Enchilada Sauce: VeganMoFo Post #20

I’m a Veganwannabe: Post #20

I am proud to post my 20^th vegan post in a row! “You Go Girl!!”  (Anyone out there in the blogger-sphere saying that to me? Anyone? Anyone at all? )

I end my month of vegan meals with the mainstay of the vegan diet – BEANS. Beans. Beans and more beans. Beans in all their glorious variety. Beans in all their simplicity. Beans with all their indisputable health benefits. Michigan beans.

These are Yellow Indian Woman Beans- heirloom and organic, grown very near my home at Shady Side Farms in Holland, Michigan. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/shadysidefarm for all their contact information if you are interested in this type of bean. They also have great wools and yarn goods.

I mixed my Yellow Indian Woman Beans with some black beans and rice and wrapped it all up in wheat tortillas. I also made some enchilada sauce in my new Vitamix blender (J) and poured it over all. Baked. Served with sour cream (Tofutti). You can see I added some dried cilantro to the sour cream.

Not the prettiest meal, but I’m telling you, it was satisfying. Very basic. Very wholesome. Totally cheap.

Here’s what you need for the enchilada sauce:

4 C vegetable broth

2 T olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

2 tomatoes

1 clove garlic

1 t oregano

1 t cumin

1/3 C chili powder

1 t salt

½ C flour

Here’s what you do:

Turn your mixer on high and watch what happens. This recipe makes a lot. I actually used half and froze half for another meal. The tortillas really soaked up the sauce, so be liberal when pouring.

On a personal note: I will miss Vegan Month of Food. Posting 20 times in a single month has been crazy, but I did it! I posted my thoughts about my vegan adventures a few days ago: read about them here.  I have met some really great cooks and people who are aware of the role of food in their lives. I have learned about the food industry in our country. I understand on a deeper level the relationship between what I eat and how I feel. Who knows if I will ever do this intense food experiment again? All I can say, I loved it! 

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms: VeganMoFo #19

I'm a Veganwannabe : Post #19

Portabella mushrooms (or is it spelled with ‘o’ ….as in portobella? Or even Portobello?  I looked all over the trusty internet and couldn't get a straight answer as to how to spell this word.) At any rate, they are great. We are mushroom freaks around here as you can see from some of my previous posts here. (Vegans, you may peek also because there is an excellent Mushroom Barley Bake somewhere in there.)

Here’s what you need:

2 large portabella mushrooms, gills and stem removed

2 T olive oil

2 T balsamic vinegar

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

Here’s what you do:

Mix the marinade ingredients and soak the mushrooms for an hour. Grill. Eat. Enjoy. Many thanks to Livvy over at 86Lemons for the inspiration for this recipe.  

I served mine with black beans, sauteed red peppers and delicious whipped cauliflower. You only see one mushroom on my plate because Tim ate the other one. I was expecting him to eat the chicken breast I had baked for him instead of the mushroom, but he chose the mushroom....what's going on here? 

Click back tomorrow for my last VeganMoFo post. I can't believe that my vegan month is over. 

Some Thoughts about VeganMoFo : Post #18

Vegan Month of Food is drawing to a close. Here are some of my thoughts about this experiment in food that I so boldly embarked upon 30 days ago.

I feel great. I feel ‘lighter’ in all ways.

I have lost weight, but I have eaten like a horse (as usual)

My skinny jeans fit great!

I am very, very proud of posting 20 times this month

I cheated only a few times (super proud of that!)

I ate a fried egg (and there I go yet AGAIN mentioning an egg during the VeganMoFo!)

I had a few huge spoonfuls of the most delicious honey yogurt the other day…. not sure I can totally give up yogurt.

I had two Greek salads this month, both smothered in feta cheese – I don’t think I can give up feta (or Parmesan)

I snuck a few brownies down the old-pie-hole in moments of weakness. They were conveniently tucked in the freezer intended for my son’s bag lunches. Darn them! (see the recipe here and dare to scold me….they are incredible) 

I ate a slice or two of cheddar cheese and my tummy hurt for the longest time afterward. It was weird. Too rich. Too ‘buttery.’ It didn’t even taste good to me.

I learned about lots of new ingredients like Nutritional Yeast, raw cashews, Tofutti, Veganaise, Ener-G Egg Replacer

I ate a huge slice of tofu for the first time in my life and I lived to tell about it. (kidding – it was pretty good.)

My pantry is filled with all kinds of cool beans – ready to be boiled and eaten. I am going to post about my bean collection soon. (You might know that Michigan is a huge producer of dried beans.)

I used my Veganwannabe dreams as an excuse to purchase a Vitamix - here you see 2 carrots,     1/2 C frozen pineapple, 1 inch of fresh ginger, some orange juice and ice cubes.
Vegans sure know how to blend stuff.
 Hail to the reconditioned Vitamix.
Drink to my health. 

I learned that vegans have trouble eating in restaurants.

Cleaning up after dinner has been a dream – washing dishes is so nice when it’s only veggies and ‘clean’ food on the plates.

My grocery bill is much lower that when it was filled with cheese, dairy and meats

I miss eating fish and sushi.

I am worried about the huge Thanksgiving meal. Meat. Cheese. Butter.

People think vegans are weird. Which maybe they are.

Will I remain a vegan? I hope so, but probably not. It’s difficult out there in the ‘real world.’   I am going to be aware of what goes in my mouth every single day.

I am starting to feel brave enough to learn about where the food I eat comes from. It’s a scary thought.  My reasons for doing the VeganMoFo 2012 did not have anything at all to do with the realities of the mass production of meat and dairy in our country. My reasons were mainly about my health, the health of my family, curiosity, and for some fun on my blog. But I am getting ready to dip into the other side of veganism….. the animals

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Fresh Lima Beans: VeganMoFo#17

I'm a Veganwannabe: Post #17

I will never, ever, ever underestimate the lima bean again. Do you know how much work it takes to shuck one of these babies?

I bought a pound of fresh ones and spent about ½ hour getting them out of their cozy little homes…..but OH MAN! Did they taste great! I can’t even describe how much better they were than those dry, tasteless mushy things your mother used to put on your plate. (no offense, Mom....although in all honesty, she didn't serve limas very often..... my hubbie loves them, but because I didn't grow up eating them, I don't serve them very often either....that's going to change....one thing I have learned is that vegans eat BEANS GALORE.)

My first fresh limas, but not my last. I served mine with roasted onions, roasted butternut squash and whipped cauliflower. You see my fancy black salt on the cauliflower - my favorite and most dramatic condiment. 

I've Been Baking: VeganMoFo # 16

I'm a Veganwannabe: Post #16
(Just a few more Vegan Month of Food posts!! I can feel the end coming!) 

I’ve been baking. Must be this rainy weather. 

Both of these recipes come from The Joy of Vegan Baking and both are excellent. It’s the first time I have used Ener-G Egg Replacer and I must admit….. I am impressed with the results. You will never miss the eggs.  [There I go again mentioning an egg during Vegan Month of Food – (VeganMoFo, for those of you who have not been paying attention these last few weeks) By the way….I am totally confident that I will make it to 20 blog posts, which is one of the challenges of participating in the MoFo. So proud of myself….but I digress.]

Classic Currant Scones (from The Joy of Vegan Baking)

1 ½ t Ener-G Egg Replacer (equivalent of 1 egg)

2 T water

2 ½ C flour

1/3 C sugar

4 t baking powder

½ t salt

¾ C non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, cold, cut in small cubes

1 C currants (I love these little guys)

½ C non-dairy milk (I used Coconut Milk)

2-3 T non-dairy milk for brushing on top

Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

1.       Whisk the Ener-G and the water till thick and frothy. Set aside.

2.       Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.

3.       Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients and cut it in with your fingers till you have small pea-sized crumbles. You basically want to smoosh it together with your fingertips gently, making sure it’s not too perfectly incorporated. The little chunks of butter will create wonderful pockets of goodness, so don’t mix it too thoroughly.

4.       Add the ‘eggs’, the milk and the currants.

5.       Mix gently until very craggy and soft.

6.       Turn out onto a floured board and create a sort of wet ball – it can be done!

7.       Using your fingers, shape the dough into a ½ inch tall circle.

8.       Cut in 8-10 wedges.

9.       Transfer to a baking sheet which has been sprayed or lined with parchment paper (or both)

10.   Brush with a bit more milk.

11.   Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

12.   Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Hearty Spiced Cocoa Muffins (from The Joy of Vegan Baking)

1 ¾ C flour

¾ C sugar

6 T unsweetened cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

½ t baking soda

2 t cinnamon

¼ t cloves

¼ cayenne pepper

1 t salt

3 T Ener-G Egg Replacer

4 T water

1 C non-dairy milk

½ C non-hydrogenated, non-dairy butter, melted (OR ½ C canola oil)

½ C non-dairy semisweet chocolate chips

½ C chopped nuts (optional)

1.       Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper and salt. Set aside

2.       Whisk the Ener-G and water till thick and frothy. (I did mine in the blender) Set aside.

3.       Add the milk and melted butter to the ‘egg’

4.       Add the chips, nuts and wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix very gently.

5.       Scoop the muffin mixture into prepared muffin tins (sprayed) and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Cauliflower and Potato Soup: VeganMoFo #15

I'm a Veganwannabe: Post #15

Who needs to eat out at fancy restaurants like Six.One.Six in (Grand Rapids, MI) where the food is beautifully prepared and professionally presented? Um…. I do!

Here’s their Cauliflower Soup with Cinnamon Applesauce Reduction. SO GOOD!

Here’s mine created in my own kitchen.  Hilarious, I know, but it tasted great! I even served mine with sliced apples and ….well, I didn’t have micro greens, so I used the last few sprigs of bitter parsley from my deck garden. More hilarity. 

Simmer cauliflower and potatoes in vegetable broth until very tender. My broth was very dark, thus the dark colored soup. How they got their's so light in color still amazes me. Whirl the tender veggies until totally smooth. Reduce a bit of applesauce until it is thick enough to drizzle in a beautiful pattern over your soup (still more hilarity....) Serve on a beautiful plate with fresh apple and micro greens....or old parsley from the frozen garden. 

On a serious note: soup is so comforting and this was the easiest and most delicious soup...I mean really, three ingredients? Cauliflower, potatoes and broth. You can't go wrong.  If you're not up to the fancy applesauce reduction with the even fancier presentation, don't feel bad! Just make the soup and go easy on yourself! We can't all be restaurant chefs! 

My new Vitamix: VeganMoFo # 14

I'm a Veganwannabe: Post #14

Hail to the Vitamix. Seriously. Why did I wait so long to treat myself to one of these babies? This is a ‘reconditioned’ model, which I found on their site, by organizing my purchasing options from lowest price to highest price. Have you seen how much these guys cost?! My new blogger friend, Livvy, suggested this to me and I didn't hesitate to try it! I saved hundreds of dollars!!! No kidding.

First thing I made is found on page one of the Vitamix cookbook – Garden Fresh Cocktail. I actually laughed out loud when I heard how quiet the machine is and how fast is goes.

Question: Am I silly to believe that my Garden Fresh Cocktail would turn out as gloriously rosy as the one in the picture? I guess that's what spinach will do to a smoothie! 

Actually – it was A+ delicious. J  

Next Post: Cauliflower and Potato Soup...

all whirled to a wonderfully silky texture in my newest kitchen friend. 

Vegetable Marathon: VeganMoFo # 13

My kitchen looks nice and clean now....but you should have seen it before the photo. 

I'm a Veganwannabe: Post # 13 (I am determined to make it to 20 posts! I'm getting close!)

Check it out.... tons of veggies and a huge colander of black beans....a vegan's dream come true! Actually, anyone's dream come true....I scrubbed, cut, roasted, boiled, whirled and packed it away in the fridge and freezer. 

On the menu:

 Black Bean and Roasted Butternut Squash Burritos with Roasted Tomatoes

Cauliflower and Potato Soup with Applesauce Reduction (fancy)

Wheat Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Roasted Tomatoes and Walnuts

Sounds good, right?

Next post: My newest kitchen gadget...you will be jealous.

Quinoa Burgers: VeganMoFo Post # 12

See those beautiful green beans? They're BROILED! See HERE! 

I’m a Veganwannabe: post #12

I’m getting closer to finding the perfect veggie burger…. Both Tim and I loved this one…I admit that it’s a bit mushy and best eaten in a pita or tortilla, but I can live with that. The leftovers were excellent wrapped in a tortilla and eaten like a *super protein burrito* the next day! I, of course, ate mine with roasted tomatoes and Chipotle Veganaise. Enjoy! (this recipe is originally found here,on Savvy Vegetarian)

Here's what you do: 

A few teaspoons of olive oil

¼ C each : minced onion, celery, red pepper, and parsley

½ t each:  thyme, cumin, coriander, paprika

Sautee the veggies and add the seasonings. The kitchen should be smelling great by now.

2 C quinoa (I used leftover red quinoa, which was really pretty!)

1 can chickpeas (I gotta start cooking my own)

4 T flour

A few shakes of soy sauce

2 T tahini (secret ingredient….shhhh)

The original recipe said to blend the sautéed veggies with half of the quinoa and chickpeas and then add the remaining quinoa and chickpeas later…… which I did…..but I think you could just blend it all at once… Let’s keep it simple.

Chill for an hour or so. Form patties. Fry. Serve with all the goodies. Makes great left-overs.

Taste of Michigan : VeganMoFo #11

 I'm a Veganwannabe: Post #11

I interrupt these fantastic (if I do say so myself!)  VeganMoFo posts to bring you some news from another part of my food life – Taste of Michigan. I was super, super lucky to be included in a great group of food bloggers who spent an entire Saturday together in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We met before breakfast and ate and shopped our way through our wonderful city. This event was organized by Rachel (Rachel Cooks) and Liz (The Lemon Bowl)  Click over to their blogs and give them a shout out.

We started the day at a huge fresh air market. It was a tiny bit drizzly and the wind was brisk, but that didn’t stop me from purchasing tons of veggies (gotta keep the MoFo thing going, don’t ‘cha know?) 

Ate breakfast at a very cool food truck (The Silver Spork)….. will my MoFo friends still love me if I confess that I ate an egg? I know I promised not to even mention an egg this month, but I couldn’t resist… sorry!

Shopping was easy on Wealthy St. Art of the Table provided a great bag of goodies and we sampled Michigan made chocolate. I will dedicate an entire post to some incredible chocolate that I bought- more on that, later.

A highlight for me was lunch at Bistro Bella Vita. I stayed true to my vegan month of food and ordered a special vegan meal…..it was probably one of the best things I have ever eaten.  Quinoa, asparagus, zucchini and a glorious portabella mushroom. And the salad!!! I couldn’t stop eating it. (all Michigan stuff: late lettuces, arugula, apples, grapes, nuts, sweet onions.) Everyone else was eating such small portions and I could have chowed on that entire bowl of salad..... don't you hate that??? ha ha 

Mid-afternoon found us drinking wine at Reserve. I don’t think you could find a classier place in any city on any continent. No kidding. Come to Grand Rapids and see for yourself. Great wine. Gourmet food. Perfect atmosphere.

Dinner was a big event. We were treated to a four-course meal at Six.One.Six. Again, I challenge anyone to find a better restaurant and menu anywhere – Grand Rapids has an excellent food scene. 

I just love this photo - it captures the quiet moment before a party begins: the table is set, the wine is chilled the guests are on their way.....makes me want to host a party!

As promised: Next Post: Quinoa Burgers - DEElish!