Sweet Greens Alive!

Happy New Year everyone, and here's what's new and good with me today. I am excited to announce that I have found the perfect school and study program that will enable me to live my dream as a holistic health coach. I've always been interested in healthy eating and natural remedies, not to mention the joy of cooking. Having studied at the largest nutrition school in the world, Institute for Integrative Nutrition® , I am looking forward to working with clients beginning in April. If anyone would like to know more about the program and what I'm learning as well as how I can help you reach your goals for the new year, take a look at my website at www.bonniecrutcher.com

Now for the new food I'm going to talk about today. I experimented the other day with some great organic collards I bought at Whole Foods Market. Instead of boiling them in veggie broth or adding them to beans as I normally have, I decided to cut them up quickly and saute them with a few extra ingredients. Incredible turnout! My mother and I cleaned up the pan that evening. Here is the recipe along with some photos. If you want to try it yourself, you won't be disappointed. The very strange and interesting thing was, that they actually kind of had a "bacony" taste. They were sweet from the delicious dates yet had that tad-bit collard tang of the good 'ol green along with the sweet onion flavor. Happy healthy eating!

Sweet Greens Alive
1 large bunch of collards (organic, of course)
1/2 of a large onion, sliced thinly
6-8 very ripe dates sliced into small pieces (pits out, of course)
3 tbsp. coconut oil for sauteing
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Place 3 tbsp. of coconut oil into hot skillet or wok; add the onions and saute a few minutes until clear and beginning to brown; add the collards and saute quickly a few more minutes; then add the dates and saute for another minute to two. Toss in the pan; serve hot and enjoy.

Vegetarian Breakfast Sausage

Just had to take a couple bites and a pic!

I know it's been quite a while since The Veganishta has posted anything. Luckily today, the "lab bug" struck, and Veganishta went to work in the kitchen.

I had a taste for breakfast sausage, first time in eighteen months, so I set out on the excursion through my fridge. I gathered the leftover roasted carrots, shitake mushrooms, and yellow onions I made last night, along with some black beans and corn. I threw it all in the food processor then boiled some tofu for five minutes then threw that in.

I blended the heck out of it and then added some thyme and fresh ground fennel seed. I thought the fennel would give it that sausage flavor. It worked! A laboratory success in the kitchen this morning allowed me to eat my large breakfast sausage patty on a slice of Ezekiel toast.

I simply love experimenting with veggies, beans, legumes, and grains. I am just so very excited that I had to share this quickly today. I used my phone camera, so lighting and setup is not very professional looking, but you can see how it turned out here.

This sausage patty is now on my list to document the ingredients and recipe that I'll share later on.

I'm Such a Green Goddess

BRING ON THE GREEN
One of my favorite dressings for salads, spinach and vegetables, sometimes pasta too, is Green Goddess. Since becoming veganish, I have not been able to have any but have occasionally bought a bottle for my mother, because she loves it too, and told me so did my grandmother.

Anyway, I finally got down to business and researched a few recipes online. I then attempted to create my own Veganishta version, and I like it a lot. I am going to try experimenting with some different fresh herbs, however, as time goes on. I think I have a pretty good basic recipe down nonetheless.

I've been eating this all week. Here's how I made it:

1 carton silken tofu
3 handfuls of fresh, flat-leaf parsley
1 handful of fresh basil leaves
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil (to desired consistency)
1/8 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
1/2 small yellow sweet onion
1 large clove garlic
Sea salt to taste
1/8-1/4 cup brown rice syrup (to desired sweetness and consistency)

Blend all ingredients in food processor, except olive oil and brown rice syrup, until well blended and smooth. Then slowly add the olive oil and brown rice syrup while blending again. Taste, add a little more sea salt if desired. There you have it.

This is my first recipe at this type of dressing. As I said, I am going to experiment with some variations of herbs, etc. I will post again what turns out. Until then, enjoy some greener, very greenish greens loaded with protein!

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.