Energy Bars

tweaked from Amy Choate & Natural Philosophy

who adapted from Emily Petty

 

1 1/2 c quick oats or gluten-free oats 

1/2 c raw sunflower seeds

1/4 c chia seeds

1/3 cup coconut flakes (I used small flakes)

1/3 c mini non-dairy chocolate chips

1/2 t powdered vanilla

pinch of salt

1/3 c organic raw agave syrup

1/2 c natural peanut butter

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Add wet ingredients.

Mix first with wooden spoon, then if you feel inspired, use your hands.

Press batter firmly into an 8 x 8 glass pan.

Refrigerate for a few hours, then cut into bars.

Notes:

Amy uses sprouted, then rolled oats, sprouted & dried sunflower seeds & pink salt. Those are the main differences.

I had run out of sunflower seeds, so I used half seeds & half small walnut pieces. You can also add raisins, craisins, omit the chocolate chips or just about anything goes.

Amy & her husband own our local yoga/Pilates studio. Natural Philosophy offers an airy & uplifting environment with a variety of classes throughout the week. An organic food store sits below the studio. 

1st yoga class is free - check it out at:

155 Church Street in Logan

435-213-3585

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natural-Philosophy/656204467730192   

Wise Eyes - the Adventure Begins

Possibly the 1st "green" young adult novel. 

Now available on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0984268251/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_dJ.ctb0Y839CF72H via @amazon

 

   Wise Eyes is a contemporary coming-of-age story dedicated to the great Beehive State, Utah. This first introductory book is set in Cache Valley, the north region of the state.

   You'll meet Daniel, Jenny, their friends and family. You'll learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint culture, be subjected to vegetarianism and its school of thought and have the opportunity to ponder many of the great mysteries of life.
   Author Marcy Hope Williams offers unique perspectives that only a true granola-cruncher could write.

   Lexile Measurement: 880

Golden Gluten-Free Apricot-Walnut Muffins

 

MAKES 10-11

2/3 cup soy milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup combined Smuckers' Simply Fruit apricot jam & agave nectar (1/2 c jam, then the remainder with agave)

1/3 cup safflower or canola oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup Arrowhead Gluten Free all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of fine sea salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spray tin with oil.

Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl, and set aside for at least 5 minutes or until it bubbles a little. If it doesn’t bubble, keep stirring the mixture until it does.

Add agave nectar, oil, and vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until no lumps remain.

Add walnuts & stir.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, and bake for 18 to 22 minutes - should be golden color. 

Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then cool completely on a baking rack before eating.

*I adapted Alicia Silverstone's Kind Diet wheat cupcakes to create gluten-free apricot muffins.

**Even though the Arrowhead Mills includes a rising agent, I still kept the baking powder & soda measurements the same.

Yummy!

Pecan Pie Crust

La Pièce de Résistance


Two Vegan Pumpkin Pies were made for Christmas. One with this pecan crust and one with a gluten-free crust. The pecan crust won hands down!

I haven't completely given up on the gluten-free crust, but it's going to take some serious tweaking. I'll share the recipe as soon as I reach perfection.

As far as the pecan crust goes. I'm going to include the recipe with one tip. 

2 cups raw pecans

1 T maple syrup

1 T oil - I used canola oil. Safflower would work well too.

Crush 1 1/2 c raw pecans to crumble size. Mix in maple syrup & oil. Press mixture on bottom & sides of 9" pie pan. I used glass.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees only until you can begin smelling the nut flavor. Do not over-bake!

Let cool.

Crush remaining 1/2 c pecans to flakes - set aside. 

After pie crust has cooled, pour in my pumpkin pie filling.

Sprinkle perimeter of pie with remaining 1/2 c pecan flakes.

Refrigerate over-night.

Top each slice with dollop of soy whipped cream.

STOVE-TOP VEGAN PUMPKIN PIE FILLING

After selecting & combining 4 recipes, plus adding a bit of my ingenuity I 'accidentally' came up with my perfect vegan pumpkin pie filling. Since my husband does not tolerate wheat gluten & I never really cared for pie crusts, I decided to forgo the pie & create a nice holiday pumpkin pudding.

I thought it would be simple - I'd just follow my chocolate pudding recipe making a few substitutions. But low & behold, an hour after I refrigerated my 'pudding' I discovered a consistency of pumpkin pie filling: firm & slice-able. I'm guessing that cornstarch becomes activated either by cooking over the stove or in the oven. So - for Christmas, it's back to pumpkin pie.

You can use any type of crust you'd like. I haven't decided if I'm going to opt for a gluten-free crust or combine nuts & dates to form the crust. I'll let you know later.

Here's my vegan pumpkin pie filling recipe:

Tip: Use exact amounts.

2 c canned pureed pumpkin (or freshly steamed pureed pumpkin) 

1 c soy creamer

1 T molasses

1 level T orange marmalade

1/2 c fructose

1/4 c cornstarch

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground nutmeg (can be freshly grated)

1/8 t clove

Whisk together 1st 4 wet ingredients in cooking pan that you will be using later (no heat).

Whisk together remaining 7 dry ingredients in separate bowl.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients using whisk.

Turn on stove to a medium-high heat.

Bring to boil whisking almost continuously.

Reduce to medium heat to continue medium boil for additional 6 minutes or until ingredients have thickened.
Tip: Cooking too little the filling won't set; cooking too long the filling will be rubbery.

Pour in cooled prepared pie crust.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Slice & serve each slice topped with a dollop of soy whipped cream & a sprinkle of ground filbert nuts. I'll be sure to add a finished pic after the holidays. :)

 Whisk dry & wet ingredients in separate bowls.

Here's a pic of what I thought I was making... pumpkin pudding!

By the way, my husband just informed me that I should enter my recipe in the county fair next year! 

What a compliment!

Wouldn't that be a fun surprise when I enter my gluten-free, no bake, vegan pumpkin pie recipe! 

Quick & Easy Basmati Rice

Ever get tired of stressing over making the 'perfect' rice? Well I did. Ages ago I came upon this alternative. Bake your rice - yes bake it, don't boil it! You'll never have to scrub a pan again! 

You'll need to decide what amount fits your or your family's needs. One dried cup of rice = about 6 cups cooked rice. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 c Basmati rice

3 1/2 c water

OR

1 c Basmati rice

1 3/4 c water

Rinse rice at least 4 times in water & drain.

Spatula out your moist rice into cooking casserole dish. I use glass or ceramic. (Don't grease pan!)

Add water & stir gently to even the rice out.

Cover & cook for 45 minutes.

You do not need to check on this rice during your cooking. It will turn out perfect in 45 minutes. 

When reusing the rice the following day, rinse and drain the desired amount of rice before using - this will re-constitute your rice to the tender state.

And enjoy!

Happy Holidays! 

FIESTA TIME!

Simple Vegan Taco Filling

 Begin with: 

3 cups cooked Basmati rice  

12 oz package of Lightlife Smart Ground (Mexican Style) - This is your meat alternative.

1 lg sweet yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

1 green bell pepper

2 large Roma tomatoes

3-4 T olive oil

sea salt

crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne - optional to your liking

Heat oil in skillet.

Add diced onion - saute for 3 minutes until glossy.

Add pressed garlic & saute for another minute.

Add diced green bell pepper.

Mix & saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes.

Stir gently & saute for another 2 minutes.

Add salt to taste.

Crumble soy meat before adding.

Stir gently & saute another 3 minutes.

Add crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like it with extra zing!

Add 2-3 cups cooked Basmati rice.

Gently stir mixture & cook for another 1-2 minutes. 

Voila - finished product!

Enjoy wrapped in a whole-wheat or corn tortilla or taco shell.

*I was inspired to watch Nica Sazon, Esther Lopez from Nicaragua creating her tortillas & fillings. She tops her finished product with a mixture of: shredded green cabbage, salt, tomato & finely diced onion. Her website is at: http://www.mimaseca.com/en/recetas/detalle-video/enchiladas/651 

My Best Cornbread Yet!

Easy to make - super moist, slice-able & made without eggs!

1 1/2 C gluten-free flour (I use Red Mills made from garbanzo beans) 

1 1/2 C corn flour (not meal, but flour - I used Maseca Masa brand)

1/2 C organic sugar 

1T baking powder (no skimping on this one; just barely over level)

1 t salt

1 C soymilk (almond milk works well also)

1 C Soy Sour Cream

1/3 C Canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. My oven runs hot, so I set it between 325 & 350, which worked perfectly for me.

Spray 9x9 glass pan (preferably)

Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder & salt in a bowl.

In another bowl whisk together milk, creamer & oil.

Fold dry ingredient mixture into wet ingredients. Do not over mix.

Pour into pan - shape gently as necessary.

Bake 35 minutes. Depending on your oven you can always tent the bread after 25 minutes, but only if it's browning too quickly. Mine did not have this problem.

Cool on rack & slice.

*I have used this recipe for over 10 years & yet I am always tweaking the ingredients, baking time & temp. This morning's batch was the best. The original recipe came from Williams-Sonoma; however I've changed all of the ingredients & their amounts over the decade. By the way, excellent with my Creamy Tomato Soup recipe!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

A vegetarian for 40 years & still going... 

Well it is a celebration - 40 years ago I was coming down the escalator at the Frankfort Germany Airport. I realized it was my birthday. "How can I make this day special?" I vouched that this day, I would become a vegetarian.

40 years later I can tell you this decision made the world of difference in my life, physically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually. Refining my diet has never been more important to me than it is today.

Each day I strive to eat more raw food - wholesome food that you would find in God's garden. I try to prepare my own meals rather than purchasing a prepared meal from the store - the less processing the better.

I gave up dairy products about 20 years ago. There's plenty of alternative 'milk' products to choose from such as whipping cream, sour cream, cream cheese & yogurt. Trust me - making even a small change in your diet will make a difference.

Peace & Love,

Your fellow truth-seeker....

   

Look what I found...

Yes, this beautiful acorn squash was hiding downstairs to keep cool during the winter months. 

I purchased quite a few squashes from the gardeners market last summer, just for this occasion!

How beautiful this vegetable is - don't forget to save the seeds. 

You never know when you might need to plant a garden. 

Usually I bake them in the oven, but tonight, I didn't want to wait an hour for dinner, so upside-down they went into a glass casserole with about an inch of water into the microwave for 10 minutes, then another 8.

 Here's why we need to keep the seeds from every fruit or vegetable we eat. 

I washed the seeds & placed them on a full-sized dinner plate so you could see how many I harvested. Think about this for a minute. If you placed 3 seeds in each garden hole, you'd reap the benefits from what, about 10 -20 squash plants. How many squash would you reap from those plants? Maybe 100-250?

How many neighbors, or friends or family could you feed from just one small acorn squash?

Ah, the blessings from Mother Earth...

A Quick Dinner

What a beautiful presentation! Have you ever created a meal for 2 & compared the two plates? Which one looked better? Clearly many of us need to remember to treat ourselves as well as we treat others & I'll admit, I am speaking from experience. :)

So our left-overs (or food available in the cupboard) included organic cans of 3-blend beans, garbanzo beans, fire-roasted tomatoes & tomato paste (we didn't use the paste), 2 sweet onions (we used 1), & a half box of baby portobella mushrooms. 

In addition I had brought over 2 soy rolls (vegetarian hot dogs) & health-food creme soda. Caroll had never tried either, so I was excited to share. I also brought over an Ezekiel sprouted grain tortilla & hummus. I figured my friend could whip up a quick soup, since she's an amazing impromptu cook & we could chat.  

I thought I had remembered everything, but alas, I forgot the vegetable broth. As a substitute she added a low-sodium can of V8 juice. Can you imagine why they would put 600 grams (milligrams?) of sodium in each can? Also, she added the juice of 1 whole lime & even threw in the skins. I had never heard of adding lime to bean stew before, as I usually add a sprinkle of fructose to balance the acidity, but I truly enjoyed the splash of island flavor. 

Always & I mean always rinse your beans well, whether they're from cans or beans you've soaked & cooked yourself. You will save on tummy aches! 

Now when Caroll brought out this pan, red lights went on! I thought for sure it was aluminum, but she assured me it was old, but steel. She said this pot melts down chocolate perfectly. I do not like using aluminium for 2 reasons:

1. The pores in the metal open up & expand during heat & contract during cooling actually capturing bacteria within its walls.

2. I read & heard enough times that cooking with aluminum adds to your chances of Alzheimers.   

We didn't even shed a tear...

She sauteed the onions in a spray of olive oil she had. 

Mushrooms, salt, pepper & Italian seasoning were added. 

& here comes the lime!

This cooked down to a very tasty winter meal - I hope you try it some cold winter night. By the way, I think adding cubed zuchinni would have added additional flavor too. 

Wild Horses & Bunny Rabbits

What's this got to do with my transition 

to becoming a vegetarian? 

Part 2 of my conversion story... 

myvegetarianstory.blogspot.com

Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe - Ever!!

Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe - Ever!!!

This recipe will be found in The Vegan Table by author, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

This is the 1st recipe we tried from this cookbook, but so far, so good - tis the best vegetarian lasagna recipe I've ever tasted & I'm not exaggerating!

My daughter who cooked this filling meal tweaked Colleen's recipe a titch. She used brown rice noodles instead of wheat - which I rather enjoyed - it lightened up the meal a bit. And she did add soy mozzarella grated cheese in the middle layer & on the top.

Definitely delicious! 

My Vegetarian Story is catching on. 

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, I'd love to read your conversion story. The most interesting ones will be posted at MyVegetarianStory.blogspot.com.

Please limit your personal stories to 1-3 pages. 

Also, a copyrighted book is in the works of the same name. If your story is chosen for the book & the book sales fly, then yes, you will receive a portion of the pie.

Please understand I am a natural editor, so your work may be edited, mostly grammar or spelling - & only if necessary.

I will accept only G-rated stories - as this will be a site for youth too. 

Please email me at myvegetarianstory@gmail.com.  

What's better than a hot bowl of homemade soup with freshly baked cornbread 

& poached pears ala mode 

on a cold winter's night?

 I promise, the last piece is for you...

Our bodies seem to know exactly what it needs.

On a very snowy December day, I made some vegetable & barley soup - a very large pot so that I could enjoy the left-overs. 

The base was from Bob's Mills 

Vegetable & Alphabet Dry Soup Mix. 

(They have many varieties & I look forward to trying them all.)

I added 1/2 c of pearled barley, 4 sliced organic carrots, 2 medium organic onions (so nice to work with - a different texture indeed), 4 organic potatoes, with the peels left on, salt & pepper, 3 bay leaves & 2 boxes of Imagine's Organic Vegetable Broth - yummy! The soup cooked in about 1 1/2 hours on a slower simmering heat. 

And for de taste de la resistance, desert was poached pears with sliced almonds (omitted on this serving) with a generous serving of Soy Delicious Vanilla Ice Cream. 

I've included the basic corn bread & 
poached pears recipes for you.

BASIC CORNBREAD 
(tweaked from Williams Sonoma recipe)

1 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 c cornmeal (the finer the better)

1/4 c fructose

1 T baking powder

1 t salt

1 cup almond milk (you can use vanilla flavored if you like)

1 c Toffutti sour cream (tofu-based)

1/3 c corn or safflower oil

1 egg substitute, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or spray 9-inch glass pan.

Mix together dry ingredients

Mix together wet ingredients (in a different bowl)

Combine by gently folding in the wet ingredients - do not over-mix.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake uncovered for about 35 minutes. Remove for oven & let stand for 20 minutes. Remove from pan & cut into 9 squares.

This cornbread is delicious when topped with margarine & honey!

POACHED PEARS WITH SLICED ALMONDS
(This recipe was tweaked from the Natural Choices Magazine, December 2012 issue.)

If serving 8, use:

4 pears

2 cups pear juice (I use Hansen's Organic)

2 T honey

1/2 c toasted sliced almonds (optional - but festive!)

Slice pears in half length-wise. Carefully remove the core from each half with a small spoon - easy to do - only a small amount needs to be removed)

Mix pear juice & honey in large saute pan or pot - bring to boil. (You'll need 2 pans as the pears need to lay flat.)

Add pears cut-side down - reduce heat to simmer (cook uncovered).

Gently press on pears after 40 minutes to see if tender.

Carefully transfer to serving plates.

Top with scoop of vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of leftover poached pear juice & top with toasted almonds.

This is a delightful desert - light, yet rich. Right before I begin to serve dinner, I begin poaching these pears - that way desert is still hot & ready to be served following dinner, & we all get to enjoy the sweet aroma of the pears while we enjoy our dinner.