Simple Spicy Spinach

Posted on March 31, 2011 by jodie

I meant to post this some time ago!

Spinach is so chock full of healthy things, like calcium and fiber. It’s tasty, too, and so easy to prepare. You can certainly eat it plain and/or raw, but sometimes you want it hot, you know? It works with a variety of different means. You can really add whatever spices that you want, but this is the combo to which I’m partial.

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Simple Spicy Spinach with Breaded Seitan and Mashed Potatoes

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Simple Spicy Spinach with Baked Jerk Tofu

Simple Spicy Spinach

  • 1 lbs of fresh spinach, washed and drained (does not need to be dry)
  • garlic powder, to taste
  • 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  1. Spray oil in a skillet (skillet will need a cover). Heat.
  2. Add spinach to hot pan. Toss with tongs.
  3. Add spices, toss again with tongs.
  4. Cover and heat until wilted.
Looking for a recipe to go with this?

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The Green Smoothie Experience: Cherries and Greens

Posted on March 23, 2011 by jodie

Sounds like an amusement park ride, doesn’t it? I envision it as a flume ride, where at the end you have a big drop and get splashed with green smoothie. Maybe the ride even takes your picture as it happens. That would be awesome, right? 🙂

Starting this past Monday and continuing until next Tuesday, I’m having a green smoothie every day. I’ll be documenting the smoothies on It’s Really Healthy.

But today, you get a picture here!

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That’s actually a picture from a couple of weeks ago, but it’s the same recipe:

Cherries & Greens

serves 2

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 5oz box mixed baby greens
  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 10-12oz package frozen sweet cherries
  • optional: extra water; agave or stevia

  1. Add the ingredients in the order listed to a high power blender.
  2. Blend. You may need to add extra water. You will probably also have to use your tamper to get everything to blend.
  3. Taste for sweetness. I *can* drink it without adding something, but find it much more pleasurable when I do.

That’s it! Check out It’s Really Healthy for the rest of the smoothies through next Tuesday!

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The Happy Herbivore’s Quick Queso

Posted on March 20, 2011 by jodie


I had the oppertunity to interview Lindsay Nixon, author of The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions and share one of her recipes from her cookbook. It’s a great book, and she has more in the works!

Biography

Lindsay S. Nixon

Lindsay S. Nixon is a rising star in the culinary world, praised for her ability to use everyday ingredients to create healthy, low fat recipes that taste just as delicious as they are nutritious. Lindsay’s recipes have been featured in Vegetarian Times, Women’s Health Magazine and on The Huffington Post. Lindsay is also a consulting chef at La Samanna, a luxury resort and four-star restaurant in the French West Indies. You can learn more about Lindsay and sample some of her recipes at happyherbivore.com

Q & A

PV: For anyone not familiar with your work/blog, how long have you been a vegan, and what made you decide to go vegan?

HH: Since Dec 2006; It was initially an experiment. I was vegetarian at
the time but had heard that going vegan had all these amazing benefits
like more energy, clear skin, weight-loss so I gave it a go — and
wow. It was all true. I saw so many positive changes that I kept with
it, and then I learned more about the horrors of the dairy, egg and
meat industries, and the environmental impact of consuming animal
products, and the health risks they caused that I was all in, for
life.

PV: Do you have any advice for people who are already vegan, and want to improve their eating habits?

HH: Remember to keep veg in “vegan” (or vegetarian). Even if you only have
time for a sandwich, or pasta, or even a boca burger, add a side of
vegetables. Every small, but healthier choice, really adds up.

PV: I’ve read that you trained to be a lawyer, but now you make your living as a vegan cookbook and blog author. What made you decide to do it?

HH: I’m technically still a lawyer. I’m licensed in California, and I
passed the bar in New York, but haven’t paid the license fee there.
Cooking and Happy Herbivore had been my hobby during law school, and
my early years as an attorney. I wasn’t happy as an attorney, but I
was happy in the kitchen so I decided money wasn’t everything and to
live my passion. Life is too short to be unhappy.

PV: Are there any foods that you were afraid to try when you first went vegan?

HH: I was really intimidated by tofu. I didn’t eat it when I was a
vegetarian, and the first few years I was vegan. I don’t know what
made me change my tune but I’m sorry I was ever scared of it — its so
universal.

PV: I’ve read your Black Bean Brownie recipe, and I’m very intrigued, but I’m almost a little afraid to try it, because it sounds so different. Any advice?

HH: It’s the most popular recipe on my website, for sure. It’s been all
over the blog world and twitter. I say try it and have a positive
attitude about it. Attitude is everything.

PV: I’ve also read that you spent quite a bit of time living in NYC. I’m new to the NYC suburbs- do you have any recommendations for places to try?

HH: I’m from NYC, but am living abroad at the moment–but I can’t wait to
go home. My favorite place in NYC is Red Bamboo, followed by Candle Cafe, Angelica’s Kitchen and Lula’s (ice cream shop).

From Lindsay:

The Happy Herbivore’s Quick Queso

(makes 1 cup) – It’s okay to go at this sauce with a spoon. I won’t judge.

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (such as fat-free soymilk)
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp granulated onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder or cayenne (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
  1. Whisk all ingredients together in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often until thick. Serve immediately.
  2. Note: Gluten-free flours or blends may be substituted, such as chickpea flour. Also, add a 1 10-ounce can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies for a Mexican Queso twist.

I’m definitely going to try this one soon!

Want to win a copy of The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes? I’m giving away a copy of the book here!
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Blossom du Jour & Cocoa V

Posted on March 12, 2011 by jodie

I’ve decided that I need to do more interesting things. I’ve also decided that I need to do more walking around. Fortunately, these two things go hand in hand, so it works out perfectly sometimes. 🙂

I went into NYC for the day to have lunch and do a little shopping. I got to stop by Lush, and smell some pretty things. Well, mostly I needed hair conditioner, but nice smelling things are good. Then I went for a walk, heading towards Blossom du Jour.

This was my first time there. I don’t get into NYC as often as I should, but I had been to Cocoa V a few months ago. It appears Blossom du Jour has taken over the dining area that Cocoa V had, which is all well and good, as Cocoa V didn’t serve much non-chocolate food. Which makes sense, when you think about it. 🙂

Blossom du Jour is a tiny little place with counter seating. It’s bright and clean and modern looking. Best of all, there was an electrical outlet near where I was sitting, which was good as I needed to charge my iPhone.

I pursued their menu, and had a hard time deciding what I wanted. I settled on the Midtown Melt.

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“cajun spiced seitan, v-cheese, agave guacamole, lettuce, chipotle aioli”
(menu description)

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The inside.

The seitan was crispy, the sandwich wasn’t overly spiced, and served on a rosemary focoacia. It was perfect.

I had onion rings on the side:

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There’s rosemary in the onion rings! Brilliant!

I may try a little rosemary in my onion ring recipe one of these days.

Next, I headed over to Cocoa V, for a little something to take home.

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A little chocolate.

The lighter colored one is a raw rose-flavored white chocolate. The flavor is delicate and interesting. The one with the nut on top is filled with marzipan, and the other is a créme de menthe. I haven’t had those ones yet, but I’m sure they’re excellent.

The other item I purchased is one I’ve been waiting to try since their debut a couple of months ago.

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A Dun-Well Doughnut.

This was the chocolate glazed with peanuts. I had it for dinner. It was delicious!

One note about Cocoa V. I could swear that the last time I was there, they took credit cards. Their Yelp page also reflects that, but today I saw a sign on the cash register that said “cash only, please.” It’s also a little more cramped, and there appears to be a lot less chocolate in the display case. I think there’s also less display case, for that matter.

Both places are excellent.

I did a little more shopping, ending my trip at the 4th Street Food Coop. I haven’t really found a good place to buy bulk foods in Westchester (other than Whole Foods), so it was nice to get some good variety. A lot of their food is locally grown, as well.

All in all, it was an excellent day, though my feet are tired!

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French Onion Soup- Vegan Style!

Posted on March 10, 2011 by jodie
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Jealous?

A couple of years ago, the current vegan boyfriend was vegan friend. One evening, he read a few recipes to me over a video chat out of the Veggie Works Vegan Cookbook. One of them was for French Onion Soup, the recipe that is presumably used at Kaya’s Kitchen.

I had missed French Onion Soup terribly since going vegan. I was always jealous when he told me that he was having some. Then a few months ago, I finally got to try it at the restaurant. Awesome! Yes, I had the recipe for a couple of years, but never got around to using it.

So for the first time I made the recipe, I made it for him. 🙂

Isn’t that sweet?

Also, I made No-Kneed Bread. I’m working on my own adaptation of that recipe, which I hope to share with you soon! But I will share the piece of equiptment that made making it possible: Lodge Logic 5-Quart Double Dutch Oven and Casserole with Skillet Cover. I had been looking at the enamel cast iron ones for ages, but couldn’t justify the cost to myself, especially if I were going to need to switch out the knob in order to make it overproof. This one is perfect, with a lid that doubles as another pan!

The soup was quite good, but not exactly like the soup at Kaya’s, likely because of the broth. I used store-bought, which is just never as good as fresh-made. I may change that in the future! The soup is topped with the no-kneed bread, which was covered in Daiya and broiled.

I have my fingers crossed that the weather will continue to improve, so my soup making days will soon be numbered until next fall. Best to make good use of the time now!

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Veganism, Oprah and Kathy Freston. Helpful or Not?

Posted on March 1, 2011 by jodie

As you may have seen or heard, last month Oprah featured a show detailing how hundreds of her staffers went vegan for a week. They were helped out by Kathy Freston, author of Veganist. If you’re a vegan and you read a lot of blogs or Twitter, you may have seen a lot of rants about how Kathy loaded the staffers up with Gardein, Daiya, and Tofurkey products. This angered a lot of vegans, because it makes up look like we’re all eating a vegan version of the Standard American Diet (SAD), eschewing fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Kathy wrote an article for the Huffington Post a few days ago, defending her use of processed vegan products as an important part of the transitional diet. The gist of her reasoning is that she was trying to get those people to be able to eat as close to their omnivorous diet as possible, with vegan substitutes, to make it easier and make people more likely to stick with a vegan diet. After all, it’s still healthier (mostly true) and still prevents animal cruelty (very true). However, I disagree with her doing this- it’s still going to scare the average Oprah viewer off of veganism.

Why?

Any idea how expensive those vegan substitutes are?????

At my local Whole Foods, the cheapest place around to buy frozen Gardein and Daiya, the Gardein costs between $5-$6 per package. At local health food stores, Gardein regularly comes in between $6.50-$7.50 per package. Most packages have 2-3 servings, which means you’ll have to buy two packages to feed a family of four. In addition, if you’re really just copying the SAD, you’ll likely need twice that amount. $12-$30 on faux meat for one meal just isn’t economical- and that’s not including the rest of the meal.

That’s exactly why people say it’s expensive to eat vegan, or even just “healthy.”

Some refrigerated Gardein products can also be found at Trader Joe’s sold under the house label, and are cheaper than at Whole Foods. I’ve not seen frozen Gardein at Trader Joe’s.

I’m not saying that these processed products should be avoided entirely, but the shopping cart that was shown on Oprah had to have had several hundred dollars worth of vegan food in it- for a week’s worth of food. If you’re a viewer sitting at home, how is that in any way, shape or form going to encourage you to go vegan? Oprah’s staffers clearly got quite a bit of free food products as shown during the episode, which is awesome for those people, but not realistic for the rest of us.

Gardein’s not bad for you- it is made from whole grains and legumes, but eating those healthy things in a processed form every night isn’t all that good for you, either.

Here’s a couple of ways I’ve had it:

quick lunch

Santa Fe Good Stuff.

gardein scallopini

Scallopini.

Daiya is very, very, tasty and made from “all-natural” ingredients, but is basically a source of fat and calories with no nutritional benefit. Don’t get me wrong- I love Daiya, but I’m also not the best model for healthy eating.

Vegan Pizza covered in Daiya!

I’m sure that the episode was good marketing for Gardein and Daiya and Tofurkey. Good for them- I support these companies and want them to stick around. I’m sure that some viewers will increase their animal-free meals because Oprah encouraged them to do so, but I don’t think it was good for veganism in the grand scheme of things.

If you’re looking for more economical ways to be a healthy eater, all I can say is : greens, beans, and whole grains. They’re tasty, they’ll fill you up and not wear out your wallet. Some of the recipes on my blog (but not all) are in this vein. A really good blog for cheap vegan eats is Melomeals: Vegan for $3.33 a day. There are tons of healthy, tasty, fast and economical vegan foods out there. Why not try some of those?

If you’re interested in reading more about a whole foods non-processed diet (the cheapest way to eat vegan), consider reading The China Study. I’m reading it right now. And it made President Bill Clinton go mostly vegan!

Check out these non-processed vegan recipes:

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Southeast Asian Vegan Banquet

Posted on February 5, 2011 by jodie

I decided it would be a good idea to take a cooking class or two. I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a vegan cooking class in any of the communities I’ve lived in, but right now I have the good fortune to live near NYC. That seems to make a big difference in terms of vegan opportunities!

I went searching online, and came up with the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Public Classes. When I was searching, most of the classes marked as vegan were full, but I saw one that was happening in February, that looked really interesting. Hence, I enrolled in the Southeast Asian Vegan Banquet class, with instructor Myra Kornfeld, author of The Voluptuous Vegan: More Than 200 Sinfully Delicious Recipes for Meatless, Eggless, and Dairy-Free Meals. The class was really cool, and the food was amazing. I’ve never taken a cooking class before (well, I had home ec in middle school, but I don’t think that really counts). The class isn’t a “beginner” class, but that was fine- I don’t think I had any problem keeping up. There were a lot of individual dishes on the menu, which might seem a little daunting, but you as a student don’t cook each individual dish- you’re broken up into teams of two, and in this case, we each cooked two of the dishes. At the end, everything was all plated together- you’ll see in the pictures.

My only complaint about the class is that the Watercress Salad with Cucumber & Green Mango in Lime-Peanut Vinaigrette dish is not actually vegan; it contains honey. I am including a picture so you get to see what it looks like. Since that is a separate dish, it’s a little easier to skip eating it. You still get plenty out of the class by not making it, since you’re only making two out of the eight dishes yourself, anyway. I did mention it in my comments sheet, and hopefully they will be more clear in their advertising in the future.

I still plan on taking another class or six there in the future! It was a great experience, and the food was amazing!

The Menu

Hot and Sweet Sesame Nori Fins
Watercress Salad with Cucumber & Green Mango in Lime-Peanut Vinaigrette*
Galangal, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf-Baked Tofu Medallions
Spinach-Thai Basil and Yellow Pepper Coconut Milk Sauces
Red Bhutanese Rice with Roasted Vegetables
Indonesian Sambal
Crispy Rice Noodles
Mango-Lemongrass Ice Cream Parfait with Lemon Tuiles


Hot and Sweet Sesame Nori Fins with Watercress Salad with Cucumber & Green Mango in Lime-Peanut Vinaigrette*


In the middle of the plate is the Red Bhutanese Rice with Roasted Vegetables; surrounding that is the Galangal, Lemongrass and Kaffir Lime Leaf-Baked Tofu Medallions. The rice/vegetables are topped with the Indonesian Sambal. It’s all surrounded by the Spinach-Thai Basil and Yellow Pepper Coconut Milk Sauces, and then topped with the Crispy Rice Noodles.


Finally, Mango-Lemongrass Ice Cream Parfait with Lemon Tuiles. The ice cream is the only thing the students didn’t make, though we watched it being made at the very beginning of the class (since it had to get into the ice cream maker right away in order to be ready). It was delicious!

*Not vegan as prepared in class.

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Vida Vegan Conference!

Posted on February 3, 2011 by jodie

I’ve been going to professional conferences in the mental health field for years, but this year… I’m going to a vegan blogging conference!

I’m going to Vida Vegan Con, to be held in Portland, OR in August. I’m so excited to be able to meet other vegan bloggers, as well as to visit Portland. I’ve never been, and it’s high time I remedied this!

The speakers are like a who’s who of vegan blogging! I hope I won’t act too stupid and fan-girlish. 🙂

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Quick and Easy Chana Massala Tutorial

Posted on January 30, 2011 by jodie

One of the dishes that I started eating frequently while I was doing Eat to Live was a quick Chana Massala. What I’m about to show you is what I would call the “standard” version, but you could also leave out the fresh onion/garlic and substitute dried minced onion and powdered garlic. It’s much better with the fresh onion/garlic though!

Recipe to follow at the bottom!

Step 1: Chop an onion. It doesn’t have to be finely minced!

Step 2: Crush some garlic. You could mince it if you don’t have a garlic press. It’s nice to smash it with the side of your knife first though, if you go the mincing route.

Step 3: Make sure you have everything else you need, too!

That’s garam massala in the little metal jar.

Step 4: Sauté your onions.

We’re using a non-stick pan here, so no oil (part of the point of Eat to Live). You could certainly use a bit of oil if you wanted.

Step 5: Add a little vegetable broth to keep the onions from sticking if necessary. Keeping the heat at medium instead of high helps a lot, too.

Step 6: Add the garlic. Sauté.

Step 7: Add your drained and rinsed chickpeas.

Step 8: Add tomato paste and vegetable broth to thin it out.

Step 9: Add garam massala.

Step 10: Serve with rice!

It might look like a lot, but this literally comes together in a few minutes. The majority of your time will be on cutting up your onions/garlic. Like I said, you can substitute the dries varieties (just add them in with the tomato paste), or pick up some pre-cut veggies at the store. Portions are very flexible, here. In the pictures I was showing making a huge batch, but the directions here will be based on 1 15-oz can. If you’re using the 2 larger cans like in the picture, you’d want more of everything.

Quick and Easy Chana Massala

Eat to Live 6-week plan compliant

1 15 oz rinsed and drained chickpeas
2 Tbs chopped onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 cup veggie broth (more as needed)
1-2 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp garam massala, or to taste

1. Sauté onion in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add small amounts of veggie broth if necessary to prevent sticking. Sauté until softened.
2. Add garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant.
3. Add chickpeas, and sauté until heated.
4. Add tomato paste and vegetable broth. Mix throughly.
5. Add garam massala. Again, mix throughly.
6. Serve with brown rice. There are microwave varieties out there, if you need that fast, too!

Chana Massala, served with rice.

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Vegan Pizza Day!

Posted on January 29, 2011 by jodie

Today was the first annual Vegan Pizza Day, and well, I ate pizza. 🙂

First pizza:

Whole grain dough with olive oil, Field Roast Italian vegan sausage, rosemary and potato, with a little Daiya vegan cheese. I loved this one.

Second pizza:

Whole wheat dough with Daiya cheese, pizza sauce, and more Field Roast Italian vegan sausage. This one was good, but I liked the other one more. Vegan boyfriend liked this one best.

Close-up shot.

We had our pizza with some wine:

I tried Culpeo Malbec at a wine and chocolate tasting over the summer in New Haven at Kerin. I immediately liked it, except for that it is hard to find- I only know of a distributor in Connecticut that gets it. If you can find it, I highly recommend this vegan, organic, awesome wine!

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