Borsch ... Well almost

I love all things tart, savory and flavorful. After having an amazing red cabbage soup at Georgetown Liquor Co. I had to come up with my own version. I tweak it every time but this is one that will wake up those taste buds.

Ingredients :
2 cups each chopped - carrots, celery & onion
3 Tbls EVOO
4 cups red cabbage chopped bite size
2 each chopped- red, purple, Yukon gold potatoes (can do all one kind, even russet if you would like just total about 2 - 3 cups
6 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbls worcestershire (vegan varieties are available)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Start out with a large stock pot and sauté the carrots, onions & celery in EVOO until tender. Add broth, bay leaves and potatoes and bring to a boil until potatoes are almost fully cooked at which point toss in the vinegar, worcestershire and red cabbage and cook until cabbage is tender. Season with salt & pepper until you reach the desired flavor.

Enjoy

Vegan-ized German style meal that would make Oma Proud

Growing up in a German influenced household I was shocked to learn some time around 12 years old that not everyone eats sauerkraut, schnitzel, rouladen and spaetzle on a regular basis. I have to admit there is a lot of meat in German foods, I mean a lot and very little veg so I had to take on the challenge and vegan-ize a meal that really reminded me of what the real thing tasted like without the heavy "I need a nap before the meal is done" feeling. And for a first try, it was really good!

Lets start with the potato dumplings. From the box, just like grandma used to make. No Joke... except when she did it the one box produced 2-3 dumplings and the box says it should be enough for 8. Her version of a serving was the size of softball. I would suggest following the box. Either way all you do is add water and boil and you are in dense potato heaven.

From there I added sliced carrots that I steamed lightly.

For the sauerkraut I used the jarred variety and sauteed it with one medium yellow onion with cracked pepper.

The sausage is a Tofurky Brat sliced in half lengthwise and pan seared. Field Roast has some really yummy options also.

I am really proud of the simple gravy I came up with, because you can't have those dumplings without gravy... you almost literally can't. I took about 1 1/2 cups cashew cream and added 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper and about 1 to 1/2 tsp vegetable bouillon in a small sauce pan over medium low and whisked until heated and combined. The gravy will clump if you let it sit too long or don't stir. I do the taste and change method so add a little more of anything to meet your liking.

To finish it all off find your favorite mustard for dipping or spreading on everything.

This is a hearty, stick to your ribs dish that I plan on doing again and adding some broccoli and maybe a new sauce!

Geniesst! (Enjoy)


PS I love to heard ideas and alterations of anything so feel free to leave your ideas in the comments!

Crazy Sexy Cleanse - 3 Days

I've wanted to do a juice cleanse for some time and into my email box came Kris Carr's 3 Day Crazy Sexy Cleanse. This one is far less intimidating than some of the others sounded... and frankly the idea of dropping my double (honestly quad) soy latte' freaks me out. 


Bottom line to get real natural energy and rid ourselves of all of the junk we've put into our systems over the years we have to sacrifice... or so I thought. It turns out the food is really amazing and you get all the nutrients you'll need because the 3 days are a mini raw diet. It's part juice part garden bonanza, but 100% doable. 


I'm only on day one, but I will keep ya posted. 


*UPDATE*
I have to fill you in on how it's going so far. It's a mini cleanse, I understand that but for those of us that have issues with caffeine, carbs or any other vice it's not as easy as it sounds. Being vegan to start with is making it much simpler for me but cravings for my yummy starches and fluffy breads kicked in about 7 pm last night and I was, lets just say I've been a nicer person. My 2 a day latte' habit is rearing it ugly head. I love coffee. I'm from Star-buck-istan so who could blame me, but a plus is that the green juice really gives you a kick that doesn't make you jittery and keeps your head clear... which I must say my java friend does not. 

It's on to day to and so far so go. It already feels a little better than day one. I decided to prep all of the foods the night before as a time saver and the mood has changed considerably.  

PS All the images in this post are from the amazing Kris Carr's 
Crazy Sexy Life Page. Go check it out!

You Must Hummus

If you are like me then you LOVE hummus. If you don't like it, then you haven't found a good kind yet. I have tried making it at home for a long time but it just never seemed to come out right. Until the other day. I found www.hummus101.com and found their Best Hummus Recipe... how can you argue with that. So I tried it out in two batches. The first one to follow their suggestion and the second to tweak to my liking. 

Image from Hummus101.com

Ingredients[4 extra-large bowls of Hummus]

• 1 cup dried chickpeas (2 cups soaked over night. Do not use canned for this one)
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste)
• juice from 1 squeezed lemons (about 1 T)
• 1-2 garlic cloves (I used 2)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon + 1/8-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  (This made it too fizzy/zesty tasting for me so I reduced it to 1 Tsp, it is a really good idea to use baking soda)
• salt (Just a pinch, you can add more later)
• olive oil (About 1 T)
• parsley (Chopped for garnish, if you don't have it leave it out)

How do I make that into Hummus? (Directions)
[Brut: 10-20 hours. Net: 30 minutes]

1. Poor the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate.

2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.

3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add the rest baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water. (I switched the water twice and whipped out the foam.)

4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.

5. Add the tahini and the rest of the ingredients and go on with the food processor until you get the desired texture. If the Humus is too thick, add some of the cooking water. It should be thinner than the actual desired texture.

Serve with some good olive oil and chopped parsley.

Munchie Mini Pizza

Sometimes you don't want to fuss around in the kitchen. You just want to put something together and eat, but your tired of PB&J and microwaved burritos. Well, how about healthy warm, homemade a pizza?

I usually keep flat bread or pita on hand to dip in some "guilty hummus" (I'll post that recipe soon). This one can be customized with endless combinations.

Kitchen supplies - pizza pan or cookie sheet, pizza cutter, sauté pan, small sauce pan, knife, cutting board, oven or microwave.

Ingredients:
1 Greek Style Pita (grill a tortilla for a crispy thin crust version)
1/2 c pizza sauce (make your own with crushed tomatoes and tomato paste)
1/4 c Soy Mozzarella (I used Daiya)
1 Tbls EVOO
2 crimini mushrooms -sliced
2 Tbls Walla Walla onion - thinly sliced
1 clove garlic - crushed
2 fresh basil leaves - torn

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees. Simmer the pizza sauce in small sauce pan. Sauté the onions, garlic and mushrooms until tender but not too soft. On a lightly oiled pizza pan place the pita bread. Top with pizza sauce, then onions mushrooms and garlic. Sprinkle with cheese and place in oven for 7-8 minutes. Soy cheese melts differently than regular so if it looks runny it's over done. Keep an eye on it around 5 mins. If you use the microwave only heat for 2-3 minutes and add additional time if needed.
Once done heating remove from the oven and sprinkle with torn basil, slice and enjoy.

Season of fresh flavor

One of my life long go to comfort foods has always been tomato soup. The canned version had been a staple in my cabinet.

Since my transition to avoid processed foods tomato had to go. I tried a couple substitutes through recipes I've found but nothing tasted the same (and considering how much sugar and sodium is in most canned soup that's a good thing).

The only way to get the best home made soup is from locally produced or home grown tomatoes. I'd say can and save as much as you can while they are in season so that you can enjoy this treat all year long.


Creamy Tomato Fall Comfort Soup

Supplies -
Large stock pot, wooden spoon, cutting board, knife, potato masher, high speed blender (immersion blender can work if you don't mind a more textured flavor)

1 1/2 c Walla Walla onions - diced
1 1/2 c carrots - peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbls EVOO
3 c vegetable stock
2 Lbs fresh local tomatoes - chopped
2/3 c cashew cream (see recipe from Conscious Cook http://www.talronnen.com/ )
4-5 leaves fresh basil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Sauté onions carrots and carrots on medium/medium high until wry tender.
While sautéing, chop tomatoes and add to pot and heat until slightly bubbly. Mash ingredients together with potato masher until combined.

Add vegetable stock to pot and let simmer for 10 mins. Transfer all ingredients plus cashew cream to blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper to desired flavor. Sprinkle with torn basil leaves serve hot or cold.

Cook Like A Vegan

Since making the jump from omnivore to herbivore, I had some MAJOR adjustments to make lifestyle wise in order to be successful and stay on track. The first one was taking my traditional foodie views and tweaking them so that I didn't loose my love for food. Making new recipes that I (and everyone who's tried them frankly) will crave later.

Roasted Fall Veggies Over Whole Wheat Couscous

After venturing into the vast volumes Google has on Vegan fare and scouring The Conscious Cook By Chef Tal Ronnin and the Kind Diet By Alicia Silverstone (my two favs so far) I came up with some of my own variations on their masterpieces. I might even stretch to say a few masterpieces of my own and I just had to share them. I'll start with a couple and keep them coming...

The Roasted Fall Veggies over Whole Wheat Couscous is a perfect beginner meal for anyone to try. It even makes a good side for those easing into a veg lifestyle. I am not much of a measurer so I add as much or as little of an ingredient as I like.

Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat Couscous Prepared about 2-3 servings (see package)
• Sweet Potatoes or Yams or both Cut bite size (about 1/4 inch)
• 2-3 Carrots cut Cut bite size (about 1/4 inch)
• Zucchini about two cups in any colors
• two stalks green onion chopped
• handful of broken cashews
• handful dried cranberries (you can use and dried fruit you like)
• zest from one orange
• EVOO to taste
• Salt & Pepper

Pre Heat oven to 400 degrees
Add Sweet potatoes & carrots to a baking sheet for about 20 mins or until the veggies are soft . Make sure the are fairly uniform in size so that they roast evenly.   
In a saute' pan add EVOO & zucchini and heat through, until slightly brown. Add cashews for about the last min to heat through.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Zest the orange over while warm. Add salt & Pepper to taste. I sprinkle the green onions over the top as a tasty garnish.

This dish has simple flavors that you can adjust to your own liking. Add garlic or more seasonal veggies to spice it up.

I'd love to hear how your variation turned out. ENJOY!