Recipe!

Vegetable Bhaji

8 servings

3-4 Tbsp. oil
3 large onions, finely chopped in a food processor
5-6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1&1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1&1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
2-3 Tbsp. sugar
6 oz. can of tomato paste
8 oz. small mushrooms
1 med yam, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 large tomato, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
2 carrots, cut into thin slices
handful of green beans, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 med eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves cut & chopped

-Take the 3 onions, cut into chunks, and add them to a food processor or finely grounded in a blender. Add 1/2 cup of water and the tomato paste to the onions and blend with the onions for 20 seconds more.

-Heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic until very lightly browned.

-Lower heat and add the pureed onions and tomato paste, turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin, and cilantro.

-Stir and fry the spices, adding approximately 1/4 cup of water to prevent the spices from sticking to the bottom of a pan. Continue until you have fried the spices approximately 5 minutes.

-Add the salt and sugar, mix well and add the remaining vegetables. Stir until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle in approximately 2 Tbsp. water and cover the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes.

-The finished dish should have a small amount of sauce, but it should not be runny. If necessary, take the lid off and cook quickly until the sauce is reasonably thick.

*note: Due to the uneven cooking time needed to soften the yams & carrots, you may need to pre-cook to soften them, so that they will cook evenly with the other vegetables.

Why Not?

So, I was listening to a radio interview the other day regarding Michelle Obama's effort to bring more healthy food choices into public schools. Being questioned was a member of the First Lady's staff, as well as the White House chef. There seemed to be great concern on the part of the interviewer regarding the future of a company, like Cheetos, for instance, if they couldn't make money by profiting from kids. In essence, "How could we do this to them?"

blech.

Junk food and fast food companies make an unhealthy product. Why can't we educate people, and give our children healthy, lively food as an alternative? Why do some folks care more about the Coca-cola company's bottom line than they do the well-being of kids (or all people) in this country?

Better food equals less disease. Here are some statistics from N.A.C.H. (National Association of Childrens' Hospitals)...

-According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 percent of children (over 9 million) 6-19 years old are overweight or obese -- a number that has tripled since 1980.
-Overweight adolescents have a 70 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
-Only Illinois has a statewide requirement for daily physical education (in schools).
-Nearly one-third of U.S. Children aged 4 to 19 eat fast food every day, resulting in approximately six extra pounds per year, per child. Fast food consumption has increased fivefold among children since 1970.
-In case reports limited to the 1990s, Type 2 diabetes accounted for 8 to 45 percent of all new pediatric cases of diabetes, in contrast with fewer than 4 percent before the 1990s.
-In a population-based sample, approximately 60 percent of obese children aged 5 to 10 years had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, such as elevated total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin or blood pressure, and 25 percent had two or more risk factors.

Why can't we tell our children what food is good for them? What is wrong with eliminating unhealthy food choices from school vending machines???

Look; under the law, we don't let kids smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol. These things are bad for kids (and adults). What's so different about food? What is so wrong with keeping our children out of harm's way?

Quote

"Fruits, nuts, cereal, and vegetation were the basis of the human diet over the millennia. Our modern diet is really an anathema to our whole historical evolution."
–Oliver Alabaster, MD

Recipe!

Cumin-Spiced Quick Bread

A perfect bread for autumnal weather, a perfect recipe for busy folks like yourself! Serve warm with Earth Balance, you'll think you've died and gone to a harvest heaven.

(from La Dolce Vegan, Sarah Kramer)

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp salt
egg replacer to equal 2 eggs*
1 & 1/2 cups "milk"
1/3 cup oil

Preheat the oven to 350*F. Lightly oil a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cumin, cumin seeds, and salt. Add the egg replacer, "milk", and oil and gently stir dough until "just mixed." Pour evenly into loaf pan and back fro 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. Makes 1 loaf.


*NOTE- Silken tofu is a great egg replacer! 1/4 cup blended tofu = 1 egg. Also, "Ener-G Egg Replacer" (powdered) can be found in most health food stores. Bananas are better for sweeter recipes...

Quote

"The same amount of land used to graze and feed cattle could feed ten people, if however we cultivated it with lentils, kidney beans or peas it could feed a hundred people....The Orinoco basin can produce sufficient bananas to feed the whole of mankind comfortably."
–Alexander von Humbold

Quote

"People of the future will say, “meat-eaters!” in disgust and regard us in the same way that we regard cannibals and cannibalism."
-Dennis Weaver, quoted by Gail Davis in Vegetarian Food for Thought

Hold the Onions!

Today's email from Yoga Journal's "Eating Wisely" columnist reminded me of how tough it can be to eat vegetarian... when there are vegetables that you HATE. I know, I know-HATE is a strong word, and I rarely use it. When it comes to onions, however, I can't emphasize it enough! Luckily for me, onions are easy to omit when you are cooking at home. And when it comes to eating out, well, a simple request to the kitchen usually does the trick.

On the other hand, I also really dislike mushrooms! Today's offering from YJ's column included two mushrooms recipes... which is no big deal, I get to skip over them. However, many people assume that because you're not eating a "regular" burger at the restaurant or barbecue, that a portobello mushroom burger is EXACTLY what you've been waiting for! Uh, wrong! Anyway, just like anything else, I have gotten used to finding something else, or being okay with a garden salad until I get home.

What if what you hate though, is tofu? Or broccoli? Or peanuts? An ingredient, that to me, would seem hard to replace, whether for taste or nutrient's-sake? Have you found a suitable stand-in? Or are you still looking? Share your stories of dislike, and maybe we can all brainstorm together...

You're veg*n...

...so what are you doing for Thanksgiving? Having dinner but skipping the turkey all together? Making your own "tofurkey" or getting the store-bought? Watching others eat it? Or maybe, just going out for vegetarian pho soup?

The holidays can be a tough time for us veg*ns... with so many family celebrations planned around traditional, "meat-centric" meals.

Don't fear-just PLAN ahead!

Why am I Vegan?

I stopped seeing any difference between the animals in my house... and the animals on my plate.

Quote

...on being a healthy & strong veg*n...

"Consider the biggest animals on the planet: elephants, and buffaloes, and giraffes. These are vegetarian animals. They grow to thousands of pounds of muscle and bone without ever eating cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizzas."
-Michael Klaper, M.D.

Snack Recipe!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Popcorn

(from the pages of Vegetarian Times, Oct. '09)

"Skip the chips! This crunchy treat will satisfy kids' snack urges and still leave room for cake and ice cream."

6 cups air-popped popcorn or plain, unsalted microwave popcorn
1/4 cup vegan margarine, melted (EARTH BALANCE!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Toss popcorn with melted margarine. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, and toss to coat.

A sweet, light treat for everyone to ENJOY!

Wisdom from the Birthday Girl...

Today is my dear friend Aminda's birthday. Aminda is newly vegan, and a beautiful example of the freedom and joy a vegan diet can bring about (fyi, she was fabulous and joyful even before this).

In a Facebook discussion of a video I posted on my page concerning Eli Lilly and the production of BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone, or rBST), Aminda shared a wonderful sentiment about seeing things from a new perspective; that of a mama cow in a dairy farm...

"...I had a moment today where ice cream sounded really good...and I swear to you I choked up - here's what went through my head...imagine a mother...she has a baby and that baby is immediately taken from her, she longs for her child but the only thing she has left is the milk in her breast...someone takes that milk forceably from her. and then she is given hormones wherein she must continually give her mother's milk against her will....never to nurture her child and possible never to have another one. All the while getting sicker and weaker...
Stopping rBGH is the only logical, reasonable, human thing to do."

The thought is devastating, isn't it? I invite you to remember this the next time you reach for a glass of milk...

*** YOU can visit Aminda online @ "www.vitruviayoga.com" ***

Thank you, Aminda, for giving us something to think about. Oh, and Happy Birthday!!!

Quote

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated… I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by [people] from the cruelty of [human kind].”
-Mahatma Gandhi

High IQ Children Become Vegetarian Adults...

For Real? Well, I've always assumed it to be true (tee hee), but now we have scientific proof. According to a British study, "having a high IQ as a child is significantly linked to being a vegetarian as an adult."

So what came first; (forgive the expression) the chicken or the egg? We could deduce that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will certainly boost brain power. OR, could it be that intelligent people are more likely to consider animal welfare and health issues when it comes to diet?

Famous veg*ns include Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Ben Franklin, Paul McCartney, and George Bernard Shaw. (see July posts for more complete lists)

Tell me what you think!

Vegan Perks

There are so many things I love about being vegan. Really. Knowing that I am making a difference in my own little (or not so little?) way makes me feel more connected to every living thing around me. Maybe a tad selfish, but it's a cool feeling, what can I say?

Yesterday I was able to benefit from my veganism in another way. I went to Whole Foods after my last class to purchase soy milk, soy "creamer", and Vegan Oregon Chai. After 3 classes taught, all by 2pm, I admit I was tired and distracted by the time I arrived home. I realized about 3-4 hours later, that I never brought in my groceries-I left my items in the back seat of my car! *whoops*

I would like to say I've never done this before, but that would be a big fat vegan-lie... I can say, though-that when you don't drink cow's milk, you don't have to worry about it going bad!!! I just got out to my car, brought my stuff in and threw it in the fridge, without a concern about this stuff killing me later on. This also comes in handy when dealing with leftovers. There is no special temperature that you need to keep vegetables before packing up and storing. Just throw it in the fridge! easy-peasy.

Now, I can't say that vegan food doesn't go bad, or that you CAN'T get sick from it... but I think I can safely say your chances are a LOT smaller when you don't eat animal protein. Vegan=1. Omnivore=0.

Recipe!

I had the BEST lunch yesterday... it was just a "throw-together" kind of meal, and I'm so happy how it turned out! This should make enough for 2 people.

Red Pepper & Basil Pasta

2 C cooked short pasta (I used Brown Rice Penne Pasta from Trader Joe's)
1 med. Red Bell Pepper-chopped
2 Tbs. Garlic-minced
1/2 C marinara sauce (I prefer "tomato & basil" from TJ's)
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/3 C loosley packed, fresh Basil-chopped (garnish)
sea salt (to taste)

Cook pasta, drain, set aside. Saute garlic & olive oil over MEDIUM heat (both will burn!) for a minute or so and then add the pepper. Saute for another 2 minutes then add the pasta back to the mixture; turn heat to low. Stir, add a touch more olive oil if the pasta is sticking. Add marinara; just enough to cover pasta mixture completely. The sauce should heat up rather quickly. Serve up and garnish with the chopped basil & sea salt.

Enjoy!

Veg*n at the movies...

Zombieland

I had a great time at the movies today, thanks to Woody Harrelson (vegan!) and his crew of ass-kicking zombie-killers. The movie was gross and hilarious and super-fun. I'm not big on too much gore, but this was totally bearable.

My favorite part of the film was early on when "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) explained how the U.S. became "Zombieland". Apparently, someone ate a bad burger (as if all burgers weren't bad... lol). Mad Cow disease quickly evolved into Mad Human disease, the "mad humans" ripened into ZOMBIES. Argh! That's a pretty damn good excuse to go veg*n, in my book.

This reminds me of my 2nd favorite quote from John Robbins (author of Food Revolution and Diet for a New America)...
"You don't hear anybody talk about mad-tofu disease."

Anyway, go see this movie. Go laugh, and have some fun (don't forget rule #32, Enjoy The Little Things).

"That'll do, Pig. That'll do."

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

October 1st is the kickoff of Vegetarian Awareness Month. What can you do to celebrate? Have you tried going veg*n for a day? A week? A month? Maybe now is the time commit yourself to a "test-run"!

Already veg*n? Why not help spread the word by providing a positive example of the veg*n lifestyle. Instead of talking about what you're missing out on, tell those around you about what wonderful options you have! Take someone out to a veg*n restaurant, or cook your loved ones a meat-free meal... show them how tasty and filling our food choices really are.

Help de-bunk these myths about veg*nism being a "deprivation" diet. Have fun, be well, and help change the world!