Thursday, August 27, 2009

PCRM 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Program: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 21-Day Vegan Kickstart

This looks like a fun program to try whether you are already vegan and just looking for new recipes and ideas to get excited about what you're doing, or if you are wanting to try something new to improve your health. It starts September 8th but you can sign up now. I like the PCRM site (www.pcrm.org) and they have a lot of good information, but keep in mind that they do get pretty political on some stuff, so if that bothers you just ignore it!
PCRM 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Program: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 21-Day Vegan Kickstart

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

{LENTIL TOMATO SOUP}

(From Cooking with Chef Brad, Favorite Pressure Cooker Recipes, by Brad Peterson)

This is my favorite lentil soup. I've debated whether I should post it because I only know the cooking instructions for a pressure cooker, and I know most people don't have this wonderful appliance. But, I decided to post it anyway and let someone else play with water-lentil ratios and cooking times for normal cooking. (I'll put the original recipe in parenthesis, if it's different from what I do).

(1 T. butter)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. dried lentils, rinsed
4 c. water (5 c.)
1 t. salt (2 t.)
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 smidgen stevia (2 t. sugar)
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. dried basil
1 1/2 t. dried parsley (1 T. fresh)
1 16-oz. can diced tomatoes, blended (not blended)
3 T. tomato paste
(Parsley for garnish)

• Saute onion and garlic in water (butter) until onion is tender, but not browned.

• Add lentils, water, salt, pepper, stevia (sugar), oregano, basil, and parsley.

• Bring to a boil.

• Pressure on high for 10 minutes, natural release.

• Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well.

• (Garnish each bowl with a sprig of parsley.)

Note: I made this last night and replaced the water and tomato paste with a quart of V8 juice that needed using. It was great, but a little salty. I'll probably do this again, but I'll cut the salt even more (1/2 t. maybe).

{BLUEBERRY-OAT BARS}

(Original recipe here.)

These are another yummy gem from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. I wasn't going to post them because I actually botched the recipe (I didn't read the directions very carefully), but they were still good enough that we enjoyed them, and I plan on making them again (following the directions next time).

2 c. blueberries (I used frozen)
1/4 c. honey*
1/4 c. apple juice concentrate*
1/2 t. vanilla
2 T. cornstarch (mixed with enough cold water to form a smooth paste)

3 c. oats (not instant)
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. applesauce
1/4 c. sucanot*
1 smidgen stevia*
6 T. (3/8 c.) water
1 t. vanilla

sucanot/cinnamon mixture to sprinkle on top*

*Altered from original recipe.

• Preheat oven to 375.

• In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, honey, and juice concentrate. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in vanilla and cornstarch mixture. Stir as the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and set aside.

• Put 1 1/2 c. oats, cinnamon, baking powder, sucanot, stevia, and salt in a food processor (or blender) and grind to a fine powder. (This is where I messed up. I processed all 3 c. of oats. Oops.)

• Pour into mixing bowl and stir in remaining oats, applesauce, water, and vanilla. Mix well.

• Spread half the batter into the bottom of a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Spoon blueberry filling over the batter, and cover blueberries with remaining batter. Sprinkle sucanot/cinnamon mixture over top.


• Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

• Allow to cool before cutting into bars.


Note: I liked these best after they had been in the fridge for a day (or two, or three).

Thursday, August 6, 2009

{PASTA SALAD}

Here's another "not really a recipe" post. I love this one because it proves wrong the old "just add enough mayonnaise/oil/dressing to make the seasoning stick" instruction. The seasoning sticks all by itself to the bare naked noodles and veggies. Here's what I do:

1 lb whole wheat pasta of choice, cooked and cooled
2 pkgs dry Italian dressing mix

Any or all of the following:

cherry tomatoes, halved
olives, chopped
peas
broccoli, fresh or steamed
cucumber, chopped
carrots, chopped
celery, chopped
avocado, chopped
soybeans
red, orange, yellow peppers, chopped

• Toss and serve.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

{BRUSCHETTA}

This is just a basic bruschetta recipe, but it's the one we've used for a long time and it always turns out delicious. We serve it with lightly toasted whole wheat french bread.

2 to 3 c. diced fresh tomatoes
2 t. garlic, minced (about 4 cloves)
1/4 to 1/2 c. fresh basil (1/8 c. if using dried)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
balsamic vinegar to taste (optional)