Getting in the Greens for Lunch

After reading Dr. Joel Furhman's book, Eat to Live, I've committed to eating yet more greens in my diet. I already eat a lot of spinach, romaine, collards, turnip greens, and more, but thought I'd attempt the recommended one pound fresh, one pound cooked. That seems like a lot, but I don't mind the challenge. The only real challenge for me is the additional or longer food prep time. So far, so good for as best as I'm trying. And I do like my green smoothies as well. That helps.

In addition, I have been cutting way back on my olive oil and Earth Balance Butter. I use the butter maybe only once or twice a week and much less of it on toast, etc. I am sauteing most of my recipes now with water, and that has worked out well.

Here's a picture of my lunch bowl (10" diameter; 3" deep) filled with fresh organic romaine lettuce, Tuscan kale, carrot sticks, and topped with one apple chopped. No dressing! The apple took the place of the dressing, as I am also trying to eat more fruit. It is costing a little bit more and a few more trips to the grocery store, but it is worth it. I noticed my fingernails look as though I had a "french manicure" polish done. The tips are very white, and I believe that is a good sign.

Think Green
Veganishta

To Tuscantucky for Lunch

Being stuck in "design world" for hours left me famished. The good thing is, I arrived at a final book cover concept that the client likes. Just had to take a break, however, and put my Veganishta hat on for lunch.

Yesterday, I cooked some pinto beans in the crock pot as usual, with some Nori sea vegetable and a little olive oil in the water. Just love those beans! For lunch today I decided to stir-fry a few extra goodies to mix in with some of those great beans. I had some flat-leaf kale that needed to be consumed, so here is what's for lunch today.

Gingered Carrots and Kale with Pintos

10-12 large leaves of Cavolo Nero (Tuscan Kale); center stems cut out and each leaf cut into two sections
2 carrots sliced
1/4 of a large purple onion sliced thinly
1 very large clove of garlic minced
1-inch nub of fresh ginger; diced or sliced thinly
Tamari sauce (2 tbsp)
Olive oil for sauteing
Sea salt
Brown rice syrup
Cooked pintos

Pour olive oil into wok and saute garlic, red onion, and ginger until clear and tender, and top with sea salt to bring out the flavor (thanks Christina Pirello); next add the sliced carrots and saute just a few minutes longer; then add the kale on top and the Tamari on top of the kale; let set in wok for about 10 seconds and then start mixing everything together for just another last minute or two until the kale is wilted and the color comes out brightly. Place kale mixture on top of pintos; top with a few drizzles of brown rice syrup and enjoy.

Spaghetti and Meatballs--Don't Worry

My sister came to visit last week. She is an excellent cook and entertainer, actually, the Martha Stewart of the family. She and  my daughter wanted to cook Italian dinner for everyone. My daughter made homemade meatballs and spaghetti sauce, and my sister made a lasagna recipe with a white, lemony sauce and sausage. Of course, it had  lots of cheese in it. So what did The Veganishta do? I decided to create a new meatball recipe, and this time I was very pleased. I had tried a couple recipes from two of my vegan cookbooks in the past, but did not like how they turned out. I invented my new "meaty-balls" as I went along throwing in this and that and blending this and the other thing, and this time, everyone was pleased. My other sister was next door helping at my daughter's house and came over to borrow something, and she said, "Oh, no, you're winning! You're house smells so good." So my new meaty-balls made the house smell wonderful, and they were a nice complement to some pasta with marinara sauce, which my daughter made for me. Here's the recipe. Keep in mind, I don't measure while cooking and had to guesstimate on the ingredient amounts, but I think I'm pretty close. Cooking should always leave room for flexibility in adding a little more or taking away a little here and there by the cook. Hope they turn out nicely for you too.

Veganishta Meaty-Balls

1 cup dry brown rice (steam cook to slightly starchy consistency)
1 cup dry, organic rolled oats (cover with water to about 1/4 inch over oats; cook in microwave three minutes)
1/2 block of extra firm tofu ground and softened by hand with fork, or blend in food processor
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
3 tbsp ground flax seed soaked in 1/2 cup boiling water
1 tbsp vegetable bullion base (add to flax seed mixture)
1 tbsp black strap molasses (add to flax seed mixture)
1 half of very large white onion chopped finely
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp thyme leaves
4-5 tbsp oregano
2-3 tbsp basil
Sea salt to taste


1. Combine chopped onion and garlic and saute in 3-4 counts of poured olive oil on medium heat for three minutes
2. Add all dry seasonings and tofu to onion and garlic mixture (except bread crumbs) and continue to cook on medium heat for another three minutes, stirring and tossing regularly
3. Mix cooked brown rice and cooked oats in large mixing bowl
4. Add bread crumbs and sea salt
5. Add the onion mixture
5. Add flax seed/veggie bullion/molasses mixture
6. Mix all together
7. Add more oregano, basil, sea salt to your liking, if needed
8. Form into balls and place in baking pan spread on bottom with olive oil
9. Bake for 40 minutes

Couscous Spinach Apple Lunch

Here's what's for lunch today. Leftover mushroom couscous with spinach added, and apples, raisins, and walnuts sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon.


This was really delicious.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Okay, by now everyone knows about the "cold spell" we've been having here in AZ. Actually, I believe it's been a fairly standard winter for the valley, other than those few days of upper 20s and 30s temps at night, which killed a lot of our trees. Enough about the weather.

Since it was cold the other day, I decided to create a warm comforting meal for the family. I always used to love chicken or turkey pot pie, so I thought, I'll make a veggie pot pie! This time I jotted down on a piece of paper all the ingredients I used. For the seasonings, I will have to guesstimate here in the recipe; I will have to remember next time to measure it all out in measuring spoons. We have two family members visiting as guests, and they are not vegetarian. Actually, I'm the only one in this household who is vegetarian, so the look on their faces was that of "okay, well, I guess we'll just wait and see what's set before us . . . ."

I took my time and the result was well worth it. Every member of the family went back for seconds. The Veganishta was laughing with joy and wonder. I just had to take a picture of the "empty" pan when we all were finished filling our bellies and warming up on a chilly evening. Here is the recipe.


Veganishta Veggie-Power Pot Pie
5 small-med carrots sliced thinly at a 45 degree angle (just to add some flair and be different)
5 stalks of celery sliced semi-thinly
1/2 of a large onion chopped
1 large garlic clove--pressed
7 small potatoes sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups frozen peas
1/2 c. dry organic quinoa
1 cup gourmet variety mushrooms chopped (I have some from Costco--freeze dried that are good)
3 cups vegetable broth
2/3-1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk (plain, unsweetened)
1/4 cup white flour
4 tbsp marjoram
Sea salt to taste
1/8-1/4 tsp white pepper (to taste)
3 tbsp Earth Balance Butter
2-3 counts poured olive oil
Filo dough sheets

1. Wash and cut all vegetables (even add the garlic) and set aside in large bowl; cook quinoa and set aside; pour hot vegetable broth over freeze-dried mushrooms and let sit for five minutes;

2. Saute for 5 minutes the vegetables in a mixture of the Earth Balance butter and olive oil in a large, deep frying pan or wok on medium-high heat

3. Drain (if needed) the quinoa and add it to the mushrooms and broth; simmer for a minute or two

4. Pour the mushroom quinoa broth into the vegetables in the big pan

5. Bring to a slight boil and then just simmer on a low heat;

6. Add the seasoning and stir occasionally; then add the flour by sprinkling a little at a time while stirring so as to thicken the sauce; add the coconut milk also. Add a little more flour if need to the consistency you like for the sauce and color.

7. Lightly oil with olive oil your pan and add several sheets of filo dough to the bottom and sides; pour in the veggie mixture

8. Layer several more sheets of filo dough over the mixture; then brush the top of all the filo with a combo of Earth Balance Butter and olive oil; place in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the filo is golden brown.

Hope it turns out as well for you as it did for The Veganishta! Enjoy.

Warm Winter Foods

Okay, folks, I'm just going by my memory here. If you'd like to try these, I know that you may alter some of the ingredients to your liking. That's how I cook, so of course, go ahead. Well, earlier in the week, I bought a large butternut squash, and it sat in my basket on the kitchen counter for a couple of days. Then on Wednesday, I got the urge to cook something in the crock pot and decided to make a squash stew. I peeled and cubed the squash, then decided to add some celery, onion, corn, great northern beans, and a variety of seasonings. I cooked all the ingredients in a light veggie broth. I added the corn and beans (which were precooked) during the last 20 minutes. The result was a delicious soup.

What's soup without bread? Well, since I had some pumpkin and some cornmeal in the pantry, I searched the web for recipes for pumpkin cornbread muffins. I came across several, but was not satisfied with any. So, I just took a few ideas from each and created my own recipe. I baked the batter in a glass, 9" x 9" cake pan. It turned out well.

Mom, my sister, and I each had two helpings. I don't think the men in the house cared for it. I ate some again tonight and still have some left over. I'm going to remember this meal and add it to my Veganishta Creations collection. This would be a warm and hearty meal for anyone on a cold winter's eve.

Veganishta Squash & White Bean Soup
1 large butternut squash
1/3-1/2 of a large, white onion chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 large celery stalks, chopped
1-1/2 cups corn kernels
2 cups white beans (pre-cooked)
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. turmeric
Sea salt to taste
1/8 tsp. chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tbsp. marjoram leaves
2 tbsp. veggie bouillon base
6 cups of water, or enough to cover the ingredients

Place all in crock pot (except corn and beans) and cook on high for three hours; then on low for one to two hours; add the corn and beans the last 15 minutes or half hour.

Veganishta Pumpkin Cornbread
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 cups white whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown sugar (you can substitute your preferred sweetener)
1 tbsp cinnamon
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/4 cup almond milk

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and pour into 9" x 9" cake pan or muffin pans of your choice. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Serve with Earth Balance butter--that's what I did!

A Very "Green" Salad

No recipe here, exactly. Made a very green salad for dinner last night. After I had broken my food processor the night before, I labored at the cutting board with knife and cut and sliced away at: romaine lettuce, fresh kale, savoy cabbage, green zucchini, cucumber, celery, shallots, and then a little color with carrots and tomatoes. I made an olive oil, rice vinegar, apple juice, and brown rice syrup dressing on the side. Little bowls containing sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, diced fresh figs, and calamata olives for the taking provided some added nutritional complements. I had two helpings of the salad and the rest of the family enjoyed it as well.

No salad pictures, but here is a photo of why we are wearing our coats this week in Phoenix.  This is a photo of our icicle-laden fountain by our church.

We're off to Old West Cave Creek today for some flea marketing. At least the sun is shining, but we will still need our coats today.

Veganishta