Study Party and Vegan Chili

I'm in the middle of exams right now, but who said that studying for exams can't be fun? Tonight I'm having a large group of kids over for a "study and chili" party. Little do they know that this chili is cruelty-free!

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1/8-1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 15-ounce cans beans (see note above), drained
3 green onion, sliced (for garnish)

Prepare the butternut squash (see discussion above), and set it aside. Heat a large, non-stick pot over medium-high heat, and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the pepper is soft, about 7-9 minutes. (You may add a little water to prevent sticking.) Add the garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Add all the seasonings, and stir well to coat the vegetables. Stir in the tomatoes (and their juice), water, squash, salt, and pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add the beans, and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Cover and cook until the squash is tender but not falling apart (about 40 minutes). Serve in bowls, garnished with green onions.

Vegan Grocery List

1. Steel cut oats or oat bran
2. Flax seeds or flax meal
3. Dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, cherries, blueberries
4. Pears
5. Chickpeas
6. Vegetable Stock
7. Onions
8. Carrots
9. Lettuce
10. Olive oil
11. Garlic
12. Whole Wheat Bread
13. Balsamic Vinegar
14. Dijon Mustard
15. Tomatoes
16. Banana pepper
17. Fresh Basil
18. Pinto Beans
19. Bananas
20. High-fiber cereal (we like Nature's Path and Kashi brands)
21. Black Beans
22. Green Pepper
21. Red onion
22. Soy milk
23. Fresh spinach
24. Almonds
25. Mango
26. Crackers (tasty and healthy ones are Mary's Gone Crackers brand)
27. Nut-butter--just nuts crushed, not the kind with added ingredients (peanut or almond)
28. Whole Grain pasta
29. Tempeh
30. Kale
31. Lasagna Pasta
32. Firm or Extra-Firm Tofu
33. Broccoli
34. Berries
35. Whole wheat pita bread
36. Bulgur
37. Quinoa
38. Cannellini Beans
39. Green onions
40. Canteloupe
41. Fresh parsley
42. Fresh mint
43. Whole wheat spaghetti
44. Green lentils
45. Brown Rice
46. Butternut squash
47. Apples
48. Oranges
49. Sweet potatoes
50. Canned Tomatoes

*For me many of these have to be purchased gluten free, but for anyone who can eat gluten, regular VEGAN products will be fine.

Warm Vegan Asparagus Soup on a Cold Winters Day!

Vegan Asparagus Soup

1 1/2 lbs. asparagus, tough ends trimmed
3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups onion, diced
1 T. garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 T. cornstarch or arrowroot
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
3 T. freshly chopped basil
1/2 t. sea salt
1/8 t. white pepper
1 cup soy milk, rice milk, or other non-dairy milk of choice
3 T. nutritional yeast flakes
Garnish: thin slices of lemon


Cut the tips off the asparagus, place them in a steamer basket, steam them for 2-3 minutes or until tender, and set aside. Thinly slice the stems diagonally, place them in a steamer basket, steam them for 4-5 minutes or until tender, and set aside. Measure the water left over from steaming the asparagus, add additional water to measure 7 cups, and place it in a large pot. Add the potatoes, onion, garlic, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. In a blender or food processor, place the cold water and cornstarch, and blend well to combine. Strain the cooked vegetables from the broth, reserving the cooking liquid, transfer the cooked vegetables to the food processor, and return the cooking liquid to the pot. Add the fresh herbs to the cooking liquid and stir well to combine. Add half of the reserved steamed asparagus stems to the food processor and puree the mixture until smooth. To the pot containing the herbed cooking liquid, add the pureed mixture, reserved steamed tips and stems, and the remaining ingredients, and stir well to combine. Remove the pot from the heat and set the soup aside for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings, as needed. Serve hot or cold and garnish individual servings with a thin slice of lemon.

Yield: 3 Quarts

My Recommendation: Try making half of this recipe, its huge! Or make a full batch, and freeze half of it.

The Age Old debate. Soy: Good or Bad?

After an extensive amount of research, I have made a conclusion about Soy Products. Many people believe that soy products are not good for you, however, I have found out that in the right quantity and with the right products, soy can actually be very good for ones health.

Since most of the studies that raise concerns about soy consumption seem to focus on pre-metabolized isolates or other similarly processed forms of soy, the wisest choice to is to choose to eat soy foods as part of a balanced diet and in the least processed form available. Soy can be a valuable source of protein in a vegetarian or vegan diet, but it should not be relied upon as the sole source of protein. We should also be careful with drawing the conclusion that, if a little bit of something is good, a lot must be even better. Variety in your diet is an excellent way to ensure balance and good health.

Choosing traditional and less processed forms of soy (such as tofu, miso, tempeh, edamame and even soy milk) over highly processed soy foods (such as soy cheeses, soy meats, and soy protein isolates) is likely to be a safer choice, as well. We all need our treats sometimes and the research does not support the conclusion that eating a little vegan soy cheese on your pizza is going to cause health problems, so go ahead and allow yourself some indulgences every now and then if you want to. Just don’t make soy cheese and soy sausage casserole the mainstay of your diet.

Apple Bake Recipe

This is my moms wonderful Apple Bake Recipe, with a few minor changes so that its animal cruelty-free!

Apple Bake

• 2 cups chopped apples
• 1/2 cup dry oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1/2 cup water OR apple juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F

Place ingredients in greased baking dish, cover with foil if the dish has no lid.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the apples are soft and it's all steamy & brown.

The Abelard Apetite Fiasco

My friends often joke that they are going to make me a t-shirt reading "I'm lactose intolerant. I'm allergic to Gluten. Oh yeah, and I'm a vegan. Have fun feeding me!" So when the Abelard Apetite (a very complex monthly bake sale) came around, I knew I would have to bring an appetizer that was vegan, gluten free, lactose free, peanut free, healthy, reflects Middle Eastern culture and tasted good. Hmmm... now what in the world fits that criteria? After trying a number of different recipes, I finally found the answer to my prayers.

Curried Chickpea Spread

From The Vegan Chef-makes a big batch!

2 - 15 oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed, and drained
1/4 C. chickpea cooking liquid, water, or vegetable broth
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. freshly chopped cilantro

In a food processor, place the chickpeas, liquid, lemon juice, curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt, and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times to combine. Transfer the curried chickpea spread to a bowl. Serve as a dip or spread for vegetables, crackers, pita crisps, or bread, or as a sandwich filling.

Yield: 4 Cups

Through this experience I learned that people with lactose intolerance, gluten intolerance and who are vegan are forced to pray to God with strange requests during school bake sales.

Recipe for Buddha's Delight

Buddha's Delight with Tofu, Broccoli, and Water Chestnuts

Submitted by Courtney From Cooking Light

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 (14-ounce) package water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
5 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups (1/4-inch) diagonally sliced carrot
1/2 cup peeled, chopped broccoli stems
1 1/2 cups sliced green onions
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
1 (14-ounce) can whole baby corn, drained
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
4 cups hot cooked brown rice

Combine first 4 ingredients, tossing to coat; cover and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade. Cook broccoli florets, carrot, and broccoli stems in boiling water 1 1/2 minutes; drain. Plunge into ice water. Drain.

Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and spray with cooking spray. Add tofu; stir-fry 5 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Stir in onions, ginger, and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in broccoli mixture, snow peas, corn, and water chestnuts; stir-fry 1 minute. Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture, reserved marinade, and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Serve over rice.

Family Sunday Dinner: Lentil Spinach Soup

Every Sunday my family does a family dinner. This Sunday, I decided to contribute a vegan dish. And I'm not telling anyone its vegan, because then I know that my brothers wouldn't even give the poor thing a chance. So, in the spirit of being an older sister, lets see how tonights dinner goes!

Here is the recipe:

Lentil Spinach Stew/Soup

1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic
175g (6oz, 1 cup) split red lentils
1 (400g, 14oz) can chopped tomatoes (with juice)
4 tsp stock powder (or equivalent stock cube)
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce, or dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp ground fennel seed
1 bay leaf
2 medium carrots
250g (9oz) fresh or frozen chopped spinach
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

1. Chop the onion. Sauté in vegetable stock until soft but not browned.

2. Meanwhile, chop the garlic and rinse the lentils. When the onion is soft, add the garlic, lentils, tomatoes, stock powder, Worcestershire / soy sauce, salt, thyme, fennel and bay leaf to the pan, along with 900ml (32 fl oz, 4 cups) water.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover pan, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils have started to break up. Stir occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and chop into 1cm (1/4 inch) cubes. If using fresh spinach, wash, remove large stalks and chop roughly.

5. Add the carrots and spinach to the pan. Stir until mixed, and until frozen spinach has defrosted. Cover and simmer a further 15 minutes, or until lentils and vegetables
are cooked. Remove bay leaf and stir in vinegar.

This ends up tasting fairly tomato-ey. I like it. Use only 1/2 can if you're not too crazy about tomato flavour.

It also ends up fairly soupy - if you want it thicker, leave it until the next day to thicken, or use less water, or remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to allow water to evaporate. This is what I do to make it more stew-like.

Using frozen chopped spinach gives a more homogeneous texture - fresh spinach will be in larger pieces. I sometimes like a mixture of the two.

Even a Vegan can have her Saturday Morning Pancakes!

Apple Pancakes

Recipe by: Vegan Handbook
Servings: 3

• 1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 T baking powder
• 2 T apple juice concentrate, thawed
• 3/4 C soymilk
• 2 green apples, cored and grated

- Mix the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Mix the apple juice concentrate and soymilk separately.

- Add wet ingredients to dry; add the grated apples and stir gently until well blended.

- Spray skillet with cooking spray & preheat until moderately hot. For each pancake, use about 3T batter. Cook 3 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Holiday Crisis!!!

Christmas time is here! Normally that means hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies, and roasting marsh mellows by the fire. I definitely feel that I have taken on this project at a bad time of year because while all my friends are sitting in Starbucks with their hot chocolates, I'm sitting there with warmed up soy milk. Not quite as exciting. However, I am determined not to give up being a vegan. So today I decided to find a great holiday food that is good for both the animals and my sweet tooth. I found this recipe on a highly recommended website called "The Fatfree Vegan." I plan on trying it tonight, so lets see if the vegan version can stand a chance against the infamous Starbucks Ginger Molasses cookies.

Recipe:

1/8 cup applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup agave nectar (maple syrup or molasses if you want)
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 t allspice
1 t ginger
1 t cloves
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 T cold water

Mix the applesauce, brown sugar and molasses together thoroughly. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water and vanilla.

Mix together dry ingredients. Add to the dough. Add 1/2 T cold water. Mix well.

Cover bowl and chill dough (for at least one hour.) (I'm not sure this step is really necessary, since there is no fat that needs to chill.)

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out dough thick (1/4-1/2 inch). Cut with small glass (1-2 inch diameter) or cookie cutters. Place on lightly oiled (sprayed)
cookie sheet.

Bake about 7 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and allow to cool.

Wish me luck!