheets when baking cookies.  I also use it on the bottom of pans, like purex glass ones or metal baking pans when cooking cakes.  Give it a try!

The paper I use is called If You Care brand and here’s the product description:

When using IF YOU CARE® Parchment Paper and Baking Paper no greasing is necessary. The paper has been coated with silicone, a non-organic natural product, on both sides. Many parchment papers are coated with quilon. Quilon is a chemical containing chrome, a heavy metal, which when incinerated becomes toxic and leaves trace elements. The reason for the majority of parchment paper to be quilon-coated is the cost, which is substantially lower than silicone. So, in order to be environmentally friendly, the paper should be silicone-coated. A silicone-coated paper is also the choice of professionals as it can be reused several times.

There are lots of recipes on Vegan Digest for vegan cakes from scratch, but sometimes a mix is just what you need.  I found this mix at my local Jewel here in Chicagoland and thought I would give it a try.  It’s so simple to make.  The box calls for combining the mix with a 1/2 cup of oil and 1 cup of cold water. I used 1/2 cup of unsweetened organic applesauce instead of the oil.  And 1 cup of cold club soda (sodium free) instead of the water.  I baked the cake in a 8″ X 8″ glass pyrex dish, with parchment paper on the bottom so I wouldn’t have to grease the pan. (No added fat) What came out of the oven was a delicious, brownie like chocolate cake with rich chocolate chips.  The flavor is really intense chocolate and quite delicious.  I didn’t even use icing, the cake was perfect as is with a cold glass of soy milk.

Here are the details from the box:

Safety Information
Contains wheat and soy ingredients.

Ingredients
Unbleached Flour [Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Evaporated Cane Juice, Non-dairy Chocolate Chips [Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Dextrose, Cocoa Butter (No Dairy Derivatives), Soya Lecithin, Pure Vanilla Extract], Natural Cocoa Powder, All Natural Vanilla Flavor, Baking Soda. Sea Salt.

Directions
This box makes one 9 inch single-layer cake or 12 cupcakes. All You Need is: 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup cold water; chocolate cake mix. 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 inch round cake pan. For cupcakes use baking cups. 2. Combine oil, cold water, gluten free vanilla and cake mix in a bowl, scraping occasionally until well blended. pour into pan. 3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes; reduce baking time to 22 minutes for dark pans. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Cupcake baking time is 15 – 18 minutes). Cool 10 minutes before removing from your pan. Cool completely before frosting. 4. Enjoy!

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I was browsing my small local market this weekend and came across these items, Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks.  They had several varieties and the Tropical Blend was the first one I picked up.  Like all good vegans, the first thing I did was turn the package over to read the ingredients.  It said, “Apples, Pineapples, Mangos, Bananas, and Nothing Else.” and the full bag is 80 calories.  Sounds like a good snack to me!  At $1.99 for the pouch, it was pricey, but I’ll give just about anything a try once.  I have since found them less expensively on Amazon, but you do have to buy a 12 or 24 pack. Here is a link to the Tropical Blend on Amazon Sensible Foods Crunch Dried Snacks, Tropical Blend, 0.75-Ounce Pouches (Pack of 24)

I avoid most processed snack foods because of the high sodium and fat, so what a welcome find these snacks were.  They are essentially dehydrated fruit which is very crisp, crunchy, and very sweet.  Yum!  Other varieties include Orchard Blend, Cherry Berry, Apple Harvest, and even Sweet Corn.

More details from the packaging…

Product Description
Pineapples; mangos; bananas; apples. 100% Crunchy fruit and nothing else. All natural; Fat free; Gluten free; Good source of Vitamins A & C; GMO free; No added sugar; No preservatives. 100% Fruit. Equivalent to 1/2 cup fresh fruit. The Sensible Story. The seed that sprouted into Sensible Foods was planted in Sonoma County, California, by Bob and David, two sensible guys who are committed to healthy living for themselves and their families. Their quest was to create a munchy crunchy snack that was both delicious and nutritious, that everyone would enjoy. The goal was realized when they perfected the unique Crunch Dried process for fruits and vegetables, and the results were extraordinary! An intensely flavorful snack that’s naturally sweet, crunchy, convenient and so incredibly sensible! Here at Sensible Foods we are pleased to offer delicious and nutritious snacks from our family to ours. Product of USA.

I’m just now catching up on all of the Top Chef episodes I’ve missed over the last few weeks.  I finally caught the episode where the contestants are cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the Foo Fighters at one of their concerts.  At the beginning of the episode, it was mentioned that there were many vegetarians in the band’s entourage. So Radhika made a Roasted Vegan Stuffing which turned out to be the overall favorite dish.  Everyone raved about it, even the band members who were not vegetarian. Plus, they had to cook all of the dished in microwaves or toaster ovens.  What a challenge…

Isn’t it wonderful to see vegan fare in the mainstream, especially when it’s a hit! Here’s the recipe…

Radhika Desai‘s Roasted Veggie Vegan Cornbread Stuffing

• 6 egg and dairy free corn muffins
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 T minced garlic
• 1 T oregano
• 1 T rosemary
• 1 T thyme
• 1 T basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Small dice squash, zucchini, red pepper.
2. Toss veggies with olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper.
3. Put in 350 degree oven in one layer, and roast for approximately 25 minutes, or until soft.
4. Sauté garlic in oil, combine herbs and add to garlic.
5. Crumble in the corn muffins.
6. Toss and combine with veggies.
7. Spread in large casserole dish.
8. Pour over stock and bake for 15 minutes.
9. Garnish with chopped scallion and serve.

And here’s a video of it being prepared on Top Recipe, Wong Way to Cook.

Crock pots (aka slow cookers) are great tools for vegans.  I use mine constantly, cooking everything form beans to oatmeal. One of my favorite uses is cooking sweet potatoes.  Something about the slow cooking process makes the potatoes amazingly sweet and delicious, without any additions.  Before going to bed last night, I peeled six medium sweet potatoes and placed them in the crockpot.  I connected the power cord of the crockpot to an inexpensive light timer that plugs into the wall.  I set the timer to turn on the crockpot at about 2AM and shut off at 8AM, cooking low.

In the morning, I removed the potatoes and mashed them in a bowl adding some cooked navy beans and a bit or garam masala.  I serve this over cous cous or brown rice for lunch.  It’s delicious, healthy, and SO EASY!