Banana - Walnut Bread

A big challenge for Vegans is coming up with tasteful, healthful baked goods. In this recipe brought to us by Vegetarian Times, xanthan gum (found in most health food stores) acts as a thickener instead of eggs, agave nectar replaces refined sugar, and a touch of oat flour makes the dessert just a little bit better for you.

Banana- Walnut Bread
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose white flour
• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup walnuts, divided
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/3 cup plain soymilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Combine flours, all but 2 Tbs. walnuts, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, xanthan gum and salt in bowl.
2. Whisk bananas, agave nectar, soymilk, oil and vanilla until smooth in separate bowl. Fold in dry ingredients.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbs. walnuts over loaf. Bake 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack 20 minutes, then unmold and cool completely before slicing.

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING:

Calories	303
Protein	4g
Saturated Fat	1g
Carbs	44g
Sodium	303mg
Fiber	3g
Sugar	23g

What I'm really making for a Vegan Thanksgiving!

So last night I was brainstorming what to make for Thanksgiving, but things seemed to change when I as at the store starving. I kinda changed gears, so I thought I would tell you all what I'll be bringing to Dave's parents house for Thanksgiving dinner.

- Roasted Garlic, Apple, and Butternut Squash Soup (my recipe)
- Wild Rice Medley (more like an experiment as each time I make this, it varies greatly depending on which veggies I have on hand)
- Sweet Potatoes (either just baked or a nice mash with cranberries)
- Avocado Kale Salad (recipe below)
- Vegan Chocolate pie (my recipes)

I'll post my recipes in a few days when I start preparing the food.

But to hold you over till then, here is an Avocado Kale Salad recipe from taken from Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Foods book. Ironically, last week when I was in Massachusetts, I was able to go to Alissa Cohen's newwest live food restaurant, Grezzo, in Newburyport. You can tweak this salad as you see fit. It is so yummy.

Raw Kale Avocado Salad

• 1 head kale, shredded (I prefer the taste of curly kale for this one)
• 1 cup tomato, chopped (fresh salsa is also delicious!)
• 1/2 avocado
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or hemp seed oil (go for less if you can)
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• Celtic or Himalayan sea salt, to taste (1/4 – 1/2 t)
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• For extra yummy…add 1-2 sheets untoasted nori (snip up with scissors into little bits)
• Optional toppings: raisins, pine nuts, hemp seed nuts, sesame seeds

Preparation

In mixing bowl, toss all ingredients together. Mush everything together (with hands) to created marinated/wilted effect on kale. This makes it much tastier and easier to digest.

Also, here is a video of Karen Knowler, the raw food coach, preparing this dish on youtube.com.

A Thanksgiving Feast... Vegan Style.

This year my fiance and I will be spending Thanksgiving at his parents house on the East Coast of Florida. His mom has quite the task ahead of her. Dave's brother and sister-in-law are gluten free eaters (not to mention his brother is quite picky!), and I am a Vegan. We were joking that she must have quite the menu lined up to please us all.

I never assume anyone is going to go out of their way to accommodate my way of eating, so I always like to bring food to the party. I will be making my famous roasted garlic, apple, and butternut squash soup and a chocolate vegan pie! Both are to die for. I will also bring some sweet potatoes to roast in the oven and a big salad. That will be enough for me and to share!

I will post recipes and pictures while I am making the soup and chocolate pie in the next few days. I the mean time, I'll leave you with the salad recipe I'll be making and an easy breakfast oatmeal recipe.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad Recipe
from 101cookbooks.com

3 cups of pumpkin (or other winter squash), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
extra-virgin olive oi
fine grain sea salt

12 tiny red onions or shallots, peeled (OR 3 medium red onions peeled and quartered)
2 cups cooked wild rice*

1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375.
Toss the pumpkin in a generous splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet. At the same time, toss the onions with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and turn out onto a separate baking sheet. Roast both for about 45 minutes, or until squash is brown and caramelized. The same goes for the onions, they should be deeply colored, caramelized, and soft throughout by the time they are done roasting. You'll need to flip both the squash and onion pieces once or twice along the way - so it's not just one side that is browning.

In the meantime, make the dressing. With a hand blender or food processor puree the sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and honey until creamy. You may need to add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing a bit. Stir in the cilantro, saving just a bit to garnish the final plate later. Taste and adjust seasonings (or flavors) to your liking - I usually need to add a touch more salt with this dressing.

In a large bowl, toss the wild rice with a large dollop of the dressing. Add the onions, gently toss just once or twice. Turn the rice and onions out onto a platter and top with the roasted squash (I'll very gently toss with my hands here to disperse the pumpkin a bit). Finish with another drizzle of dressing and any remaining chopped cilantro.

Serves 4.

* To cook wild rice: Rinse 1 1/2 cups wild rice. In a medium sauce pan bring the rice and 4 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until rice is tender and splitting open, stirring occasionally. You'll have enough for this recipe and some leftover.

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Maple-Raisin Oatmeal
from vegetariantimes.com

ingredient list

Serves 4

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup plain soymilk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
  

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients with 1 1/2 cups water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 5 minutes, or until thick and creamy. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Per SERVING:

Calories	203
Protein	5g
Total fat	2g
Saturated fat	g
Carbs	44g
Cholesterol	mg
Sodium	10mg
Fiber	3g
Sugars	25g

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

From Vegetarian Times



This dish freezes well for future meals. Quinoa provides whole-grain goodness and a serving of protein.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (11/2 cups)
• 11/2 cups grated Vegan pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Directions:

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Nutritional Information:

Per :

Calories	279
Protein	14g
Total fat	10g
Saturated fat	3g
Carbs	36g
Cholesterol	15mg
Sodium	518mg
Fiber	10g
Sugars	9g

VeganYumYum

Vegan Yum Yum's blog has had me drooling for a few years now. Her recipes and photos are amazing and will delight even the biggest meat eater around.

VeganYumYum just came out with a cookbook which I'm hoping to get my hands on very soon.

In the meantime, I'll take the free recipes she is posting on her blog.

Here is one to tempt y'all as well.

Hurry Up Alfredo

from VeganYumYum

Makes 2-3 Servings

1 Cup Soymilk
1/3 Cup Raw, Unsalted Cashews
1/4 Cup Nutritional Yeast
3 Tbs Low-Sodium Tamari or Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Paprika (smoked is awesome)
1 Pinch Nutmeg
2-4 Cloves of Garlic, optional
Black pepper, to taste

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. This may work best in a high-speed blender (like a Vita-Mix), but you can definitely make it in a regular blender. Just blend extra-long, or perhaps strain if if you want it perfectly smooth. Tiny bits of cashews won’t hurt anyone though!

If you’re making this sauce for pasta, drain the pasta and return it to the hot empty pan. Pour the sauce over, place on medium heat, and stir until heated through. Serve with lots of fresh cracked black pepper. I love it with steamed broccoli added in!

Savory Thai Stew

I love Thailand. After spending over 2 years there as a Peace Corps volunteer I really learned to love the people, culture and food. I made it my mission to spend lots of time in the kitchen learning authentic Thai food. While the recipe I'm going to share is not authentic (Thai people never use peanut butter in their food), it is yummy none the less.

Enjoy this savory dish from VegNews!

Savory Thai Stew
Serves 6

What You Need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups water
1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into narrow strips
1-1/2 cups frozen green beans
1/2 teaspoon red or green curry paste
1 tablespoon natural granulated sugar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 stalks lemongrass
One 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Salt to taste

What You Do:

1. In a soup pot over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and continue to sauté until both are golden. Add sweet potatoes and water. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are about half done.

2. Add bell pepper, green beans, curry paste, sugar, and ginger. Cut each lemongrass stalk into 3 or 4 pieces, and bruise by making long cuts throughout with a sharp knife. Stir into the soup pot. Simmer stew for 10 minutes longer.

3. Stir in the coconut milk, peanut butter, and salt. Return to a simmer, then cook over very low heat for another 10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors are well integrated. Remove lemongrass pieces. Taste to adjust seasonings, and serve at once.

Good posture.

Do you sometimes catch yourself slumping in your chair? I do. I work at a desk from my home office, and I often finish the day with a knots in my shoulders and pain in my back. My chair is so comfortable that I often relax in it so much that I'm basically slumping over my desk. This can't be good.

Recently while at a doctor's visit I noticed my doctor had this thing on her chair. She always has the best posture. I took a picture on my iPhone (love that sucker for memory help later) and looked the product up online. I found the Dynadisc on Amazon and read up about it. "While remaining in the safety of your chair, you can experience many of the same benefits of a gymball for performing lower back, trunk mobility, pelvic stabilization and weight shift exercises. The Dyna-Disc is perfect for seniors, students or anyone AND it can be stood on for lower extremity balance training. It is ideal for use at home, in the office or even at a ball game."

I didn't plan on using my dynadisc for exercise, but for help with my posture just like my doctor. Sitting on this actually forces you to sit up straight, and if I am getting exercise done while sitting that is always a plus as well!

Today is Day 1 with the Dynadisc and so far no big shoulder knots to speak of.

I could still use a massage though!