Lima Beans - Just Can't Ever Get Enough

 

I realize I have written about Alicia's Summertime Succotash before. The last time I cheated and used butter beans. I'm pretty sure my body is mad at me for not eating lima beans my whole life. I love them so much! I think they nearly top the favorite bean list for me personally. Last year I scored some fresh lima beans at the market. The same vendor said they wouldn't be growing them again this year as they couldn't move them. Travesty! Fresh limas are astonishingly good. These, albeit frozen, are still very good. Apparently I'm one of the few who does actually like lima beans. Poor me. Anyway, I love this recipe. It's so easy to throw together. I had a few bell peppers I used instead of tomatoes this time. The possibilities are endless! 

One Year Later - Thoughts On Going Veg

 

Whoa! It's been way too long since I've written here! Don't worry, I'm still hanging there with the whole vegan thing. The past few months I've lacked inspiration though I suppose. The lack of great local veg left me uninspired. We survived most the winter on really simple meals. Beans, lentils, brown rice, simple sauteed veggies and salads. So, forgive the lack of posts. I'm back hopefully!

I realized it had been a year today since making the switch. I have to say it's a decision I don't regret, and it is easier everyday to remember why I made it in the first place. My tastebuds have definitely changed. I have found that I LOVE greens, and prepared pretty much any way I can prepare them. This is saying a lot considering I didn't even eat lettuce until I was 18. I have learned to appreciate veggies with very simple spices. Don't get me wrong, I love a creative meal, and plan to get to making as many as possible in the Spring and Summer months. But, I feel satisfied, too, with simple choices. I spent a lot of time in the early months preparing a lot of meat substitutes and complicated meals, but have them now mostly as treats. I learned a lot by trial and error. I am comfortable here in these choices, and have found my vegan groove so to speak. Some people still think I'm a little weird, but that's cool. I have found more people interested in the whole thing and willing to dialogue about recipes and ideas to incorporate in their own cooking. So, I love it, and my body loves it too.

Tonight I made Caulipots (Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes) for the first time. I don't know why I hadn't before, but they were super yummy. I also made Blackened Tofu, both from Appetite for Reduction which I still love so much. While it's mostly low-cal vegan food, it lacks no flavor, and certainly lacks nothing creatively. I plan to make as many recipes out of this one in the next few months.

My First Raw Vegan Recipe Thanks To Amber Shea - 5 Minute Vegan Blondies

Back when I was a former vegetarian gone omnivore, Nate and I were invited over once for 5 course raw vegan meal by a super sweet couple. The reason they invited us in the first place was for our open-mindedness to pretty much any kind of food. I was really intrigued by the whole "raw" thing because it seemed very new to me (this was over 10 years ago.) They prepared a very involved meal of raw sushi, butternut squash soup, avocado dip and some kind of of cake, perhaps carrot? Anyway, after driving away from that meal I felt incredibly ill  to my stomach and was unable to eat avocado again for 10 years. Since then of course I would have loved that meal and appreciated the time and money that would have gone into making such a spread. It truly must have taken them 2 days to make it all. I guess I wasn't as open minded as I thought. Come to think of it, maybe it was the lava lamp lighting that did the meal in for me. 

What in the heck is my point? Oh yeah, raw food. Since going vegan I found Amber Shea's blog; Almost Vegan. She says her diet is 99 percent vegan cheating only every so often which I love. If I were honest, my diet would probably fall near the 99 percent mark too. In the last few months she went to 105 degrees (a raw chef school) and is now a raw chef herself. I've been wanting to learn more about raw food, so her blog was an awesome find for me. What's even cooler is that she lives in Kansas City too and is writing a super cool vegan/raw/freaking awesome cookbook! I'm so excited! I have yet to find a book that is balanced and includes both raw and vegan recipes that isn't super preachy (which I don't mind for myself, but know most people don't like that so much.) For once I had all the ingredients for one of her raw recipes, a 5-Minute Single Serve Raw Blondie. YUM! Instead of putting the whole thing in one small muffin tin, I used 4 mini sized muffin tins. One of the smaller portion was all I needed. I love this recipe because it's super flexible. You can use a variety of different nuts and/or different kinds of dried fruit. I can't wait for your cookbook Amber! And of course you know I'm a more than willing tester :)

Nate's Two Cents:  Note to raw vegans:  A great way to get a non-raw vegan turned on to your cause is to make a raw dessert.  And make lots of it.  And serve it up with a nice hot cup of coffee with one raw sugar.  Are you listening, Tara? JK.  Anyway I agree about that meal we shared years back:  I'd appreciate it so much more at this point in my journey to wholefoodness, rather than at that point, when I thought meat was a necessity at every meal.   A nice big slice of avocado on a romaine leaf sounds pretty appetizing to me now.  Thanks, Amber, for the great blondie recipe.  And thanks, raw food people whom we feared out of ignorance: We really do remember that meal differently now.

A New Tempeh-tation - Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes

Granted: Much of the world still thinks that vegans are weirdos. Even as a former vegetarian, I though a vegan diet was a little extreme. No matter on what end of the spectrum you fall, you can't say that vegan chefs aren't creative. Since scoring Vegan Brunch yesterday, and reading about the Chesapeake Tempeh Cakes, I am even more amazed at the resourcefulness of said chefs. These Tempeh "crab" cakes are absolutely delicious. Adding a little nori gives it a little taste of the sea while the fresh red bell pepper lends a freshness, and the panko breading adds the yummy crunch. Ooohh, and the spicy remoulade is equally as awesome. When I make this recipe again (note, I said when and not if) I would instead of smashing the tempeh with a fork, whir the whole mixture maybe once or twice in my food processor. I think it would have held together better if I did that. Maybe I'm just a wimp with a  fork, or too impatient. This recipe inspires me to make Jack Fruit fish. More on that to come....

Nate's Two Cents:  I used to tell Tara that crabcakes were in my top ten favorite dishes (four of the other nine are Italian), so I was pretty excited to try a vegan version.  As it turns out, meatless crabcakes are delicious (they don't taste exactly like crab, but in a way that's for the best--wouldn't you be suspicious?).  Put your heads together, vegan wordsmiths.  We need to come up with a catchy name for this dish.  Tara already described the composition pretty exhaustively, so I'll just add two words: Joe Biden. And yes, that IS my attempt to get Tara's blog on the radar of someone in the White House.

This is the before picture of the tastily ever after.

Oh, and check out my sous-chef whipping up the remoulade. Nate doesn't normally like to help me in the kitchen because he thinks I'm a little controlling (ahem.) It was fun to have him help :)

Vegan Sausage Gravy and Whole Wheat Biscuits

Last night we went out with friends for sushi. We had miso soup, edamame, tofu and veggie rolls which were delish. I guess I was feeling a little entitled today after all that healthfulness. After seeing Vegan Pandamonium's post on Sausage Biscuits and Gravy, I had to have them. I even went out of my way to the store just to get veg sausage. This recipe is about as far from healthy you can get--for real. However, in an attempt to ease my conscience I made whole wheat biscuits. That doesn't really take away the fact that this recipe was doused with a heavy dose of Earth Balance. Ah well! It was fun to fool my 8 year old into thinking he was eating real sausage. He is often floored that something vegan can be so good. He's always trying to catch me being a non-vegan. Still even with all the fat, can I at least feel  better that this meal didn't have any cholesterol? C'mon work with me people :)

Nate's Two Cents:  Enough already about how it isn't "that" good for you, Tara!  Let me enjoy the illusion that I can have my biscuits'n'gravy without the guilt.  This recipe has to be better for you than the carni version, which as far I know still features enough cholesterol to stop a yak's heart.  Basically, my brilliant, erudite evaluation of this dish is: I thought it was really, really good.  Even if you're not a fan of fauxsages like "Gimme Lean" or whatever it is Tara used, you'll hardly think about it, given that the overall taste of the dish is so country good.  

In other news, I was super excited to find Vegan Brunch today at Half Price books. I rarely get lucky enough to find an awesome cookbook there that I actually already wanted. These biscuits were the Herbed Whole Wheat Drop Biscuits (sans the herbs) from page 187. The author states that she can't be "bothered to do 'cut-out' biscuits anymore." It really is an extra stupid step that I'd rather avoid too if at all possible. Less mess for sure except for the flour that ends up all over my shirt in the process!

Randomness - Or Things I've Made As Of Late

I'm a major perfectionist. It's a real problem. Either I have all my clothes ordered by color in style in my closet, or I have the Mt. Everest of laundry. My little problem bleeds into my food photography, not that I really know what I'm doing. I hate it when I can't get a great picture of something I really loved. And to top it all off, I have the worst light known to man in my house. (I'm not dramatic at all.) Anyway, in an effort to cleanse myself of my perfectionism, I will post food that doesn't look great, but tasted good nevertheless :) The above Potato Asparagus Soup (page 66) recipe is from Vegan With A Vengence. Gone are the days of creamy vegetable soups, but I can't say I miss them. Soup is supposed to be hearty without making you feel like you ate a couple of sticks of butter or 10 cups of cream (which was basically my old potato soup recipe.) This bowl of soup grew on me. Incidentally, if you live in the KC area, Bread of Life bread is A-mazing. Really, It may be better than Ezekiel bread IMO. You can buy it at some Farmer's markets, and at Green Acres market. I cut it up and browned it in a wee bit of olive oil. Such a nice addition to this soup :)

Nate's Two Cents:  Some combos don't work for me.  At Italian restaurants my dad drinks coffee with his lasagna. I used to think it was a grown-up thing, but at 34 I still don't get it--how do his tastebuds unscramble that madness in his mouth? This, however, is a sensible combo that is tasty, light, mild on the stomach, and good for you.  It's perfect with a sandwich on the side, or even just a nice thick slice of toast.

This is Kind Diet recipe. I like this cookbook because as a new vegan it introduced me to a bunch of different ingredients I hadn't really heard of. This is the Warm Potato, Soybean, and Cucumber Salad. I don't know, but there's something I really like about this salad. This was also the first time I used Umeboshi Vinegar which Alicia Silverstone favors highly. It's in a lot of other stuff in the book. The crispiness of the cucumbers, the warmth of the potatoes and the bite of the edamame was really satisfying. At least it was to me anyway :)

Yet another Kind Diet recipe. This is Pan-Fried Mochi (page 237.) Mine don't look as gooey as the picture, but this is surprisingly really good. I thought it was weird to add soy sauce to something sweet, but it really adds something. My 8 year old loves having this as his snack sometimes. I love that it's drizzled with brown rice syrup (which doesn't freak him out as much as other sweet things), and it is a great source of fiber. This is a great way to trick your kids that they're having something really bad :)

This is Silas; the best little kitchen tester in town. He is always seeing me taking pictures of this or that, and insisted on getting in the Mochi picture :)

This last one is from Appetite for Reduction. These Black Bean, Zucchini, and Olive Tacos don't look fancy, but I have to say they were quite delicious for a simple dish. I did change up a few things. I didn't have kalamata olives (or at least I didn't  want to pay 5 bucks for them because I had already gone off the deep end with my grocery fund this week), so I used black olives instead. I also threw in a cup of frozen corn for good measure. You cook all this up in salsa verde. I love the addition of sliced jalapeños. This is the perfect meal to make when you have a hair appointment to get to and don't want to mess around too much in the kitchen, or is it just I that makes my hair appointment every month a major priority? Anyway, there you have it. A week in the life of said Vegan Piggy :)

Nate's Two Cents:  I think Tara thought I was patronizing her when I said it, but I actually really liked this recipe.  The green filler doesn't just make the taco pretty.  It actually works as a new layer of taste.  The closest thing I've had to this was a taco from a street vendor in Tijuana sixteen years ago.  Unlike that time, I know exactly what is in this recipe, and the person making it isn't smoking a cigar and laughing diabolically for no apparent reason.

From Tofu Indifferent To Tofu Obsessed?

Not too long ago, albeit early in my vegan career, I decided I didn't like tofu that much. Since then, I've become tofu obsessed. Apparently I was just buying sub-standard tofu, so each recipe just tasted ick because of that. We have a local company that produces tofu and tempeh by the name of Central Soy Foods. They make the most delicious smoked nigari tofu. It's hands down my favorite I have tried so far. It just so happens that central soy also makes a really great tempeh, or at least I like it better than the other brands I've tried as well. I'm not sure how far Central Soy's influence extends into other states, but I'm happy that for once the Midwest has something to offer the vegan world. Also, I learned that I really love tofu baked first before using it in any kind of recipe, and love it even more so after it sits in the refrigerator overnight for a yummy sandwich the next day. Tofu will still be more of a treat. I'm still more than happy to eat whole proteins rather than processed ones, but either way, I love having the option to change things up. 

Another current obsession is my new cookbook; Appetite for Reduction. I think most recipes can go less heavy handed on oils and butters, so having a new cookbook with tons of those kinds of recipes that show a little restraint in those areas is a lovely new addition to my cookbook shelf. I pretty much love anything Isa Chandra Moskowitz does though. She's amazing. I love how New York all her cookbooks are, pulling always from so many different cultures. I pulled the Basic Baked Tofu recipe out of AFR. It's marinated in veggie broth, balsamic, tamari, garlic, thyme and maybe a few other things. Anyway, such a simple marinade with great results. You'll probably hear more about these recipes in the weeks to come. I love being challenged to veer away from the rut vegetables I normally buy at every trip to the grocery store. I look forward to trying a bunch of new stuff!

Nate's Two Cents:  Tofu is one of those last frontiers a former carnivore must eventually conquer before he can officially declare himself vegan.  Tempeh is the other.  I think I've planted my flag in the tofu at last.  Tara's served it to me a half-dozen different ways, most of which I like, and after Asian stir-fry, this smoked thing is my favorite way to have it.  The smoky flavor is potent and inviting, like a cross between a tailgate barbecue and a Japanese play. (Yes, I know tofu is Chinese in origin.  Just go with it).  The texture is still cheese-like, but more dense, like a heavy block of ricotta, so that the delicate pieces break off in chunks rather than crumbles. (Tara's going to insist that tofu isn't anything like ricotta, but I should know, given that I used to love ricotta so much I ate it with a spoon straight out of the cup).  And no, it doesn't taste anything like chicken.  Anyway, it travels well in a sandwich, and plays well with mushrooms.  What more could I ask for?

Pumpkin and Azuki Beans

My son brought home a small pumpkin after a field trip to the pumpkin patch the other day. For the first time I considered that a pumpkin could actually be eaten, and that not all pumpkin made for consumption comes out of a can only to be made into a pie. I had bought azuki beans at the beginning of my vegan journey after reading The Kind Diet knowing there was some recipe in the book that had to do with them. I can't get my hands on a Kobacha squash to save my life, so I thought why not use the pumpkin? I'm sure butternut squash would be lovely as well. After reading reviews of the recipe, I thought adding a few ingredients might be nice. The toasted sesame seed oil adds a nice touch, and I think the cilantro is probably essential for a little brightess. I really enjoyed this. It's a nice warm bowl of goodness for a fall day.

Pumpkin and Azuki Beans
Recipe adapted from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

1 cup dried azuki beans
2 cups pumpkin or kabocha squash, cut into large chunks
1 4-6 inch pieces of kombu
1-3 t. Shoyu
1 T. Toasted Sesame Oil
chopped fresh cilantro

1 T. EVOO
1 Chopped Yellow Onion
4 Garlic Cloves Chopped
1 Inch Piece of Ginger, grated on microplane

Combine the kombu and beans in a bowl and cover with water by an inch or two and soak overnight. Drain the kombu and beans and rinse. Cut kombu into inch squares. Add to heavy duty pot. Add azuki beans, and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, and skim off foam. Reduce heat to low, and cover the pot. Simmer about 25-30 minutes.

In the meantime, warm olive oil and add onion to the pan with a sprinkle of salt. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook until browned and carmelized, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes until cooked through.

After 25-30 minutes, add pumpkin or squash to the top of the beans. Make sure water is still covering beans. Cook an additional 15-20 minutes, until beans and pumpkin are to your desired texture. Add cooked onions, garlic and ginger. Stir in toasted sesame oil. Stir in Shoyu 1 t. at a time to your desired taste (I think I ended up adding a little over 1 T. in the end), and cook an additional 5 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro and serve.

No camera = No posts

I haven't fallen off the vegan wagon, I promise. This perfectionist did however lose the camera battery charger. I'm unfortunately one of those creative/disorganized people who generally loses something of importance weekly. I really don't like posting pictures I'm not proud of hence the lack of posts. Lame right? Tell that to my neurotic brain. I ordered a new charger, so hopefully I'll be back up and running ASAP. I had to snap a picture of these cupcakes though. While the toppings might not be totally vegan (or at least I don't think they were) they were so pretty, so I had to share even if I had to use my crap cell phone camera. The recipe was marble cupcakes with fluffy vegan buttercream frosting from VCTOTW (as Amber from Almost Vegan likes to abbreviate.) I hadn't made this frosting yet, and it was indeed fluffy. It was just the right consistency to pipe huge cloud like mountains atop these yummy little cakes. The marble cake was yum too! I'm kind of craving these again just thinking about them. Hmmm....

Happy Birthday Sweet Silas!

Today my baby turns five. I can't believe these years have passed so quickly. He's my little apprentice, always willing to help me pour this or that in the bowl, or sprinkle a dash of this or that here and there. What a precious little guy. His request for his birthday treat was for chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting. I wish I could have gotten a picture of what he looked like after gobbling up his cupcake. So precious. Happy Birthday little guy :)

Oh by the way, these are (you guessed it) from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. I've decided that no matter what kind of cupcake recipe you're using, 15 minutes is the perfect amount of time to bake the perfect cupcake. A few minutes over, and you've got dry cupcakes IMO. This cookbook usually recommends 18 minutes, but I think they're just right taken out a few minutes before. These definitely got 2 thumbs up from the birthday boy.

Nate's Two Cents: I'd like to brag about my son's unbearable cuteness, but I can only take half the credit for that.  I do know that he has great taste in desserts.  And he seems to prefer almond/soy milk over cow milk, so he's much more likely than his brother to go the vegan route...And on that note, by the way, this vegan diet is amazing.  I would never have imagined before that I could eat this much and not only not gain weight, but actually lose weight (about 17 lbs, for anyone who cares).  I mean honestly, I gorge on different combos of grains, fruits, and veggies until I don't think my stomach can hold another ounce...and somehow the next morning the scale shows no damage.  And thanks to Tara's culinary wizardry, I don't feel like I'm sacrificing taste to eat well.  Anyway the cupcakes: awesome.  Chocolatey, moist, perfect texture, and really beautiful.  Probably going to have a couple more before this night is over, come to think of it...

Roasted Cauliflower and Wilted Spinach Salad - Vegan Yum Yum

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I drop off my youngest kiddo for preschool. I only have one more year left with my little guy at home which is totally sad (I will most certainly cry like a baby when he goes to kindergarten), but I've been making use of the time. I should be working, but since I'm only a few weeks into the school year I'm trying to have a little fun before I get back to work. Today for lunch I made Vegan Yum Yum's Roasted Cauliflower and Wilted Spinach Salad. Yum! This is a pretty easy recipe, that had great payoff. All you do is drizzle cauliflower with olive oil, and roast for about 20 minutes, boil up some whole wheat pasta  (in the meantime), cut up a few sun dried tomatoes. Throw it all on top of a few big handfuls of spinach. Drizzle a tablespoon or two (for good measure) of balsamic vinegar (a bit of salt and pepper of course), and voila! The only problem with this meal was that after I had the bowl you see above, I went to pack away the leftovers and dropped it (PLOP) right on the floor, everywhere. BLAH! I found out that my dog likes cauliflower. Who'da thunk it?! Well, you won't hear Nate's 2 cents about this meal, but at least this is proof I actually made it. I'm drowning my sorrows in cupcakes (they are baking as I type.) I'll try this recipe again. Quite delish and super healthy :)

Pumpkin and Chocolate....Oh My!

It is the most glorious September day here in Kansas City. The humidity of summer has already passed, so I'm breaking out the flavors of fall. Yes, I'm making more cupcakes, and still not losing that last 10 pounds.  But, at least I'm still cuter 20 pounds lighter, and a girl needs a cupcake. I think cupcakes are on par with twirly dresses and scalloped awnings, and just absolutely necessary for true girlishness. Anyway, this is the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (I'm obsessed with it obviously. Seriously, buy it.) I didn't think I'd like pumpkin and chocolate, and almost omitted the chips. I trust this cookbook however, and wanted to try it as is. It was a nice combo. The icing tied the flavors together beautifully. I have to say the Cinnamon Icing is to die for. I think cinnamon rolls are most definitely in my future with this icing slathered all over them. Fun, fun! I love to cook with all my little cupcake loving heart :)

Vegan Cupcake Heaven

I love getting a new cookbook. I think they're the best kind of books, well, right behind historical fiction. Anyway, today I got my amazon shipment, and my long awaited copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. After failing miserably on a few cake recipes, I wanted to have something reliable on the shelf for reference. Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero are my vegan mentors (even if they don't know it.) I decided to make the Basic Chocolate Cupcake recipe along with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. My go-to chocolate cupcake recipe used to be Martha Stewart's one bowl chocolate cake, but no longer. These cupcakes are perfect, moist and super chocolaty. That may be due to the fact that I bought some rockin' Valhrona dutch process cocoa. French chocolate gets me all googly eyed and dreaming of Europe. Aren't cupcakes cute? They kind of have a little puppy quality. They always make me want to stop and saw, "Awwww....How cute!" Anyway, I can't wait to try more recipes. Yay!

The Kind Diet - Black Eyed Pea Croquettes

I have been intrigued by the Black Eyed Pea Croquettes recipe in the The Kind Diet since I got my hands on it.  I'm a huge fan of falafel, so I wondered how an essentially gussied up falafel would taste with black eyed peas rather than garbanzos.  I have to say that it was quite good, though the recipe may have lacked some salt, or I lack salt discretion.  Probably the latter. The sauce is malt syrup and grainy dijon which was a fun new sauce to try. I think if I made these again, I might make a more savory sauce. Either way, it was a fun little project this afternoon :)

Nate's Two Cents: In my carnivorous days, I could always make room, no matter how full I might be, for something salty, fried, or sweet.  Some things never change.  I had just polished off a bowl of leftover lentil soup when (bam) Tara set these three lovely spherical fried things in front of me...and presto, the lentils were forgotten and I was good to go for a second lunch.  I have to say, if these aren't the best thing to happen to black eyed peas since Fergie, they're close.  Think hush-puppy consistency, falafel taste.  Filling and wonderful.  Don't worry if you've already eaten.  Your belly will make room.

The Kind Diet - Lentil Stew

Yes, it's true.  I might be obsessing about The Kind Diet recipes.  But truly, this is one recipe in particular that needs to be made, and by you (right now.)  Seriously!  This is Lentil Stew (page 171) in it's perfect form.  I don't know why; it just is.  I have made many lentil stews, but for some reason I'm lentil impaired.  My last few attempts have resulted in either too mushy lentils, and underdone veggies, or hard lentils and mushy veggies.  It's hard to get vegetables and lentils to meet right where they're supposed to be in the appropriate textures at the same time. The instructions in this particular recipe are thoughtful and precise, and result in a perfect bowl of stew. The only change I made was to add 1 T. of flour as I was sauteing the vegetables to thicken the broth a tad, and it paid of.  Perfecto!

Nate's Two Cents: Truthfully, I'm still not exactly sure what a lentil looks like in the wild.  But I do know that unlike most of the things I used to eat in my stews, it is treated humanely. And it definitely plays well with others: Is it a vegetable soup featuring lentils?  Or a lentil soup with vegetables?  Yes and yes.  Anyway, it's filling, it's delicious, and it's packed with protein so I can't make any excuses about it being a soup for weenies. Thumbs up.

The Kind Diet - Red Radish Tabbouleh

Well, I guess I'm stuck on The Kind Diet recipes this week.  A friend of mine told me about someone she knows who happens to adore the Red Radish Tabbouleh recipe.  I love, love Mediterranean food, so I was intrigued by this recipe.  I wanted to make it as-is to see if I could stomach the radishes after reading about their many benefits.  Radishes regulate metabolism, improve blood circulation, help a headache, relieve constipation, brings down fever, is beneficial to teeth, gums, nerves nails and hair, and can be used to treat bug bites or stings (and many, many more benefits.) Seriously, the radish is that good for you?  Huh! While radishes are still not my absolute favorite, I am going to certainly try to learn to love them given all I have learned as of late. This dish is Superhero material for sure. The bulgur wheat adds plenty of fiber and protein.  And for goodness sake it has parsley, well, look that up sometime.  It's another one of those things you would never guess would be a powerhouse of goodness.  I'm not sure I could eat this in the serving size suggested, but along side some freshly made falafel, I'd be in heaven.

Nate's Two Cents:  Tara's being honest about loving Mediterranean food, but usually she's the one ordering the vegetable platter while I go for the gyro special, so I was a little unsure about this whole Tabbouleh thing.  Anyway, the good news: It didn't really feel like I was eating radishes. The even better news: the bulgur wheat has a nice texture to it and is surprisingly filling once it settles in the belly.  It's like a fine oatmeal, with the lightness and spiciness of couscous, and the expanding power of cream of wheat once it goes down the hatch (Tara's not going to like that description). A little known fact:  South Seas pirates used to eat Tabbouleh before plundering passing ships. At least, that's what I like to imagine.

The Kind Diet - Peanut Butter Cups

I finally made the beloved Peanut Butter Cups from The Kind Diet.  This recipe is talked about in the book a bunch, and is plastered all over thekindlife.com forum, so I thought it was high time I tried to make them.  The recipe is super easy.  Reece's PB cups are one of my favorite candies, and most certainly prohibited as a vegan.  These definitely taste healthier for a peanut butter cup, but if you love peanut butter they'll hit the spot.  I spent the winter tying to become a chocolate snob by trying all the good dark chocolates I could get my hands on (maybe THAT's why I gained so much weight!)  Alicia's recipe calls for "nondairy chocolate or carob chips."  For some reason, I guess I didn't realize how easy it is to find nondairy chocolate, and thought I should at least try carob. Please for your chocolate loving soul, do not use carob.  I had never tried carob before, and used it in this recipe. I'm glad I made a few with less carob to get the idea. Some people really like carob.  I most certainly don't.  I'm going to make a new batch stat with real (nondairy) chocolate.  I may try a few other tweaks.  I'll let you know how they turn out...

The Kind Diet - Mom's Granola

My new favorite cookbook right now is The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone.  Seriously.  It's so fun to read, and very informative. I didn't find it preachy one bit like you may find other vegan cookbooks. It's kind of like pulling up a chair and talking to one of your darling, smart, and very funny friends. And how cute is Alicia Silverstone?  Really, being a vegan makes you this cute?  Count me in!  The only bone I have to pick with her is that she suggests giving up my daily cup o' joe.  I'm not quite there yet.  Anyway, I digress.  

So I made Alicia's recipe Mom's Granola.  Now, I don't know how "kind" it is to substitute many of the ingredients, but I can't help but give her credit for the inspiration.  The recipe calls for Quick Oats, Wheat Germ, Maple Sugar, Maple Syrup, Raisins, Safflower Oil, Coconut, Nuts and Vanilla.  The few substitutions I made were to add a little less oil (I used Vegetable Oil because it was the only neutral oil I had), dried cranberries instead of raisins and chose almonds as the nut, brown sugar instead of maple, substituted about a cup of rolled oats instead of quick to add more texture, plain omitted coconut because I didn't have any. Other than that this recipe was mostly true to the original.  It isn't chunky like some of the snacking granola you might buy, but I'm guessing to make it chunky in the first place you have to add way more oil and sugar to make it stick.  I would love to try maple sugar.  Maple + Sugar = Love.  I just have to find it first!  FYI: I'm a measuring junkie when it comes to food.  This made 18 - 1/2 cup servings.  I wouldn't eat more than that, or I would certainly feel guilty. I have to apologize to my fellow library patrons.  I am HOARDING this book until I receive my own copy from Amazon.  This one is definitely worth buying!  

Nate's Two Cents: Tara waited until I had gorged on this amazing granola (about three bowls a day for a couple of days) to let me know that, by the way, it IS possible to eat too much of it.  I'm still in foodenial, though.  Two words: wheat germ.  It's my WMD in the sand, making every last bite perfectly justifiable.  Needless to say, I'll be having another bowl tonight...  

Deluxe Cocoa Brownies

So what do Vegans bake, you ask?  Lots, and lots of things it turns out!  I wondered too.  How in the world will brownies and cookies taste without eggs and real milk?  Will they be dry, dull hockey pucks?  Instead vegan goodies taste pretty darn good if you ask me!  I have baked a few things out of Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.  I absolutely love this cookbook. This time I tried the Deluxe Cocoa Brownies recipe.  Instead of eggs the recipe incorporates silken tofu.  These brownies are more dark chocolatey than say a boxed mix, but I like that.  Seriously check out this cookbook for real yo!  While some vegan cookbooks have way too many fussy ingredients when it comes to baking, this one is completely accessible.  It includes many favorites that you thought you might have to give up being that you're a vegan and all.  Bust out the mixing bowls, grab your kiddos, and have some fun!

Pearly Greats

As part of my new Vegan lifestyle I must have dessert!  I checked out Tal Ronnen's new cookbook, The Conscious Cook and in it found the perfect candidate for my first vegan treat.  I decided to try the Tropical Tapioca Pudding.  Instead of cow's milk and granulated sugar, this yummy recipe calls for coconut milk and agave nectar. You can only have a tiny bit if you don't want to feel guilty, but fleshed out with juicy, ripe mango, it is perfection!  I'm not normally a coconut fan.  While the coconut flavor is there, it is subtle and exotically delicious.  I can't wait to try out Tal Ronnen's recipes that involve Gardein (meatless chicken).  I'll share more about that later.  This cookbook does have some fussy ingredients, but if you enjoy a challenge (as most certainly I always do), it's a terrific place to find inspiration.