Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Israeli Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:
1 English cucumber, chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large white onion, chopped
4 sprigs mint, minced
1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 tbsp fresh, minced)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp canola oil (optional)
1 tsp minced garlic
To Make:
Add the mint, parsley, lemon juice, oil and garlic to a bowl and mix.
Add in the cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and toss.
Let sit 3 minutes then serve.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Ingredients:
6 carrots, boiled, drained and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 Tbsp fresh and chopped)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
To Make:
Add all but carrots to a bowl and mix.
Add carrots to mixture and toss.
Let sit for 4 hours then serve.

Citrus Date Couscous

Ingredients:
1 cup fine couscous
1 cup boiling water
2 clementine oranges peeled and chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup pitted and chopped dates

To Make:
Place couscous in a bowl. Pour boiling water over.
Add other ingredients and toss.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Toss with a fork and serve warm immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Hummus, Roasted Red Pepper without oil

Hummus is a very flexible recipe. You can change the ingredients and amounts and still get excellent results. Hummus often has olive oil but that adds a lot of calories from processed oil so we use tahini or peanut butter instead.


Ingredients:
4 cups cooked garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.
4 whole roasted red peppers
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup tahini [or peanut butter]
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup dried parsley


To Make:
Add all ingredients to food processor and puree until smooth.
Serve within 3 days or freeze.


I make large batches of this and freeze it in one cup canning jars. These defrost quickly to serve at home or take as a guest gift.


I use a lettuce leaf and wrap it around this for a quick and satisfying snack or part of a meal. There is very little tahini (nuts and seeds) per serving.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

No Bake Peanut and Date Cookies

These are easy to make up and refrigerate or freeze until you need them. One or two are satisfying with a cup of tea. I usually make this recipe x 4 for either a large crowd or to have them made ahead for smaller events.


Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup pitted dates
1 Tbsp vanilla


To Make:
In a food processor with an S-blade add first the peanuts, then the dates and last the vanilla.
Pulse it until the peanuts are chopped but be careful not to make it into peanut butter.
With very clean hands, roll the mixture into one inch diameter balls and place on a flat surface. Refrigerate or freeze until serving.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Veggie Pasta with Tahini Lemon Dressing

I make this dressing every week and leave it in the refrigerator. I add it to salads, cooked veggies and pasta dishes. I have never heated it, just put it in the bottom of a bowl and add whatever it is being mixed with and toss it together. Today I added it to
1 cup chopped kale (stems removed)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup cooked rice pasta.
I added the kale and carrots to the boiling water along with the rice pasta but it could have been put into the bowl raw and the hot, drained pasta added on top then all mixed together.

Dressing Ingredients:
1 whole lemon, peeled and seeded
6 pitted dates
1 cup water
1 cup tahini
1/4 cup soy sauce (we use low sodium)
2 tsp ground mustard 
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
To Make:
Add the lemon, dates and water to a food processor or high speed blender and puree.
Add the tahini, soy sauce, and mustard and mix until smooth.
Add the nutritional yeast last and puree. This will make the mixture thick.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Makes 2 cups.



 We served this in a bowl topped with Parmesean substitute.
You can also add pepper to taste.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

This is a great dip served cold as a dip with fruit.


Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted peanuts
1 cup water
3 whole pitted dates
1/2 tsp curry powder


To Make:
Add peanuts, water and dates to a measuring cup and let sit in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. 
Add peanut mixture and curry powder to food processor and  puree until smooth. 
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. You cannot taste the curry but it adds a nice flavour.
Note: The next time I make this I will try it with a hand immersion blender to see if I can make it while travelling.



Sunday, October 9, 2011

Stop Cancer Before It Starts

This is a lecture from Dr Michael Greger MD who does a great job of making the results of complex research easy to understand. This lecture is an hour long but is very worth the time.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

6 Ingredient Seitan Sausages

These are great to add to any recipe that would normally call for sausage or in a wrap or a sandwich. They are also good on pizza. Seitan usually calls for oil as an ingredient but I have been making these without oil and they are good.
This is the fastest version because there are so few ingredients but really none of them are much work.
Ingredients:
In a bowl combine:
1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup garbanzo flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp Tex Mex spice mixture (we use club House but any brand will do).
In a measuring cup combine:
1 1/2 cup vegan beef broth 
2 Tbsp minced garlic
To Make:
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Stir the wet ingredients together then pour into the dry ingredients.
Knead for 3 minutes.
Let sit for 10 minutes.
Put at least an inch of water in a large pot and put on stove to boil.
After the seitan has been sitting for 10 minutes knead for another 30 seconds then cut into 4 or 6 or 8 pieces and shape into sausages or patties.
Wrap each piece in foil and place in a colander.
Set the colander over the boiling water and cover with a lid.
Turn the water down to a simmer and steam for 30 minutes.
Let cool and refrigerate or freeze. All Seitan tastes better the second day because the spices blend together better.
Note: all of the ingredients are available at our local Bulk store. Even the regular beef broth cubes at our local bulk store are vegan. Just read the ingredients and you may be surprised.

Spicy Seitan Sausages

These are great to add to any recipe that would normally call for sausage or in a wrap or a sandwich. They are also good on pizza. Seitan usually calls for oil as an ingredient but I have been making these without oil and they are good.
This is a spicy recipe that we prefer but we like hot spices.
Ingredients:
In a bowl combine:
1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup garbanzo flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a measuring cup combine:
1 1/2 cup vegan beef broth 
2 Tbsp minced garlic
To Make:
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Stir the wet ingredients together then pour into the dry ingredients.
Knead for 3 minutes.
Let sit for 10 minutes.
Put at least an inch of water in a large pot and put on stove to boil.
After the seitan has been sitting for 10 minutes knead for another 30 seconds then cut into 4 or 6 or 8 pieces and shape into sausages or patties.
Wrap each piece in foil and place in a colander.
Set the colander over the boiling water and cover with a lid.
Turn the water down to a simmer and steam for 30 minutes.
Let cool and refrigerate or freeze. All Seitan tastes better the second day because the spices blend together better.
Note: all of the ingredients are available at our local Bulk store. Even the regular beef broth cubes at our local bulk store are vegan. Just read the ingredients and you may be surprised.

Mild Seitan Sausages

These are great to add to any recipe that would normally call for sausage or in a wrap or a sandwich. They are also good on pizza. Seitan usually calls for oil as an ingredient but I have been making these without oil and they are good.
This is the recipe I am most likely to serve to company because there are many people who don't like hot spices.
Ingredients:
In a bowl combine:
1 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup garbanzo flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 t cumin
In a measuring cup combine:
1 1/2 cup vegan beef broth 
2 Tbsp minced garlic
To Make:
Mix the dry ingredients together.
Stir the wet ingredients together then pour into the dry ingredients.
Knead for 3 minutes.
Let sit for 10 minutes.
Put at least an inch of water in a large pot and put on stove to boil.
After the seitan has been sitting for 10 minutes knead for another 30 seconds then cut into 4 or 6 or 8 pieces and shape into sausages or patties.
Wrap each piece in foil and place in a colander.
Set the colander over the boiling water and cover with a lid.
Turn the water down to a simmer and steam for 30 minutes.
Let cool and refrigerate or freeze. All Seitan tastes better the second day because the spices blend together better.
This photo makes me aware of how casual I am about shaping them. A perfectionist could make them far more perfect in size and shape if desired.
Note: all of the ingredients are available at our local Bulk store. Even the regular beef broth cubes at our local bulk store are vegan. Just read the ingredients and you may be surprised.

Home Made Teriyaki Sauce

Teriyaki sauce
Making this from scratch is quick and easy and avoids a lot of added chemicals in the commercially made sauce. I came up with this when I did not want to make a run to the store. It works pretty well to marinate tofu which is the only thing I do with Teriyaki sauce.
Ingredients:



In first measuring cup or saucepan mix:
• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger 
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 minced garlic cloves
In second measuring cup:
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
Directions:
• Combine 1 cup water, tamari, brown sugar, garlic and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup of cold water and add to sauce.
• Stir constantly to allow the sauce to thicken.
• If the sauce is too thick add a little water 

Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups.
Store in the fridge.
Note:
It is nice to have fresh grated ginger and garlic. We always keep jars of both in the refrigerator to ensure we can make recipes when needed rather than delaying for a trip to the market.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Kale Salad with Oil Free Dressing


Dressing Ingredients:
1 cup water
4-6 dates, pits removed
1 lemon, peeled and chopped
1 cup tahini (ground sesame seeds)
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
To Make:
Add water and dates to blender or food processor and blend until there are not lumps left.
Add lemon and blend until there are not lumps left.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
Any not used immediately should be kept in the refrigerator.

Salad Ingredients:
4 cups fresh kale, stems removed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup cherry tomatoes
4 Tbsp Oil Free Dressing
Optional salt or Herbamare Spicy
To Make:
Mix kale and dressing thoroughly to massage kale. Approx 5 minutes.
Top with cherry tomatoes.
Taste and add salt or Herbamare Spicy to taste. We add just a very light sprinkling of the Herbamare Spicy.


This dressing can also be used with cooked pasta or potatoes.
We bought  the Herbamare Spicy at our local Superstore.

Weeds in my Strawberry Smoothie

We have receintly learned that Purslane is edible. We have discarded countless pounds of this because we considered it a weed. Actually it tastes like lettuce! Because it is such a soft plant you don't need a high powered blender to blend it in.
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup purslane
1 cup strawberries
1 banana


To Make:
Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. It tastes great.
Add 3 pitted dates if you want it sweeter.



Monday, August 22, 2011

Nutrition Videos of the latest research.

Dr Michael Gregor MD reads every nutrition journal published in English every year. He now has videos of what he has found at http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/

This is the description of he and the sponsoring foundation from their website.


NUTRITIONFACTS.ORG is brought to you by the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation in partnership with Michael Greger, M.D. Dr. Greger scours the world of nutrition-related research, as published in scientific journals, and brings that information to you in short, easy to understand video segments.  We also provide links to the original journal articles whenever possible so that you can source the information directly, if you so desire.
Michael Greger, M.D., is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues.  A founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Dr. Greger is licensed as a general practitioner specializing in clinical nutrition. Currently he serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States. Dr. Greger is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine.
The Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation was established in Toronto, Canada in the year 2000 by Jesse Rasch. Among the objectives of the Foundation is the funding of research into the role of health and nutrition in the prevention and treatment of disease and to ensure that the research results are appropriately disseminated to the medical profession.  The Foundation is also striving to educate the public on the enormous role that health and nutrition play in disease prevention.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

More Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies

We have been having lots of fun making smoothies. Here are a few more combinations we have come up with.


Blueberry/Plum/Kale
3 cups water or carrot juice
12 dates
1 cup kale, stems removed
4 cups chopped plums (6 whole)
1 banana
1 cup blueberries


Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend all ingredients with date mixture until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.
*This needed extra dates for sweetness because the plums were not sweet.


--
Tropical Yum

3 cups water or carrot juice
6 dates
1 cup kale, stems removed
1 cup spinach
2 cups fresh pineapple
1 banana



We have been having lots of fun making smoothies. Here are a few more combinations we have come up with.
--
Refreshing with sprouts
3 cups carrot juice or water
6 dates
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
1 cup kale
1 cup boc choy
2 cups fresh pineapple
1 banana

Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend all ingredients with date mixture until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.

--
Refreshing with broccoli
3 cups carrot juice or water
6 dates
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup boc choy
1 cup mango
1 cup blueberries
1 banana

Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend all ingredients with date mixture until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.

--
Refreshing with collard greens
3 cups carrot juice or water
12 dates
1 cup chopped collard greens
1 cup boc choy
1 cup mango
1 cup blueberries
1 banana


Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend all ingredients with date mixture until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.
*After a taste test this was more popular with more dates.



Monday, July 25, 2011

Fruit and Vegetable smoothies

We were inspired last week by a documentary and website called Fat Sick and Almost Dead. A fellow named Joe Cross had poor health due to inactivity and poor diet choices and did a big lifestyle change to regain his health. We did not want to buy a juicer (another appliance to buy, store, clean and eventually dispose of) but we have a good blender so we have been making an effort to make and drink healthy smoothies. These have been great because we make up a few jars at once, put them in the refrigerator and they are cold and instantly ready. Fast food at its best!

Some of the combinations we have tried are:

Carrot Juice
2 cups shredded carrots
6 cups water
Blend them together for two minutes.
Strain out the pulp through a fine mesh strainer and keep the juice as a healthy base for smoothies. 
You can save the pulp for soup in the freezer.


Blueberry Kale
3 cups water or carrot juice
6 pitted dates
2 cups kale (stems removed)
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 banana
Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend it all together until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.








Strawberry Kale
3 cups water or carrot juice
6 pitted dates
2 cups kale (stems removed)
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 banana
Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend it all together until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.

Mango Kale
3 cups water or carrot juice
6 pitted dates
2 cups kale (stems removed)
2 cups chopped mango
1 banana
Blend the water and dates first to ensure there are no chunks in the bottom.
Blend it all together until smooth.
Refrigerate or serve.
**This one is a bright green colour and will attract comments when you drink it but it tastes tropical due to the mango and banana.

These are combinations we did this weekend but you can vary the fruit for others and we have used greens such as spinach, collard greens, beet greens, or anything else you would like to try. 
The dates add sweetness to the drinks and if you don't need it sweetened you can reduce or omit them. If you like it sweeter you can add more.
Fat Sick and Almost Dead
Joe shot this documentary in 2007 and is still 100 pounds less than when he started.