Ayurvedic-Spiced Pumpkin Granola

So let’s discuss the fact that I haven’t written a new post in a week—as in seven days without offering you, dear readers, a new recipe, restaurant review, COK internship update, or philosophical musing on the ethics of eating animals. Let’s discuss the fact that between my daily 9:00-4:00 stint as a tireless non-profit worker and my almost nightly moonlighting as a yogi, my role as a blogger has unfortunately experienced a bit of neglect. Let’s discuss the fact that, far from complaining about this busyness, I’m perpetually reveling in my fortune of spending the summer spreading the message of universal compassion, practicing yoga at an activist-driven studio, sampling the best vegan cuisine DC has to offer, and experimenting with farmers’ market produce in the kitchen…but not really so much blogging.

This will change.

Employing my magical blogging powers (or a humble process known as “Writing Your Posts in Advance Over the Weekend When You Actually Have Spare Time”), I fully intend to restore Farmers Market Vegan back to its’ usual thrice-weekly posting status during my DC summer. The upcoming posts that you can expect to grace your computer screen include a review of the community gathering place/bookstore/art gallery/poetry slam venue/super vegan-friendly restaurant Busboys and Poets, a glimpse into DC’s farmers’ market scene, a recounting of the revelation I experienced from reading “Vegan for Life,” and my newly formed meaning of “Farmers Market Vegan.”

Today, however, I’d like to introduce you to the third batch of granola I’ve concocted whilst in DC—one whose complexity and uniqueness earns a well-deserved spot alongside my other unorthodox cereal recipes, such as my Berry Lemongrass Granola with Coconut and Cashews, Chocolate Kale Granola, and Sweet Corn Thyme Granola. Discovering an absence of crunchy clustery smoothie toppings from my refrigerator this morning, I hopped on over to the pantry to find a can of pumpkin puree and a bag of dried apricots, for both of which I yet had no future plans. Recalling my beloved “Ayurvedic Vegan Kitchen” cookbook that I sadly left in storage over the summer, I decided to combine these two ingredients with an amalgamation of warming spices to create a grounding granola that would balance out the hectic feelings of the past week.

According to ayurveda, since I harbor a pitta dosha (aka body type), I can easily become controlling, judgmental, impatient, and argumentative if overstimulated, as I have been since commencing my whirlwind of a summer in DC. In order to rekindle balance within my emotional and physical self, I should consume sweet, bitter, and astringent foods, all of which I implemented in this golden granola. For example, apricots, pumpkin, oats, buckwheat, cardamom, cinnamon, and walnuts all fall under the sweet category; walnuts and turmeric offer astringency; and cinnamon and turmeric provide bitterness. In addition, ayurveda highly recommends that to maintain balance, pitta types should regularly consume all of the spices that I’ve included in this granola. Basically, if I don’t feel the frenziedness fleeing from my body after eating a spoonful of this granola, I’ll immediately lose hope of all notions of ayurvedic healing…except how could I when they inspired such a nourishing, comforting, and vibrantly hued breakfast treat? A cluster of this granola reminds me of an Indian-spiced pumpkin pie. Man, Ayurveda is scrumptious.

Ayruvedic-Spiced Pumpkin Granola—Soy Free, Oil Free, Low Sodium.

Makes about 6 cups.

Ingredients:

10 dried apricots, chopped
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, can also used sweet potato or squash puree)
1 tbsp almond butter
Juice of 1/2 an orange
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground fennel seeds
1/8 tsp turmeric
4-6 tbsp water or plant-based milk
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup raw buckwheat groats
2/3 cup flaxseed meal
1/3 cup hemp seeds
1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 315°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the chopped dried apricots in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with water and microwave for 1 minute. Let sit for at least 5 minutes until soft.

In a food processor or blender, combine the soaked apricots, pumpkin puree, almond butter, orange juice, and spices. Process until well-combined, adding the water or milk as needed to achieve a smooth consistency.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, buckwheat, flaxseed meal, hemp seeds, almonds, and walnuts. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until well-coated.

Divide the mixture in half and spread each half out over your prepared baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes, stir the granola and rotate the pans in the oven, and bake for another 15 minutes until golden-brown and crunchy.

Recipe submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays, Wellness Weekend, Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, and Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

Until next time, Ali.

Curried Carrot-Coconut Salad

Every Sunday and Wednesday nights mark the biweekly grocery shopping excursions embarked upon to replenish the Ferry House refrigerator with its usual bounty of fresh produce. However, because a house full of 21 hungry veg*n college students shares this bounty, it disappears into happy tummies. Fast. So fast that by the time the upcoming grocery shopping trip rolls around, one will most likely find a quite empty Ferry refrigerator. Case in point:

This temporary dearth of veggies proves most disheartening to the Ferry House members responsible for cooking dinner on Sunday and Wednesday night, seeing as grocery shopping happens after or during dinnertime. This Sunday, my spunky fellow Ferry-er Tamsin and I faced the refrigerator displayed above while charged with creating a satisfying meal for our 20 other house members. Containing nothing other than tomatoes, carrots, green bell peppers, garlic, lemons, and the previous night’s leftovers, the refrigerator essentially defined our dinner menu: a salsa of roasted tomatoes, peppers, and garlic; leftover adzuki-amaranth patties refurbished into a “pilaf” with lemon juice; and a shredded carrot salad.

Amazingly, Tamsin and I managed to create three rather phenomenally flavored dishes, but the carrot salad in particular stood out as the highlight of dinner. Tangy, succulent, and refreshing with the coconut’s tropical hint, the curry’s mellow spiciness, and the maple syrup’s deep sweetness, this salad earned multiple compliments from my dear Ferries. Though not available to Tamsin and I in the house’s brief food shortage, raisins and scallions would make lovely additions to this salad.

Curried Carrot-Coconut Salad—Raw, Soy Free, Nut Free, Low Sodium, Low Fat

Serves 8-10.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs carrots (about 8 large carrots), shredded
2/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1-1 1/2 tsp curry powder
Black pepper and salt to taste

Combine the shredded carrots and coconut in a large bowl. Mix well until combined.

Whisk together the maple syrup, oil, vinegar, and curry powder. Pour over the carrot mixture and toss until well-coated. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe submitted to Healthy Vegan Fridays and Wellness Weekend.

Comment Provoking Questions: What are some of your favorite improvised dishes?

Until next time, Ali.

Virtual Vegan Potluck 2013: Pomegranate-Infused Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower, Hazelnuts, and Arugula

 

Today I could not harbor more excitement toward participating in the third biannual Virtual Vegan Potluck! Hosted by three dedicated vegan bloggers, Virtual Vegan Potluck connects vegan bloggers worldwide in an online extravaganza of vegan recipe-sharing and food-gawking. Each participating blogger signs up to post a recipe for an appetizer, a beverage, a bread, a salad, a side dish, a soup, a main dish, or a dessert at exactly the same time on exactly the same day to simulate a real-life potluck for our beloved online vegan community. This year’s potluck garnered 169 participants—the largest turnout yet—and I cannot wait to see what plant-based compassionate yummies everyone cooked up.

For my contribution to the virtual party, I signed up to create a refreshing yet complexly flavored salad in celebration of the hot-weather foods I’ve craved since the onset of springtime. Way back in January during my college winter break, I visited my good friend and current housemate at his permanent residence in Brooklyn, NY. After meeting my friend at his capoeira class, I excitedly received a full tour of the vibrant Park Slope neighborhood in which he grew up, stopping at independent bookstores, health food co-ops, and Prospect Park along the way. Late in the afternoon, my friend and I met up with his mother and brother at the Brooklyn Museum to see the mind-boggling “Gravity and Grace” exhibition by Nigerian artist El Anatsui.

Having not eaten a proper meal for the entire day, my friend requested after we departed from the museum that we stop into a nearby modern café and deli called Lincoln Station. The sleekly decorated local-centric eatery serves soups, salads, and sandwiches to order, as well as an array of deli items made fresh daily. Though not a vegan business by any means, the café did offer a respectable array of animal-free options, including a delightful farro salad in which my friend chose to partake. Emphatically singing the praises of this salad as he munched, my friend eloquently narrated how each individual ingredient—roasted butternut squash and cauliflower, toasted hazelnuts, and arugula—sang with purity of flavor while peppered among the chewy, nutty farro and lightly coated in a simple, lemony dressing.

Upon returning to our home of Ferry House at Vassar, my friend requested that we recreate this salad together. We finally did so in celebration of the end of the academic year, and of the Virtual Vegan Potluck, of course. I did, however, imbue the salad with my own mischievous twists: First, I substituted short-grain brown rice for the glutinous farro. Second, I roasted the butternut squash and cauliflower with a hint of sweet, tart, and unctuous pomegranate vinegar, obtained at an artisan oil and vinegar shop called Scarborough Fare during my recent jaunt to New Paltz. The flavor of the resulting salad proved layered, complex, tangy, succulent, bright, and oh so delicious—perfect to share in the Virtual Vegan Potluck.

One important suggestion: immediately after toasting and chopping the hazelnuts, stick your nose right into them and get a big ol’ whiff. Your entire day—nay, week—will be fulfilled.

Pomegranate-Infused Brown Rice Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower, Hazelnuts, and Arugula—Soy Free, Low Sodium

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

2 cups short-grain brown rice
1 medium head of cauliflower, trimmed into small florets
1 smallish butternut squash, peeled and small-diced
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp pomegranate vinegar, divided
1 cup raw hazelnuts
Juice of 1 lemon
2-3 oz baby arugula

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, toast the rice over high heat until fragrant but not browned. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the toasted rice and boil for 45-50 minutes or until tender. If needed, add more water to ensure that the rice can move around freely rather than stick together. This will ensure that the rice will remain in individual grains rather than clumped together in the finished salad. When cooked, drain the rice and spread over a baking sheet to cool and to again prevent clumping.

While the rice cooks, in a medium bowl toss the diced butternut squash with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp pomegranate vinegar. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Repeat with the cauliflower florets. Transfer both roasted veggies to a large bowl.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 5-7 minutes, checking diligently to ensure that they don’t burn. Lay out a large dishtowel on the countertop and transfer the toasted hazelnuts into the middle of it. Pick up the corners of the towel to form a pouch and vigorously rub the hazelnuts around in it to remove their skins. Roughly chop the skinned hazelnuts and add them to the bowl with the roasted veggies. Stir to combine.

Spoon the brown rice into the veggie/hazelnut bowl in batches, stirring well to combine after each addition until all of the rice is fully incorporated. Add the lemon juice to the mixture and stir well to incorporate. Gently stir in the arugula in small handfuls until well-mixed. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe submitted to Healthy Vegan Friday and Wellness Weekend.

Check out Bite Me (I’m Vegan)’s bread recipe!

Check out Luminous Vegans’ salad recipe!

Until next time, Ali.

Review of Numi’s New Savory Teas

A couple weeks ago, I entered and very unexpectedly won the Numi Organics Savory Tea giveaway hosted by Sonnet at the top-notch blog For the Love of Food. Confident that I would immediately adore Numi’s savory tisanes based upon my ardent enthusiasm for tea, veggies, and Numi’s products, I eagerly awaited my sampler pack of Numi’s new line of savory teas. Upon arrival, I thoughtfully tasted each tea individually on separate days, steeping them for 10 minutes as instructed before taking the first sip and then allowing the tea to continue to infuse as I happily lapped the savory pick-me-up. Each flavor of Numi’s savory tea combines organic dehydrated vegetable bits, herbs, spices, and naturally decaffeinated green or black tea to create a broth-like, immensely comforting beverage perfectly accustomed for afternoon contemplation. I’ve recorded my thoughts on each of the savory tea flavors below.

Spinach Chive
Ingredients: Spinach leaves, chives, dried lime, dill, onion, decaf green tea, coriander, turmeric, garlic.

Undoubtedly my favorite of all the savory teas, the Spinach Chive tasted like the essence of a comforting herbed spinach soup. The savory dill and onion predominated in a prevalent yet not overpowering manner to imbue the tea with a light, springtime flavor. Rather unfortunately, I chose to enjoy this tea first out of the six flavors in my sampler pack, causing the remaining five teas to pale in comparison.

Beet Cabbage
Ingredients: Beet, cabbage, dried apple, decaf black tea, mustard seed, parsley, orange peel, coriander, clove, honeybush.

Boasting a much more succulent flavor than Numi’s other five savory teas, the Beet Cabbage derived its pleasant earthy-sweetness from the complementary combination of beets and apples. While the clove predominates in both flavor and aroma, I could still slightly discern the cabbage’s cruciferous undertones, which verily impressed me.

Carrot Curry
Ingredients: Carrot, curry, cilantro, onion, ginger, turmeric, decaf green tea.

Though I usually find overwhelmingly spicy the flavor of curry powder, the Carrot Curry tea nicely balances the curry’s intensity with the carrots’ slight sweetness and the cilantro’s mild citrus undertones. Though a quite nice tea, the Carrot Curry did not harbor as complex a flavor as some of the other five savory teas, and thus tasted a bit one-note.

Tomato Mint
Ingredients: Tomato, onion, mint, lemon peel, parsley, cinnamon, black pepper, decaf black tea, allspice.

Probably my second favorite of the five savory tea flavors, the Tomato Mint offered the unmistakable summery aroma of tomatoes and somehow managed to capture the fruit’s juicy succulence, as well. The individual flavors of every ingredient in the tea come through to create a symphony of brightness: the onion lends its savory bite, the hint of mint recedes nicely into the background for a refreshing aftertaste, the citrus offers a barely discernible yet much needed tang, and the cinnamon enhances the tomato’s natural sweetness.

Broccoli Cilantro
Ingredients: Broccoli, celery leaves, allspice, onion, cilantro, decaf green tea, garlic, black pepper, sage, turmeric.

While I held high hopes for this tea based on its tantalizing aroma, the Broccoli Cilantro unfortunately lacked a depth of flavor present in some of the other five teas. The allspice overwhelms the tea, forcing the earthy cruciferous and bright citrus notes of the cilantro to recede well into the background.

Fennel Spice
Ingredients: Fennel, celery root, orange peel, onion, dill, decaf green tea, honeybush, black pepper.

Similar to the Broccoli Cilantro, the Fennel Spice left me a bit disappointed. With my deep adoration of any and all things fennel, I wholeheartedly wish that the unmistakable anise flavor would have made its presence more obvious in the tea. Instead, the dill overpowered the fennel, causing the tea to taste more like a less oniony version of the Spinach Chive rather than a distinct tea in its own right.

All in all, Numi’s new line of savory teas verily impressed me, and I fully intend to order more of both the Spinach Chive and Tomato Mint flavors. I’d highly recommend these savory teas to any tea-lover for a delicious twist on their normal tea routine.

Note: Numi did not contact or pay me to write this review. The opinions expressed in this post are completely my own, uninfluenced by Numi.

Until next time, Ali.

Quickie Post: Lavender-Cardamom Nut Butter

This past Friday, to finish off the last of my stock of sprouted almonds and sunflower seeds, I opted to puree up another batch of homemade nut butter. However, I didn’t have enough sprouted nuts to facilitate blending in my regularly-sized foot processor, so I made up the difference with a bit of flaxseed meal. I had also, on a whim, picked up a bit of dried lavender buds during my most recent jaunt to the top-notch natural food store and vegan deli of Mother Earth’s Storehouse, and they caught my eye just as I prepared to create my nut butter concoction. Deciding to go all-out in my flavored nut butter-ing, I added the sweet spice of cardamom and a bit of vanilla extract to compliment the lavender. The thick nut butter that ensued imparted one of the most addictive aromas my nose has ever had the pleasure of smelling, and added an unbelievable dimension to my creamy banana-hemp oatmeal the next morning.

Obviously, you can create this nut butter with any blend of nuts you prefer, sprouted or not. If you use non-sprouted nuts, though, I’d recommend toasting them first to tenderize them and lighten the labor of your food processor.

Lavender-Cardamom Nut Butter—Raw, Oil Free, Soy Free, Low Sodium.

Makes about 1 cup.

1/2 cup almonds, sprouted or toasted
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, sprouted or toasted
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tsp dried lavender buds
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the almonds, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed meal in the bowl of a food processor. Blend for up to 20 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the nuts adopt a creamy, liquidinous texture (don’t fret, it will happen sooner or later!). Add the lavender, cardamom, and vanilla, and process until fully incorporated. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Recipe submitted to Waste Not Want Not Wednesdays, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Raw Food Thursdays, Foodtastic Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, and Wellness Weekend.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have another essay to write refuting Michael Pollan’s assertion that supporting “humane meat” will combat industrial agriculture more effectively than adopting a vegan diet.

Until next time, Ali.

Raw Granola Adventures and a Recipe for Sprouted Hemp & Green Superfood Granola

After unintentionally undergoing a three-month-long hiatus from my weekly granola-crafting ventures, I’m thrilled to say that—aided by my new best friend Mr. Ferry House Dehydrator—I’ve returned with a vengeance to the ever-rewarding realm of granola-making. Desperate to whip up some crunchy raw breakfast goodies in my ancient Excalibur, I turned to one of the best sources I know of for guidance in the ways of raw granola: Fragrant Vanilla Cake. Though deciding between Amy’s array of tantalizing cereal recipes proved quite difficult (how could I not have had trouble when presented with titles like Raw Carrot Cake Granola, Raw Strawberries and Cream Granola, and Raw Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Granola?), my enthusiasm for the always pleasing combination of bittersweet chocolate and tart berries drew me toward the Raw Chocolate Berry Love Granola.

Unfortunately, my impatient hankering to slip a batch of granola into the dehydrator prevented me from taking the time to sprout some buckwheat, and I thereby had to change up Amy’s original recipe a bit. My tweaks to the recipe include:

• Substituted gluten-free rolled oats for the sprouted buckwheat.
• Used sprouted almonds and sunflower seeds in placed of the soaked nuts for which the recipe calls.
• Used maple syrup as the sweetener and reduced the amount from 1/3 to 1/4 cup.
• Omitted the cacao nibs (I didn’t have any on hand).

Incomparably flaky, unbelievably clustery, and beautifully aromatic, the results of my first endeavor with dehydrated granola rendered me wholly unwilling to return to oven-baked granola anytime soon.

Indeed, my immediate conversion to dehydrated granola inspired me to sprout a batch of buckwheat and experiment with my own recipe. Perhaps you recall the mention of my current favorite packaged granola—the Hemp and Greens Superfood Cereal from Living Intentions—during my recent journey to Austin. Since the Vassar area boasts no Whole Foods locations (the closest market is in Connecticut, for goodness’ sake), out of my yearning to once again enjoy this particular granola I decided to create my own homemade version of it. A gander at the Living Intentions ingredient list aided me in formulating my interpretation of the cereal: the buckwheat sprouts, coconut, banana, and vanilla extract remained, while I substituted date sugar for the coconut sugar; chopped dried figs for the sultanas; hemp, chia, and flax seeds for the sunflower sprouts, rice bran, and sesame seeds; and Amazing Grass Green Superfoods powder for the green protein superfoods blend. While 2 1/2 cups of the packaged version of the Hemp and Greens Superfood Cereal costs a pretty $8.59 ($1.70 per 1/2 cup), 4 cups of my homemade iteration costs approximately a mere $5.59 ($0.70 per 1/2 cup—a whole dollar less!). Saving money, invoking a sense of accomplishment, and enjoying delicious granola? What a win-win-win situation.

Sprouted Hemp & Greens Granola—Raw, Soy Free, Oil Free, Nut Free, Low Sodium, Low Fat.

Makes about 4 cups.

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat, soaked and sprouted
1 large ripe banana
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup dried fruit of choice, chopped (I used figs)
1/4 cup date or coconut sugar
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
1 heaping tbsp green superfoods powder (I used Amazing Grass)
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, mash the banana. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Spread the mixture evenly over two dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 115° for 8-12 hours, or until nice and crunchy.

Recipe submitted to Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Raw Food Thursdays, Foodtastic Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Wellness Weekend.

Rest assured that you, dear reader, will see plenty more dehydrated granola adventures in the blog’s future.

Until next time, Ali.

Raw Garden Vegetable Sandwiches with Scallion Cashew Cream Cheese & Marinated Mushrooms

After nearly three years of wishing, yearning, longing, pining, and desperately hoping to gain immediate access to a dehydrator, I’ve finally had one of my utmost culinary wishes fulfilled after moving into the Vassar campus’ vegan/vegetarian egalitarian housing cooperative known as Ferry House. One of Ferry’s past members left her old Excalibur dehydrator in the house after moving out, and I ecstatically unearthed the dust-gathering appliance from the Ferry pantry the other day (aka, the happiest day of my life). Now armed with the necessary equipment as well as a freezer full of almond and vegetable pulp leftover from homemaking almond milk and juice, I set out to create my very own raw bread as my first authentic dehydration endeavor.

A while back, I crafted a savory green juice, loosely inspired by the bloody mary drink, of kale, tomatoes, red bell peppers, and carrots. Combining the frozen pulp of this juice with fluffy almond pulp, a couple of my favorite umami seasonings, and flaxmeal for binding yielded a deeply flavored, veggie-packed, verdant raw bread that spoke to me as the essence of hot-weather food. Inspired to create a raw variation of the finger sandwiches that one might enjoy at a white-gloved garden party, I naturally had to whip up a brightly flavored cashew cream cheese to spread on the bread. Finally, playing off of the unctuous umami flavors in the bread, I decided to marinate a couple of sliced mushrooms in the ever-famous Liquid Gold Dressing and slightly dehydrate them to achieve a chewy, meaty texture.

Marinated mushrooms fresh out of the dehydrator.

From the combination of these three recipes ensued one of the most flavorful, fresh, and satisfying raw sandwiches I’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying; I plan on crafting oodles more raw sandwiches in the coming dehydrator-filled weeks. If you don’t, however, own a dehydrator, you can still enjoy this and other fabulous raw sandwiches by following my instructions for How to Dehydrate Without a Dehydrator. Also, if you don’t have a surplus of almond and veggie pulp, you can use ground almonds and a blend of shredded vegetables (such as zucchini and carrots) squeezed of excess moisture instead.

Raw Garden Vegetable Sandwiches with Scallion Cashew Cream Cheese & Marinated Mushrooms—Raw, Soy Free, Low Sodium.

Makes 3 sandwiches.

Raw Bread Ingredients:

1 cup almond pulp (thawed if frozen)
1 1/2 cups vegetable juice pulp (I used a blend of kale, red bell peppers, tomatoes, and carrots; thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp tamari
1 tbsp miso
2 tbsp chia seeds
2-4 tbsp water to blend

Scallion Cashew Cream Cheese Ingredients:

1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight (or for at least 2 hours)
1/4-1/3 cup water
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp miso
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 scallions, white parts only, sliced

Marinated Mushrooms Ingredients:

6 large button mushrooms, thinly sliced
6-8 tbsp Liquid Gold Dressing

Ingredients for Assembly:

2 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 large leaves of lettuce

Raw Bread Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth, adding just enough water to facilitate blending. Spread the mixture evenly onto a Teflex-lined dehydrator sheet and score into 6 rectangles. Dehydrate at 115°F for 6 hours or until dry and crunchy, flipping once about halfway through the dehydration time. Once dry, carefully remove the bread from the dehydrator sheets and snap along the score lines to separate into six pieces.

Alternatively, if you don’t own a dehydrator, you can use your oven to dehydrate the crackers by following my instructions for How to Dehydrate Without a Dehydrator.

Scallion Cashew Cream Cheese Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients except scallions in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the sliced scallions and blend until just incorporated. Refrigerate until thickened.

Marinated Mushrooms Directions:

Place the sliced mushrooms in a medium bowl and toss to coat with the Liquid Gold Dressing. You can now do one of two things: allow the mushrooms to sit in the marinade for 2-4 hours until softened, or place the coated mushrooms on a Teflex-lined dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 120°F for about 1-2 hours or until the mushrooms’ texture becomes meaty and chewy.

Directions for Assembly:

Spread about a tablepoon of the cashew cream cheese evenly onto one slice of bread. Layer on two slices of tomato, a leaf of lettuce, and 1/3 of the marinated mushrooms, then top with another slice of bread spread with another tablespoon of cashew cream cheese. Repeat to make two more sandwiches.

Recipe submitted to Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Raw Food Thursdays, Foodtastic Friday, Healthy Vegan Friday, and Wellness Weekend.

Until next time, Ali.

Granola of the Week #7: Vanilla Bean-Sprouted Sunflower Seed Cereal & Why Honey Isn’t Vegan

I regret to say that I’ve recently fallen off my weekly granola-crafting track, preferring the succulently sauteed breakfast greens featured in the Ayurvedic Vegan Kitchen accompanied by soy yogurt and fruit instead of my previously habitual green smoothie topped with granola. Last week, however, the insatiable urge to make granola once again gripped my being, compelling me to bake up a pan of grainy-nutty goodness that I hold so near to my heart. However, rather than producing yet another variation on my never-fail template recipe for fresh fruit-sweetened granola, I opted to experiment with a breakfast cereal more akin to crunchy squares rather than clustery bites. As my inspiration, I utilized the sprouted granola recipe that Juli Novotney highlights on her clean-eating blog, PUREmamas, to yield a pan of intensely fragrant, hearty, golden-brown cereal ideal for stirring into soy yogurt (can you tell how crazy I am about soy yogurt lately?).

Below, I’ve listed the changes I made to Juli’s original recipe:

• Substituted cardamom for cinnamon, because cardamom holds the title of Ali’s favorite sweet spice, far above the more conventionally used cinnamon.
• Substituted flaxseed meal for coconut sugar. I fully understand that these two ingredients fulfill completely different functions, but allow me to explain my choice of substitution: I prefer minimally sweet granolas, for who wants to wake up to a sugar shock (just humor me and pretend that people don’t eat Froot Loops or Cocoa Puffs for breakfast)? Instead, I like for my granolas to contain a generous amount of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and various superfoods. Flaxseed meal fulfills all three of my aforementioned breakfast cereal preferences while not contributing added sweetness, and harbors the same powdery texture as does coconut sugar. Thus, flaxseed meal=coconut sugar for all intents and purposes in this particular granola experiment.
• Substituted maple syrup for honey, because honey ain’t vegan, folks! Not only do bees require their own honey to provide their means of sustenance, many commercial apiaries function essentially as bee factory farms, “stacking honeybee colonies in interlocking boxes and treating them much like the dairy industry treats cows: as biological honey machines to be milked for profit,” according to the March+April 2013 issue of VegNews magazine. The article also offers this unfortunate information about large-scale honey production, which most likely serves as a contributor to the recent epidemic of colony collapse disorder:

“…bees make honey so their colony will have enough food to survive the winter. Many beekeepers sell all of that honey and replace it with nutritionally deficient sugar water or corn sytrup. Additionally, queen bees can live for five years but are routinely killed and replaced after only one or two to increase the hive’s honey production. Some industrial beekeepers destroy entire colonies after the fall honey harvest because it’s cheaper for them to simply start new hives in spring than to maintain them over winter.”

Though some vegans seem to regard honey as permissable, I personally find it equally as unacceptable to consume as dairy and animal flesh. Why shouldn’t our compassion extend to insects? Why draw the line of humane living at animals of the mammalian, avian, marine, etc. domains? Frankly, I don’t feel comfortable consuming honey for the same reason I don’t feel comfortable consuming other animal flesh and secretions: it’s not mine to take.

• Used 2 tbsp coconut oil + 1/2 small apple in place of the 4 tbsp coconut oil. I also prefer to limit the amount of oil in my granolas, simply because oil does not offer as many nutrients as the vast majority of my other staple granola ingredients, including the ever-popular and oh-so-healthy apple, which provides adequate moisture to replace oil when pureed.
• Omitted the salt, because research conveyed by the lovely Dr. Fuhrman purports that vegans and vegetarians actually must pay closer attention to their sodium intake than meat-eaters, since the arterial plaque build-up that ensues from eating animal-based saturated fat actually protects the fragile blood vessles from rupturing (but also causes coronary heart disease, so…).

What an unexpectedly interesting discussion of a range of vegan issues, and all from a simple breakfast cereal recipe! What can’t granola accomplish?

Until next time, Ali.

What I Ate Wednesday #66: My Last WIAW

Yes, I understand that another “What I Ate Wednesday” constituted my last post, as well. Yes, I understand that recipes, ethical/philosophical musings, and restaurant reviews serve as vastly more intriguing topics than my weekly eats do (perhaps some of you may argue to the contrary, but that’s simply my humble opinion). However, in the midst of authoring an important piece for a vegan-related, non-blogging outlet as well as beginning my second essay in my three-part series exposing Michael Pollan’s ulterior motives, I’ve devoted much of my intellectual/writing-related energies toward venues other than my beloved blog. Fear not though, dear readers, for I hope to soon channel these energies back to the world of the vegan blogosphere. Once that happens, I intend to no longer participate in this weekly meal recap as I have for 66 past Wednesdays, for I’d prefer for my blog to cultivate a more professional atmosphere fostering intellectual discussion among innovative recipes. Hopefully, the elimination of What I Ate Wednesdays from my blog will allow me to provide more intriguing content on a more regular basis. So now, for the last time, please enjoy another round of my stupendously intriguing meals.

Breakfast: A breakfast salad of baby spinach, amaranth, brown rice, goji berries, wild blueberries, and chia seeds tossed in a dressing of plain unsweetened soy yogurt, homemade sprouted almond butter, and Amazing Grass Green Superfoods Powder, sprinkled with the contents of one capsule of Rainbow Light’s Advanced Enzyme Systems digestive enzymes.

Breakfast Checklist: Protein—soy yogurt, sprouted almond butter, chia seeds. Whole Grain—brown rice, amaranth. Fruit—goji berries, blueberries. Leafy Green—baby spinach. Superfoods—goji berries, chia seeds, Amazing Grass powder.

Morning Tea: Rooibos Red Tea from Alvita.

Lunch: An open-faced sandwich of a lentil-brown rice-roasted sweet potato & broccoli burger on top of a brown rice cake slathered with tahini, sauerkraut, and dulse seaweed flakes, accompanied by a bowl of mushroom, leek, and spinach soup sprinkled with nutritional yeast.

Meal Checklist: Protein—beluga lentils, tahini. Whole Grain—brown rice. Vegetables/Fruit—sweet potato, broccoli, cabbage, leeks, spinach, mushrooms. Leafy Greens—spinach, broccoli, cabbage in sauerkraut.

Afternoon Beverage: Kukicha Twig Tea from Eden Organics.

A bottle of GT’s Kombucha in Cosmic Cranberry flavor.

Dinner: A breakfast-dinner of savory Sweet Potato Belgian Waffles (made with my new, very own waffle iron!) topped with Coconut-Braised Kale and served alongside strips of Tempeh Bacon, courtesy of Kathy Patalsky—my biweekly dinner contribution to the Ferry household.

Meal Checklist: Protein—chickpea flour, fava flour, tempeh. Whole Grain—sorghym flour. Vegetables—kale, garlic, onions, sweet potato. Leafy Greens—kale.

After-Dinner Beverage: Traditional Medicinals’ Organic Eater’s Digest tea.

Happy WIAW!

Until next time, Ali.

Spirulina-Mango Waffles with Goji Berries

In my most recent What I Ate Wednesday post, I revealed my embarrassing failure of a first experience with a waffle iron, one that ended in all but a couple of crumbs sticking hopelessly to the cast-iron grates. Never one to throw in the proverbial towel after a single bout of culinary experimentation, however, I remained quite enamored with the notion of enjoying blissfully fluffy, perfectly checkerboarded waffles crafted from scratch. Since I plan on returning to a waffle-iron-less Ferry Haus tomorrow due to the end of Vassar’s spring break, this morning began a mere 24-hour countdown during which to transform my waffle-based dreams into reality with the help of the rather ancient waffle iron lurking in the kitchen cabinets of my parents’ subletted NYC apartment. Waffling, away!

After adequately stocking my parents’ pantry and refrigerator with homemade almond milk, gluten-free flour, various superfoods, and coconut oil, I rendered myself well-equipped to craft successful waffles, much moreso than when I had relied upon the various questionable flour substitutions already in my parents’ kitchen (Important note to readers: a mixture of cornmeal, kasha ground in the food processor, almond pulp, and nutritional yeast does not equal flour). I decided to establish round two of my waffle-crafting adventures upon this recipe from Ashlae at Oh, Ladycakes, whose dependably tasty recipes I trust wholeheartedly; under her guidance, how could my waffles fail? Inspired by Ashlae’s note regarding the substitution of the sweet potato puree in her recipe with any other fruit/veggie puree, I turned to a bag of frozen mango to utilize as the base of a fruity, rather tropical variation of Ashlae’s original waffles.

As you can clearly tell from my posting of this recipe, my second bout of waffle-making endeavors proved quite triumphant, yielding the fluffy, chewy, immensely satisfying breakfast treats about which I’ve dreamed since first spotting that old beaten-up waffle iron in the cabinet of my parents’ apartment. Adding to my morning meal delight, I drizzled the waffles with a caramel-like sauce of 1 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 2 tsp maca powder, and 2 tbsp water. You can certainly opt to do the same (and I would highly recommend it), or you can simply top your waffles with fresh fruit, maple syrup, and/or jam.

Though I didn’t intend to include spirulina in the waffles when I began making them, the jar of plant-based milk that I had on hand contained an experimental homemade blend of sprouted sunflower seeds, dates, and spirulina. The inclusion of the algae did not hugely alter the tangy, bright flavor of the waffles, and added a couple micrograms more of complete protein, essential fatty acids, and vitamin B12 to the batter. However, you could certainly omit the spirulina if the waffles’ belated St. Patty’s Day greenness doesn’t jive with you.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to search for an inexpensive waffle iron to call my own—after these homemade waffles, I’m hooked.

Spirulina-Mango Waffles with Goji Berries—Can be Nut Free, Soy Free, Low Fat, Low Sodium

Makes about 12 small waffles.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups gluten free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill, but you could certanly make your own)
1 tbsp flaxseed meal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 cup mango puree
Scant 1 1/2 cups plant-based milk (I used almond)
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 tsp spirulina (optional)
1/4 cup goji berries

Preheat your waffle iron.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, and cardamom until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the mango puree, milk, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir together until well combined. Stir in the goji berries.

When the waffle iron has heated, spray it with oil. Cook waffles according to the instructions specific to your waffle iron.

Serve immediately or freeze the waffles for up to one month. Reheat frozen waffles in a toaster.

Recipe submitted to Waste Not Want Not Wednesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Foodtastic Friday, Healthy Vegan Friday, and Wellness Weekend.

Until next time, Ali.