Perfecting the Bean

So, the other day I decided to try a recipe from a cookbook I bought recently, Vegan Planet, by Robin Robertson. While faced with the dilemma of "soaking the beans overnight" or "not soaking the beans," I also referred to another cherished whole-foods cookbook.

I decided to not soak them. Instead, I rinsed them (pintos, by the way) and then covered them with water in a pot and brought them to a rolling boil and boiled them for seven minutes. Then I gently rinsed them with warm water and placed them into the crock pot. I added some seaweed flakes, covered it all with water, and cooked on high for 6 hours. The beans turned out soft in the middle but firm on the outside. They were some pretty good looking beans, I must say. I finally learned how to perfect the bean!

I then put together the recipe from Vegan Planet, "Red Bean and Sweet Potato Curry." This dish was absolutely delicious. I really loved it. The suggestion was to serve some over jasmine rice, but I skipped the rice. I ate this for two days in a row. I am planning on having some over jasmine rice for supper tonight. This was an amazing recipe. I replaced the red beans with the pinto beans, but still, this was great. And, I learned that not soaking them too long actually preserves the enzymes needed to digest the beans so that there are no musical tendencies after eating them.

Happy New Year Veggie Lovers

Okay, The Veganishta went missing or must have been buried in the snow. I know that's what you're thinking. Well, she made her way back and is thawed out now to room temperature.

The crock pot is going today with pinto beans and a few scatterings of seaweed. Later today, the mixture will become a curried, sweet potato delicacy for dinner.

Homemade bread has been keeping The Veganishta busy since the holidays, not to mention the three parties with company ranging from 20 - 60 at each event. Resting and catching up is the theme for this first week of the new year.

More veggie creations will be coming soon.

Checking the crock pot now . . .

The Good Ol' Days in the Kitchen

Today, I felt like going back to the good ol' days in my kitchen. I decided to make some homemade bread as well as some homemade soup. Based on the Amazing Rosemary Bread recipe by Sea of Green on vegweb.com, I made two huge loaves of bread, minus the rosemary. I doubled the recipe. In place of the water, I used unsweetened almond milk. I thought I should read the instructions on the back of the yeast package and as it turned out, it was a good thing I did. I had been adding it to the liquid first. So now that I've figured out the best way to use rapid-rise yeast (you combine it with some dry ingredients; then add it to the liquids) I think I'm good to go from now on. I was super excited, as the mixture about tripled in size in my ceramic bowl (another change I made--I did not use the stainless steel bowl). When kneading the second time, and when the dough seemed to be getting slightly dry, I dribbled a little olive oil on it. That worked wonders! I had two loaves set out on a cookie sheet in a flash, and they rose almost to high heaven. The baking took 50 minutes, but those glorious globs developed into two beauties. I now have a good memorization of how I made this bread, so I'm anxious now to invent some other variations with different seasonings.

Leftover Lunch for Life

Last week, The Veganishta made tofu tacos for the hubby and herself, me! We liked them. I cut the tofu in little squares, but next time I think I'll crumble it to be like ground (uggghhh . . . shh.... meat).  The flavors and all the toppings with the seasoned tofu were very good. I was super, super disappointed, however, to see that THERE WAS WHEY in the taco seasoning mix. Now, why in the world would whey or milk be necessary? I will definitely be making up  my own seasoning mix for the future tacos of The Veganishta household. I didn't die, though. I'm still here, really. LOL

So, the next day, I was in a hurry for a good lunch. I had to get my veggies in. I took the leftover taco makings and threw them all back in a little olive oil in the skillet (including the lettuce), added some garlic, and a huge handful of spinach. I sauteed everything a few minutes, then poured it in a bowl. Then I added some Chia seeds, some Hemp seeds, and some raisins. Oh, I also added some leftover cooked quinoa and barley. Wow! It was a power-house lunch. I had so much energy that entire afternoon and into the evening. This dish had that very satisfying hot/sweet flavor along with all the needed veggie nutrients and added protein to boot. I can't wait to make it again. 

A Very Veganishta Thanksgiving Turkey

Hey there, friends of the blog world. The Veganishta finally completed publishing two client books, now being printed and turning out super! Now that all the busy book work is done, I had some time to create a couple little edible masterpieces. For Thanksgiving I made a tofu turkey with stuffing, inspired by a recipe on Vegweb.com. I could not believe how easy it was to mold, stuff, bake, and even slice up the servings. I modified the recipe somewhat to my tastes and will probably do so again when I try it again. Nevertheless, it did turn out very good. In fact, I cut only one-third of the roasted mold to take to dinner at a friend's house. I had heard there would be one more vegan, so I cut enough for two people. As it turned out, seven (7) people wanted to try it, so I had to slice it up accordingly. Amazingly, they all liked it. The texture was pretty good, and with all ingredients combined, it tasted like Thanksgiving turkey with the stuffing and all the usual flavors one would expect. So now, I will be embarking on a Christmas Eve Ham experiment. I'm excited.

The Vanishing Veganishta

Veggie Prep (Beets and Beet Greens)

Sliced Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cake

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Veganishta Pizza Before Oven

Veganishta Pizza Baked!

Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cake

Veganishta had vanished for quite a while. I've been busy publishing two books (for two author clients of mine). In my spare time, whatever time I had, I did have to eat. So I made a few new dishes, but didn't write down exactly how I made them. I'm sorry to say there will be no recipes here with this post. I made my Veganishta Loaded Pizza, my Pineapple Right-Side Up Cake, some beets, beet greens stir-fry with sprouted mung beans and brown rice, and some delicious stuffed Savoy cabbage rolls with collards.
I managed to take some photos, including a couple of shots showing how I prepare my greens. The process involves washing, then soaking the greens (or any vegetable or fruit) in "iced" (with cubes) cold water along with some organic apple cider vinegar. If you wash your veggies and fruits with one part apple cider vinegar to 4-5 parts water, the vinegar helps to destroy any bacteria and mycotoxins that may be on the food. You should especially do this to your meat, if you're a meat eater, along with rubbing it with coarse sea salt, letting it set for an hour and then rinsing and patting dry before preparing. You will notice all the blood coming out of it, thus, mycotoxins leave the meat.

Also, one Sunday, I made Vegan meatballs to go with our pasta (of course, I just ate marinara veggie sauce with my pasta). You will see a photo of two jars of sprouts. I've recently started growing my own brocco-sprouts and bean sprouts to add to my salads. Next time I create a new recipe, I will remember to write down all the ingredients and steps so I can include them in the blog.

Today, I am making some more stuffed cabbage rolls. I have my brown rice, barley, and lentils with seasonings cooking right now in my steam/rice cooker. I think I will also make some apple-walnut muffins or cake later today to have handy for my work week.

57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan

57 Health Benefits of Going Vegan