Vegan with jam

Category: Recipes

  • Chickpeas

     
    Hummus For Real
    Ingredients
    1 pound Slow Cooker Chickpeas, cooled, recipe follows
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
    5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
    1/4 cup water
    1/3 cup tahini, stirred well
    1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
    Powdered sumac, optional
     
    Directions
    Place the chickpeas, garlic, and kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 15 to 20 seconds. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process for another 15 to 20 seconds. Add the lemon juice and water. Process for 20 seconds. Add the tahini. Process for 20 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
    To serve, transfer the hummus to a bowl and drizzle with additional olive oil and sprinkle with sumac, to taste, if desired.
    Slow Cooker Chickpeas:
    7 cups water
    1 pound dry chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
    1/4 teaspoon baking soda
    Special equipment: a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker
    Place the water, chickpeas, and baking soda in a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours, or on low heat for 8 to 9 hours, or until tender. Drain and serve immediately, or use in desired dish.
     
    Falafel
    Ingredients
    1 pound dried chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
    1 teaspoon whole cumin seed
    1 teaspoon whole coriander seed
    2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
    4 small scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
    2 quarts peanut oil
    Pita bread, warmed, for serving
     
    Directions
    Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Soak overnight.
    Place the cumin and coriander seeds in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet and set over medium high heat. Cook, shaking the pan frequently, until the seeds give off an aroma and just begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the toasted spices to a spice grinder and process until finely ground. Set aside.
    Drain the chickpeas. Combine the soaked chickpeas, ground cumin and coriander, garlic and scallions, salt, black pepper, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and parsley leaves in a medium mixing bowl.
    Pass this mixture through a meat grinder or stand mixer with the grinder attachment fitted with the smallest die. Alternatively, you can divide the mixture in half and process one half at a time in a food processor, pulsing 10 to 20 times.
    Scoop the mixture into 1 1/2 to 2-ounce portions using a 2-inch diameter disher. Place on a half sheet pan lined with parchment. Can be held hold at room temperature for up to 2 hours before frying, or covered in the refrigerator overnight.
    Heat the peanut oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F. Adjust the heat to maintain temperature. Gently place the falafel, 1 at a time, into the hot oil. Fry 4 at a time until deep golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a half sheet pan lined with a cooling rack and topped with a paper towel to drain. Repeat until all falafel have been cooked. Serve on warm pita.
     
    Pressure Cooker Chickpeas
    Ingredients
    9 cups water
    1 pound dried chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
    1 teaspoon kosher salt
     
    Special equipment: a 7-quart pressure cooker
     
    Directions
    Place the water, chickpeas, and salt in a 7-quart pressure cooker (the water should cover the chickpeas and come to the 1/3 full line). Cover and lock the lid. Bring to pressure over high heat, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, so that you barely hear hissing from the pot. Cook for 45 minutes. Release the pressure by running cold water over the lid for 5 minutes. Open carefully. Drain and serve immediately, or use in desired dish.
     
    Slow Cooker Chickpeas
    Ingredients
    7 cups water
    1 pound dried chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
    1/4 teaspoon baking soda
     
    Special equipment: a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker
    Directions
    Place the water, chickpeas, and baking soda in a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 hours, or low heat for 8 to 9 hours, or until tender. Drain and serve immediately, or use in desired dish.

  • “Tuna” Salad for Vegans!

    Just the other day I was thinking of what food I may miss by being vegan. The first thing that came to mind was tuna salad sandwiches. Oh, how I used to love those. A couple slices of wheat toast, a nice slice of fresh tomato, a couple leaves of crispy lettuce, a few pickles, and a good helping of tuna salad made with celery, onions, and maybe some pickles.

    So, today I run across “Veg with Mike“. He is kind of a goof ball but has come pretty neat youtubes. So, check out this one recipe for “tuna” salad using mustard, and garbanzo beans! I’ll be making some of this sometime this week!

  • Zero Oils – As in Zero Oils

    I subscribe to an email update from The Real Food Channel, a very worthy site for anyone interested in good health and good food. The other day I received a link to a Vegsource presentation by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD on how to eliminate heart disease. His ideas are radical in the extreme as they fly in the face of everything we think we know about eating, cooking, living, dining out, and the fabric of American life. Think EVOO is a good thing? Rachael? Emeril? Are you listening? Think not! Watch the presentation here. As a result, I’ve bought and read his book and decided to make a pot of soup to celebrate!

    Here is how it goes:
    • You need a big pot. 16 quart is fine, 20 is better.
    • There is absolutely no oil in this soup. Needless to say, no meat or dairy either.
    Here are the ingredients:
    • Two or three diced onions
    • A handful of minced or diced garlic to taste
    • A large bag of clean fresh spinich, enough to fill the pot
    • A mix of any of these available greens: collards, mustard greens, kale (cut out any hard stems and reserve for stock pot) – about a half pot full
    • Two or three cans of black beans. Or you can used dried beans but it takes a LOT longer to cook.
    • Two or three cans of diced tomatoes.
    • Spices – I’ve used an “Italian Spice” mix which includes primarily basil and oregano. For what will be about 6 to 8 quarts of soup, I used about two or three tablespoons. But this is up to you. Also, some fresh ground black pepper. And salt to taste. Careful with that.
    • Add your favorite “heat”. I use Sambal Ulek regularly – enough to go through a gallon in a couple of months. Try it!
    Here is what you do:
    • Fill the pot with greens and cook on medium heat until they start to whilt down. Then add more until they are all whilted.
    • Turn up the heat to medium-high for faster cooking. The pot should be at a low boil.
    • Add garlic and onions
    • Add beans and tomatoes. Do not drain beans first. Add the whole can.
    • Add spices
    • Season to taste
    • Cook for a long time
    • Taste frequently and adjust seasoning
    • You may wish to add either more beans or tomatoes or veggies to suit your tastes
    • If available, add fresh basil near the end of the cooking
    • You may wish to add some (one or two tablespoons) sweetener: Use either agave syrup or cane sugar. I used the agave syrup.
    The soup can be as soupy or stewy as you want. Add water or reduce as you see fit.
    I served this with a side of fresh green salad mix and brown short grain rice. You could, and I did, put the rice in the soup upon serving. (Short grain rice is stickier than long grain – it makes a chewy texture.)
    This meal is essentially zero points on the WW scale, cept for the rice. We had our fill for less than three points including the rice. It is so rich in nutrients that it is nearly off the charts, including protein.
    This is also essentially what I started with to make stuffed bell peppers the other night which I ended up baking in a cast iron dutch oven for an hour. It is a different twist on nearly the same meal, but makes for a new presentation altogether.
    Make lots. Put in meal sized containers for lunch and dinner. It should last a week at least in the frig. You can freeze it too.

  • More Veggies – Less Starch and Sugar

    After having just returned from a big blow out wedding, I found myself not quite where I want to be weight-wise. So, as a result of watching a video that compares the food with the highest nutrient/calorie ratio, I’ve decided to shoot for the food with the highest numbers. Which one is highest, you might ask? Kale. Followed by others green, leafy, or just green… Foods such as rice, potatoes, WW bread, to name a few, fall into the third column, vegan though they may be. And of course, continue to watch the oil, and… need I say it, the wine…

    So, the result since June 21st, the day I woke up and smelled the kale? When I returned from this wedding trip, I weighted in just short of where I was two or three weeks ago. Not a lot of progress. As of today, eating veggies, salads, soups, etc. I’m down seven lbs!

    Two dishes have emerged that have been long forgotten:
    #1. Kale and tomato soup. Saute 3 onions and 40 cloves of garlic (in very little oil – 2 tbls tops) in a 16 quart stock pot. Add some mushrooms too. Add a gallon of diced tomatoes (I got mine at Costco in a #10 can). Add two or three bunches of kale, mustard greens, and/or collards. Cook for an hour or two. Add water or reduce until it is the right thickness, depending on whether you want soup or stew… season to taste.

    #2. Black bean, tomato, corn salsa. As above, saute three onions, two or three bell peppers, 40 cloves of garlic, a half dozen chopped jalapaneas (include seeds). Add a quart of water. Bring to boil. Add six ears of corn. Cook till the corn is done. Remove corn, slice kernals off cob and return the kernals to the mix. Add two pounds of dried black beans. Add a gallon of diced tomatoes. Cook for two days… (OK… just kidding on this part… however, the beans will take a LONG time too cook!) As the pot thickens, reduce heat to simmer and watch it doesn’t stick to bottom or burn! Stir at least every 15 minutes. If it starts to stick to the bottom, aggressively scrape bottom with spatula until the bottom feels clean. Season to taste. I made mine pretty hot with some sambal ulek. Serve either hot as dip, or cold as salsa. Use for dressing on salads.

  • Falafel Recipes

    Finding a different type of falafel mix at the Price Chopper yesterday prompted me to see what kind of recipes might be on the web. And of course, there are a bunch of them. Here is one: Falafel Burgers

    And here is another: Fava bean Falafel

    And of course, there are a thousand others. Hey. It’s the 21st century. You can find anything, anytime, on the web. And of course, it’s free. It’s a beautiful thing.

    Off to the shower. More later.

  • Three Weeks Into A New Life

    As I reflect upon these past three weeks, I am noticing changes in not only my body and how I feel, but how I think about this diet as an on-going way of life. Here is what I know for sure: Before November 2005, I wouldn’t have thought life as a vegan to be a reasonable choice for me. There was too much I enjoyed about consuming traditional meals, and all those things I’ve learned in the past decade about how to cook beef, turkey, chicken, and pork… what do you do with that library of knowledge?! Not to even mention cheese. My heavens, what to do with the fondue set?! Seriously though, there are so many things that seemed overwhelmingly in favor of staying with the traditional omnivore diet that veganism didn’t seem like a reasonable option. However, somewhere along the vegan path, the seemingly obvious problems associated with becoming vegan have begun to fall by the side of the road. I thought I would miss cheese immensely. I don’t at all. I thought I would miss BBQ pork ribs. No. Not a bit. I haven’t had a dish of ice cream in months, many months, so that hasn’t been a problem. Cookies? Nope. Chocolate? No. It is somewhat of an inconvenience to find gratuitous amounts of dairy and/or egg product in a number of foods, like bread for instance, but other than that, this diet has been a non issue.

    So, with one week to go, I’m not looking forward to the end. I’m looking foward to learning more about it and learning new recipes on this road to a better life. It just seems that if I were suffering on this diet I would be counting down the days, and that would be 7 left. But, I’m not counting. (OK, this blog is getting kind of old, but maybe I’ll put it into better order when all said and done, correct the spelling and whatever, and maybe someone will benefit from the reading about the experience…)

    Today
    Breakfast: Mixed nuts
    Lunch: Red Beans and Brown Rice with Roasted Asparagas and steamed mixed veggies. Had a few hunks of French Bagette with. Very good and filling. Had this at Whole Foods Deli, though the asparagas was over cooked a little, it was still good.
    Dinner: A few of us stopped at an Irish Pub for a few beers after work. We haven’t done this in a long time. I had some Guinness and potato skins with salsa. I had a hand full of nuts prior to going out.