I bought two pounds of blueberries last weekend. I couldn't eat all of them so I made these blueberry muffins and brought them to work. Since there were none left by the end of the day, I will go ahead and say they were great. I doubled the recipe and it made 14 muffins.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prep your muffin tins with cupcake liners.
Combine the dry ingredients, then add the almond milk and oil. Stir to combine, then add the blueberries.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops of the muffins are just browned.
I've been wanting to try something different when it comes to Mexican cuisine, given that I generally stick with my trusty fajita recipe. I found this recipe for bean and quinoa tacos, and I decided to modify it a bit and whip it up for a dinner party. I was excited about the blue corn taco shells that this blogger used, but sadly I was unable to find them. I will continue to keep a lookout, though-- blue corn chips are my favorite so I will obvi become addicted to the taco shells. I went with multigrain shells instead this time.
Here's my version of the recipe:
Ingredients
1 yellow onion onion, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tablespoon lime juice
12 taco shells of your choice
Toppings (these are my favorites, but you can do whatever you'd like)
sliced avocado
chopped tomatoes
baby spinach
Instructions
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute on low until translucent, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for 10
minutes or until tender.
Stir in quinoa, pinto beans, black beans, and diced tomatoes. Add the lime juice, cumin, and chil powder. Bring to a simmer and then
reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 15 minutes.
Heat the taco shells according to the package directions-- mine required heating at 350 degrees for 4 minutes.
Spoon bean/quinoa mixture
into taco shells and add your favorite toppings.
(It's a very easy recipe.)
A couple of things to note with this recipe: it worked well for me to cook the quinoa as I was chopping the ingredients and cooking the onions, garlic, and peppers. By the time all that was done, the quinoa was ready to be added. I started out with a skillet, as the original recipe suggested, but there was simply way too much food to fit, so I had to dump everything into a large pot. I am not big on spicy food, so you may need to add more cumin/chili powder, depending on what you prefer. As far as servings, there were four of us at dinner, we each ate two tacos and some chips, were completely full, and had lots of leftovers.
This week I started reading The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubino. She writes,
My research had revealed that challenge and novelty are key elements to happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an expected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. If you do new things-- visit a museum for the first time, learn a new game, travel to a new place, meet new people-- you're more apt to feel happy than people who stick to more familiar activities... This is one of the paradoxes of happiness, we seek to control our lives, but the unfamiliar and the unexpected are important sources of happiness. (74)
Going vegan has given me new challenges- from the early days of restocking the cabinets and reading food labels religiously to finding veg-friendly restaurants and ordering off not so veg-friendly menus. I really enjoy trying out new recipes and putting together my own meals, and I haven't been doing enough of it lately.
That being said, I make pizza a lot, but I have never grilled it before. I used my vegan pizza recipe and the steps for grilled pizza found here, which are basically the same regardless of which site you visit. I was apprehensive about doing this, because I envisioned the dough dripping between the grates. This actually didn't happen, but the dough did cook very quickly, so you must be ready to flip it fast. This is the trickiest part. We actually ended up using broiler pans for the second two pizzas, but then we sacrificed that "grilled" taste. All three pizzas tasted incredible, though -- maybe even better than traditional oven-baked pizza.
Here's what I'll be sure to do next time:
Shape the dough into personal-sized pizzas. It was hard to flip the dough because it was too large.
Invest in a large spatula for flipping. My brother actually wants to buy a pizza spade.
Make sure you have everything you need outside, including pot holders. You have to work quickly so you don't end up with a scorched mess!
Work with multiple people. Between flipping the dough and adding all the layers of ingredients, you need some assistance at the grill.
Like most vegan challenges, this one was definitely worth all the work.
Blogger's Soundtrack
Calvin Harris ft. Ellie Goulding - "I Need Your Love"
I <3 ice cream. My apartment is 1/2 mile from the vegan ice cream shop in Allston and that makes me very happy (yes, I've mapped out the distance). Admittedly, however, vegan ice cream can be pricey. A pint of soy ice cream typically costs at least $5, unless you buy Soy Dreamy at Trader Joe's, which is the best store bought vegan ice cream anyway. I recently became interested in making my own ice cream after spotting some recipes in Chef Chloe's dessert book and Vegetarian Times magazine. Therefore, for the past week I have been experimenting with a bunch of different combinations. Once you acquire an ice cream maker, concocting your own ice cream and sorbet is simple and cheap.
For one thing, if you puree enough fruit to fill your blender, that's pretty much all you need to make sorbet. Next boil 3/4 cup water and 3/4 sugar, stirring until the water has cooled. Combine the pureed fruit with the water/sugar solution and refrigerate for at least an hour, until it has cooled throughout. The final step is to add this to your ice cream maker and follow the directions for your particular machine. Most of them require freezing the mixing bowl overnight. Being an impatient person, I only froze mine for six hours, so my first batch didn't turn out all that well. So far I have tried this with fresh cantaloupe and watermelon. The watermelon sorbet was particularly delicious and refreshing... and cheap. You can use fresh or frozen fruit, in whatever combinations you like. There are some more creative recipes here, here, and here in the Vegetarian Times this month- the avocado recipe looks pretty tasty.
Things I want to try: raspberry-lemon sorbet, substituting agave for sugar, and making ice cream using coconut milk and agave- specifically, mint-chocolate chip ice cream. More to come on that soon.
When I first went vegan, there was a lot of stress accompanying food-related events- each holiday and party meant a new meal to figure out. Now that I've been doing this for a few years, I usually have ideas in mind ahead of time, but there are still "ah! What will I eat?!" moments. I've recently been doing a good amount of grilling with my family, and I realize that at one time I had no idea what to prepare for all those inevitable summer barbeque parties. There are actually a lot of options, which I will share, but first, a few tips:
- Invest in a grill pan. There are a few reasons for this. First of all, I never feel completely assured that all of the meat and juices are completely gone, even if the chef scours the grill or even has a huge fire going, in the case of charcoal. Something about it is just unsettling to me. Also, veggie burgers can easily fall apart and vegetables will slip between the grates, while a grill pan keeps everything together. Seriously worth it.
-Let people know ahead of time that you're vegan. Even if you're planning on bringing your own meal, the hosts (hopefully) will be nice enough to at least have a veggie platter or some fresh fruit, which they might not have done otherwise. I've attended two parties this summer where the hosts had a plethora of vegan food - quinoa, potato, and pasta salads that were really good! Often I don't expect people to prepare anything special, but I forget that just because it's vegan doesn't mean everyone else won't enjoy it, as well.
Now for the recipes:
1. Vegan Black Bean Burgers
This is one of my favorite vegan recipes, in general. I got it from VegWeb and modified it a bit. My family actually likes them more than eating meat off the grill, and that's saying a lot. These have just the right amount of spiciness and definitely fall apart while you're eating them. Topping with slices of avocado is a must and they're delicioso on a whole wheat bun.
Combine all beans with cooked vegetables and quick oats. Mix well by hand.
Add enough of the hummus
or liquid seasoning to moisten mixture fairly well
Form 10-12 flat patties (this will get messy!). Spray a grill pan and grill for about 10 minutes, until the burgers are warm and browned. You can also fry them on the stove using olive oil.
2. Sweet Potato Burgers
These have also recently become a family favorite. These burgers are not actually cooked on the grill, but are fried or baked instead. They are still a great substitute for traditional burgers. I made a batch, baked it in advance, and brought it to a party where more people tried it than I had anticipated. These are also great with avocado, but I've seen people eat them with ketchup. The recipe can be found here: Lunch Box Bunch
3. Grilled Vegetables / Skewers
This one is super easy! The other day I sliced up a bunch of zucchini squash and red and yellow bell peppers, keeping them in sizable slices. I arranged everything on the grill tray, sprayed it with olive oil, and grilled for about 10-15 minutes. The results were delicious. If you want to get a bit fancier, buy some wooden skewers and include whatever you like- onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, pineapple, eggplant - there are lots of options. There are many recipes online for vegetable combinations and marinades. Here's one that looks great: Vegetarian Times
4. Grilled Potatoes
It's so simple! Here are a few ideas:
-Slice sweet potatoes in half. Wrap each half in foil. Grill for 20 minutes.
-Peel and slice a bunch of red skin potatoes into rounds. Add a thinly sliced red pepper, green pepper, and sweet onion. Wrap in foil, drizzled with olive oil. Grill for 30-40 minutes.
There are so many options for vegan grilling - sometimes it's just hard to think outside the box of what you have eaten in the past. All of these recipes are healthy and satisfying- you'll be glad you didn't eat that hot dog (gross). So choose a recipe and get started!
While most who visit Boston travel to the North End for authentic
Italian cuisine, I take visiting family and friends to healthy vegan
places. I'm sure they don't mind missing out on lasagna and canolis to
partake in veggie wraps and smoothies. It's an acquired taste. Two new
veg restaurants recently opened in the Greater Boston area, and in the
past week I have recruited friends to try both. Here's what I thought:
Walnut Grille Newton, MA
I
went to the Walnut Grille for lunch on a very hot day. Unfortunately,
the air conditioner was broken, and thought I was going to melt off my
sparkly vinyl chair. The menu had a wide selection, including smoothies
and desserts, which always earn bonus points in my book. I ordered the
falafel wrap with sweet potato fries (obviously) and my friend had the
quinoa and black bean burger with a salad and side of broccoli. I
haven't talked about this before, but I'm kind of obsessed with sweet
potato fries. I order them everywhere I go, and I'm definitely a snob
when it comes to assessing the quality of said fries. I also eat a lot
of veggie wraps and falafel, since it's frequently the only thing
veg-friendly item on the menu at traditional restaurants. That being
said, it was a delicious lunch. The fries were amazing and the wrap was
filled with greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and did not have too much
tahini, which is another thing I'm picky about. I ate half the meal and
had an awesome lunch the next day, as well. The owner offered us free
ice cream since it was sweltering in the place, but we opted out and
made a beeline for the car, where we proceeded to blast the AC. I have
since heard that the AC has been fixed, so I would definitely recommend
this place - good food, friendly staff, and ample parking.
Root - Inspired Food and Juicery Allston, MA
I
have been super excited because this place is within walking distance
from my apartment, and a few doors down from Fomu ice cream (at the
former location of Peace o' Pie). I went for dinner on a weeknight, and
arrived just before a big crowd hit. When I walked up to the front
counter, the girl working seemed kind of aloof and unfriendly. She
didn't greet me or even ask to take my order. I guess I was expecting
some more enthusiasm, since the place has only been open for a week. I
ordered the LA Wrap with herb fries, and so did my friend. We seated
ourselves near the AC, since again, it was a very hot day, and this
place wasn't too cool, either. On a side note, I appreciate
environmental consciousness, but when it's 93 degrees out, I don't enjoy
sweating through my meal. Once we had our meals I noticed that a
different person was working at the counter, and that she was actually
smiling. While we were eating, the place began to fill up with a mixed
crowd of young professionals and tattooed hipsters, all of whom seemed
to be enjoying their different varieties of juice in mason jars, salads,
and sandwiches. Overall, the meal was tasty, and I'm glad to have a
vegan restaurant so close by, but in the future I will probably choose
the take-out option.
All
in all, the food was good at both places, and it's wonderful to have a
few more veg-friendly establishments in the neighborhood. Also, I need
to order something besides a wrap and fries the next time I eat out.
I just started reading Eating Animals, by Jonathan Safran Foer, and the first chapter has me thinking about excuses people make for why they "need" to eat meat, and the pettiness of those reasons when stacked against the billions of animals that die each year as a result of factory farming, in addition to the environmental impact of said factory farming, not to mention the negative impact eating animal products has on a person's health. This blog is not meant to be a series of diatribes, but I do have to say that the longer I'm vegan, the more disturbing factory farming becomes to me. Maybe it is because I stopped affording myself the luxury of blissful ignorance. Years ago when I did eat meat, I ignored the things that bothered me about doing so. When I started educating myself about where my food was coming from, eating meat became very difficult. It made me feel sick. Watching other people eat meat bothers me more and more these days.
My tone today is much more serious than usual, perhaps because I've been exposed to many more questions and comments from family members as of late. Safran Foer really struck a chord with me: "I can't count the times that upon telling someone I am vegetarian, he or she responded by pointing out an inconsistency in my lifestyle or trying to find a flaw in an argument I never made. (I have often felt that my vegetarianism matters more to such people than it does to me" (33). One of the comments I hear most frequently is: "Don't you know that plants have feelings, too?" Seriously? More commonly people tell me that they "could never go vegan." In reality, they do not want to go vegan. It's not convenient. What follows is a list of other common remarks I get, and my (slightly sarcastic) responses:
"I have to eat meat. Otherwise I will not have enough energy."
I have not eaten red meat, pork, or fish in eight years. I stopped eating meat completely three years ago. I work ten hour days with middle school students, then come home and run several miles in the evening. I would say those tasks require a significant amount of energy, and I'm doing just fine.
"I just don't think I could go without cheese. I just love cheese so much."
I
used to be a dairy fanatic. I ate a cheese sandwich every day for
lunch and my dinner was usually covered in cheese. I ate ice cream
every day. Then I realized that I am probably lactose intolerant and
this stuff was making me feel ill. When I think about eating cheese or dairy ice cream, I think about the abuse that animals endured to make that slice of cheese or dish of ice cream possible. And then it doesn't sound so great anymore.
"I have to eat meat. Otherwise I would be starving."
I never feel hungry after eating a vegan meal. Period. Your body needs to adjust to not feeling gorged all the time. The end.
"How can you not eat pizza?"
I eat pizza all the time. It's loaded with vegetables and really delicious and you would love it if you tried it. So come over and I'll make you some vegan pizza.
"So you really can't eat cheese?"
Still, no.
"I just can't hear the details about where the meat comes from."
If you know it's that bad, why are you eating the stuff?
"You won't even eat a clam? A piece of shrimp?"
Does it have a face? Did it have a mom and a dad? Then, no. It's pretty simple.
I was raised to have a great deal of compassion for animals. My cousin posted this on Facebook today, and it's a pretty accurate portrayal of me:
However, I don't think you need to be crazy about animals to understand why an individual would choose not to eat meat and other animal products, or to consider changing your own lifestyle. If you want to eat a slice of cheese, that's your prerogative. You won't hear me asking weird questions about your dietary choices. I just ask the same in return.
