Food, Food, Food!

I didn't reach my highest weight because I had an aversion to food. Since I became vegan, I have totally revisited my love affair with food (to the tune of 20#)! In this thread, I will share some of my favourite vegan fare, nom nom!

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06.09.2013
GBOMBS - Asian style

3 packages of white button mushrooms held centre stage for the second week in a row!

In this dish, they hang out in a beefy broth along with their cousins Vidalia Onion, whole garlic cloves, carrots, broccoli and kale. Rice vermicelli joins the after party which is perked up by a generous drizzle of Sriracha sauce.


Ingredients:
1 large Vidalia onion, cut in thick wedges
8-10 small cloves of garlic, whole
1 large carrot, cut in diagonal chunks
3 packages white button mushroom
1 large green bell pepper, large chunks
1/2 bunch of broccoli (1 medium sized crown)
1/2 bunch bok choy or curly kale, chopped

1/3 package rice vermicelli noodles

1/2 vegan beef bouillon cube, dissolved in 12 oz boiling water
1 T dark Miso paste
4 T Bragg's Liquid Amino Acids
1 whole dried red hot pepper (jalapeno size)
1 T sesame oil
2 T cider vinegar
1 T agave
1-2 T Sriracha sauce (to taste)



Method:


Heat onions, carrots and broccoli stalks in large, covered non-stick skillet until softened. 












Add broth, miso, Bragg's, green peppers, mushrooms,hot pepper and garlic. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring kettle to boil and submerse rice noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes, Drain and hold in cold water (if needed).

Add broccoli to other veggies in skillet, simmer 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, toss in pre-soaked rice noodles* and greens. 

Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in sweet/sour/spicy to taste (agave,  vinegar & Sriracha)

Brighten up left-overs with a splash of vinegar & hot sauce.

Have fun! But most importantly, remember to remove that chili pepper! I forgot and took 3 solid chews into mine... once I realized what I was gnawing on, I swallowed it whole. Believe me, light vanilla soy milk is a good thing to have COLD and on hand!

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Not sure what to call this creation... all these recent thoughts about GBOMBS got me craving mushrooms something fierce! I picked up 2 packs of white button mushrooms and thought I would also be adventurous and try Enoki mushrooms: 









I also picked up some celeriac, which I have been meaning to try. The end result:









Beefy Mushrooms and Spinach



1 large vidalia onion, thickly sliced

5-6 cloves garlic, sliced

2 packs white button mushrooms, sliced

1 package Enoki mushrooms roughly chopped

1 knob celeriac, cut into large match sticks

1/2 vegan "beef" bouillon cube, dissolved in 12 oz. boiling water



1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

black pepper to taste

1 bunch spinach(chopped)

2 tblsp balsamic vinegar

Sweat the onions in a large covered skillet until soft and translucent. Add garlic, mushrooms, celeriac, broth and seasoning. Continue to cook until mushrooms are cooked (celeriac should be "al dente"). Turn off the heat, add spinach and toss through... leave covered for a couple of minutes to wilt the spinach. Add balsamic vinegar and serve.

Serve over a bed of green lentils and top with sprouts! Boom, Boom - GBOMBS!



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So, I made a salad a couple days ago. It is kale based, so it has kept very well. I am trying to remember everything I did because I would really love to make this again. Hopefully, I can remember more details, and update this post later. For now, want to get it down before I lose any more!



Massaged Kale Salad



1 bunch kale (chopped)

1 - 2 tsp salt

1 large carrot (shredded)

2 stalks celery (shredded)

1 English cucumber (sliced)

1 large beet (shredded)

1 large red pepper, quartered and thinly sliced

juice from 1 lime & 1/2 lemon (2-3 tblsp)

white wine vinegar

nutritional yeast flakes

chilli flakes



Massage kale & salt in a large bowl until kale shrinks & is brightly coloured

Add carrots, celery, cucumber * lemon lime juice... Toss well.

Add beet, red pepper, nooch & red pepper flakes + enough vinegar to get everybody wet.



Keeps for 4 days

Serve in a nest of lettuce, dandelion or other green.

Top with beans and a drizzle of tahini





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Oat Milk



I followed this recipe from Oh She Glows - first time I have ever had oat milk, and the first time I have ever made my own plant based milk. It was very easy to make and was kind of fun. You don't need a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth, just a fine sieve. ! cup of steel cut oats yields 3 cups of milk, making it very economical! 



Here are the stages: 



I soaked my oats for 8 hours. Here they are after their Oat slime bath : ) 

After a whirl in the blender, a few strains and the final pour:

The milk has a creamy texture, likely from the starchy oats. A light hint of vanilla and sweetener make this a winner in my books! For my second batch, I threw in about 2 T of cacao nibs, and used 1 tsp Stevia as I was out of maple syrup. Still yummy!

Next time, I might try this recipe, from One Green Planet!

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Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal
Server 5-6


Steel cut oats use a 4:1 liquid to oats ratio. You can use any combination with the liquid water, soy milk, almond milk, milk all work

Ingredients
1 cups Steel cut oats 
2 cups Water 
2 cups Milk (non-dairy, of course ;) ) 
1 to 2 Apples, peeled & chopped (optional) 
1 tsp. Kosher salt 
1 tbs. Cinnamon 
1 Star anise (optional) 

Method
Put all ingredients in a slow cooker
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or 4 hours on high
Serve with plant-based milk (I used home-made oat milk) to reach desired consistency. Add more cinnamon if desired. Top with fruit compote. Yumm!

Fruit Compote
Makes about 1 cup















Ingredients

10 ounces frozen berries
1 teaspoon fresh orange or lemon juice
1 teaspoon orange or lemon zest
2 T water
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
dash of cinnamon
Stevia

Method
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until fruit breaks down. Add 1/4 tsp Guar Gum and 1/4-1/2 tsp powdered Stevia (to taste), cook, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat.