hearty vegan basil tomato soup with pasta

 I got this idea originally from here. Obviously, I had to find a way to veganize it, though, since I don't eat meat or cheese. Simply omitting those ingredients was a success in my book, but it just didn't feel right calling it "lasagna soup" anymore, since it didn't really remind me of lasagna when I was eating it.

 But it was still yummy :)

Here's what I did:

3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
1 Italian pepper, finely chopped
2-3 vine tomatoes, chopped (optional, I just had some to use up)
1 cup of fresh basil, chopped (plus a few extra leaves for garnish, if desired)
2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes (I used one regular and one fire roasted)
28 oz of water
1-2 Tbsp coconut or safflower oil
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
2-3 cups dry pasta (I used spirals, which I think work best)

In a medium pot, set water boiling for your pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.

While pasta water is heating, in a large pot, heat your coconut oil over medium heat. Once hot, add your garlic, onion, mushrooms and Italian pepper and turn the heat up to medium high. Saute, covered, until mushrooms have released their moisture and onions have begun to turn translucent.

Add your fresh tomatoes, basil, crushed tomatoes, water, olive oil and salt & pepper. Once pasta is finished cooking, drain and rinse under cold water and add to the soup pot. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium low. This will allow the flavors to meld.

Serve hot.

This makes a lot. 6-8 servings, I would say. Unless you're feeding a 6 1/2 foot tall man, in which case it is about four. I have strong feelings about overeating and this soup sparked a huge controversy in my weird world.

So be warned, it is delicious and should not be left unattended.

;)
-A.

vegan burrito with garlic jalapeno sauce

Because it's for a serious health problem this time around, I've been trying to be very strict about my vegan diet (except for eggs). When I slip up I feel very guilty. 

I see it's difficult for people to understand (or even believe) why I need to be so careful, so if I do slip up, it really doesn't help me to convince them and it also introduces things into my body that could complicate my condition. 

But if you don't do it properly, veganism can get dull pretty quick. Especially because I cannot have any of the processed delights that most vegans can treat themselves to, or tofu (although admittedly I've been eating too much of it lately). 

It does get tiring--checking labels, always cooking from scratch. And being tired leads to laziness. Laziness leads to slip ups. I'm pretty proud of myself, though, because I had to be in a room with a bunch of people gorging on pizza (my favorite food) this weekend and I couldn't have any. Sure, I was surly about it, but I held strong, anyway, so whatever.

So, to keep myself on track, I've been trying to diversify my meals by looking up recipes online. I keep up with several vegan food blogs, such as Oh She Glows, Vegan Richa and Vegan Yum Yum (which is no longer updated, but still has good recipes!). 

Sometimes the recipes are a little too complicated for what I feel like doing, or I don't have the right ingredients on hand, or they inspire me to get creative and come up with my own dish. 

For this recipe I used a sauce from Vegan Richa, found here. I made the garlic jalapeno sauce exactly as instructed but instead of having it over pasta (which I also want to try), I decided to have it over some sauteed veggies, beans and rice.

It was really yummy and sort of satisfied the dairy cravings I've been having lately (even if only temporarily). The sauce was creamy and had the flavor of the jalapeno and a little of its heat, but not too much.

Get the sauce recipe here and for the rest you'll need:

1 small orange pepper, sliced
1 small yellow pepper, sliced
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
1 cup of brown rice
1 can black beans, drain and rinsed
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or other oil)
Wraps or tortillas (I used spinach wraps because I could not find flour tortillas at the store that day)
1/4 garlic jalapeno sauce
Optional toppings: salsa, vegan sour cream, vegan cheese shreds, avocado, etc.

Start your rice according to package instructions.

In a pan, melt your coconut oil over medium high heat. When you've brought your oil to temperature, toss in all of your veggies and sauté until they begin to soften and brown.

Add 1/4 cup of the garlic jalapeno sauce, and stir until the sauce is heated and the mixture is well combined.

Warm a tortilla in a clean warm frying pan or in the microwave (10-20 seconds) until soft and malleable. Layer rice, black beans and veggies and fold into a wrap.

Best served hot.

You could add more sauce if you like, or use a different kind of rice, or rice recipe (I bet Spanish rice would be delicious, too!)

I had mine with salsa and it was just wonderful :)

Enjoy!
-A.

a relatively healthy chocolate peanut butter kale smoothie

 Smoothies have been my jam lately. They're simple to throw together and I discovered that my new apartment came equipped with a really great blender that actually blends things, rather than just chopping them into tiny bits (and I don't have to quarter my frozen strawberries by hand anymore!).

Also great about smoothies, you can throw in healthy stuff and not have to taste it.

I'm probably the worst vegan in the world and not only because I still eat eggs (which makes me not vegan, technically, but it's too difficult to explain to people all the time and my diet seems to come up a lot at work for some reason), but also, I hate kale. I don't like the texture, I don't like the taste. Cooked or raw. I just plain don't like it. And believe me, I've tried.

But I found that incorporating it into my morning smoothie and covering up its taste and texture by blending it with other things I DO like, has enabled me to eat kind of a lot of kale on a regular basis.

This smoothie is the best thing in the entire world. I promise you, you won't taste the kale even remotely. All you can taste is banana, chocolate and peanut butter. And if you don't like those things . . . well, I can't identify with that (But I will likely post some other recipes with other foods mixed with kale, that maybe you will like!).

For this you need: 

1 banana

2 Tbsp cocoa powder (Dutch process is best)

1/4 cup peanut butter (I use straight up peanut butter with zero additives) or almond butter

1 cup of kale, torn up or chopped

1 handful of ice cubes (optional, you can also freeze your banana for a few hours or omit altogether)

1/2 cup of water, or so (or you can use almond milk! which is what I usually do, but I was out this time)

Throw all your ingredients into your blender and voila! A delicious, filling, chocolatey smoothie that is relatively healthful for you.

Some nutrition info for you:

To consider: Bananas and peanut butter both have fat in them. Processed peanut butter like JIF or Skippy also has tons of added sugar, oils (more fat) and carcinogens . I recommend using a grind-your-own PB machine--they have them at Whole Foods--or buying peanut butter without additives.

But both ingredients also have healthy things for you, too. Peanut butter has healthy fats, fiber and protein and bananas have fiber, and (of course) potassium, and also iron.

As a vegan, it's good for me to get my fat this way because I don't eat dairy, but if you do consume a lot of dairy, take it easy on the chocolate banana smoothies, you are already getting plenty of fat in your diet.

If you're looking for an even more healthful smoothie, kale also blends really well with mixed berries, tropical fruits (mango, pineapple) and you can add to those either orange juice or almond milk. The thing to remember about fruits is that they have a lot of sugar.

I know, I know. You're thinking, "WELL WHAT IS HEALTHY?" It can be confusing! Fruits are healthful because they have a lot vitamins and fiber, and berries have a lot of antioxidants, too, but the MOST healthful things of all are veggies. Vegetables do not contain the same levels of sugars and fats that fruits and bananas and peanut butter do, but they do have as many vitamins and as much fiber, among other healthful nutrients (minerals, etc.). Just FYI :)

Health is all about balance! It takes some thought and consideration, and you should educate yourself if you don't already know this stuff, but it's totally worth it. Your body is what houses you, you should take pride in it and reward it for not letting you just be a brain in a jar. That would be a lot less fun.

Enjoy!
-A.

healthful scalloped sweet potatoes

As I may have mentioned before, for about eight months earlier this year I was vegan. I got to explore plenty of interesting vegan recipes and alternatives. One of which, these great scalloped potatoes.

Since not being vegan anymore, I've noticed that dairy, in particular, just does not sit well with me (it probably never did, but I had nothing to compare it to). Especially creams and soft cheeses :( For this reason, while I've been recovering I decided to go dairy-free wherever possible, including important dinners.

Interestingly enough, the only thing about our Christmas breakfast and dinner that wasn't vegan was the ham itself.

Our creamy scalloped sweet potatoes were vegan, though!

Here's how I made them:

3 sweet potatoes, sliced thin (or use regular potatoes)
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Earth Balance, melted
6 Tbsp flour
~2 cups almond milk (or any kind of milk)
salt & pepper to taste
paprika

Pre-heat your oven to 350.

Whisk your salt and pepper into the flour.

Mix together your onions and potatoes and create a layer on the bottom of a buttered 9x9" baking pan.

Pour 1/3 of your melted butter over the potatoes and onions and dust with 1/3 of the flour.

Do this two more times, so you have three layers.

Pour your milk over, until it reaches the top of the pan. I didn't measure my milk for this, I just poured.

Dust paprika over the top of the potatoes.

Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until potatoes are soft enough to break apart easily with a fork, or (like I did) bake for 1 hour covered with foil, and finish later, or the next day, baking for 1 1/2 hours, uncovered.

Either way you choose, I recommend placing a baking sheet under your pan. This may seem like a no-brainer but I didn't do this at first and then I had to clean the oven, so . . . yeah.

The photo above shows my potatoes only halfway through the cooking process, which is why the milk/butter/flour mixture looks a little separated and runny. It hadn't quite cooked down yet. But I promise this is a great alternative to the regular, and much more healthful!

Enjoy!
-A.