Falafel and fattoush

I have to confess that I have been extremely wegan in the last week.  After two weeks of devotion to the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, I have allowed cheese and eggs back into the food I've consumed... and I have been paying the price by feeling very slouchy!  So, it's time to clean up my eating, for the millionth time (it is what this whole blog is about, right?!), and get back to a vegan diet!

While visiting the Chicago-area last weekend, I was shown the awesome-ness that is Costco by my mom-in-law, and I was able to snag some vegan foods that I probably would not find where I currently reside.  Two of those dishes: Falafel and fattoush.  Falafel is a blend of beans, veggies, herbs, and spices that is formed into balls and typically served warm, and the fattoush that I bought is basically like a coleslaw, made with cabbage and other veggies and spices.

I first heard of falafel when I visited The Taste of Denver about a year and a half ago.  I remember that I wasn't that crazy about it, because I don't care for chickpeas, but I was willing to give it another try.  Never had I heard of fattoush, but the ingredients met my criteria--vegan, no artificial ingredients or colors, no high fructose corn syrup, and no preservatives.

Wanting to have a vegan dinner tonight and try some of the new foods I had picked up last weekend, I "goodsearched" (goodsearch.com--I goodsearch for Illinois School for the Visually Impaired) what to eat with falafel... and what d'ya know?  Fattoush was one recommendation!  So, I decided on this Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean-themed dinner and went to work.

And what hard work it was... to read the directions for how to prepare the falafel, pre-heat the oven, get out a baking sheet, open the package, take out four falafel and place them on the baking sheet, put the baking sheet in the oven, and set a timer for 10 minutes.  It even sounds more difficult in writing than it really was (I could have even microwaved them, but I wanted to seem more impressive for when I blogged about it later).  Once the falafel was done, I cut each one into fourths and scooped some fattoush on top of it, just like my dad would do (I can even hear him say, "It all ends up in the same place anyway...").

The end result I would describe as just "okay," again because I still don't care for the flavor of falafel (it's the chickpeas--I generally don't like hummus for this reason).  The meal was edible and filling, so it did what it was supposed to do, but I just don't think I care for this kind of cuisine.  However, I would still recommend to everybody who is looking for something different to try it!

I would love to hear if anyone else has tried falafel and/or fattoush and how you enjoy eating it most.  I am going to try the falafel different ways as there are recipes on the package and on the website.  I also tried the fattoush on Pita Bites a couple days ago, and it was really good!

So, moral of my story... try new [vegan]  things!!!  And check out the great products I've made links to in this blog and on the right side of the webpage.

My story: 21-day vegan kickstart, day 2

Today marks the second day of the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program (do it!).  I decided to partake in this venture to motivate myself to eat completely vegan again!  So far, so good.  I'm also going to try to cook more and post anything that is worthy of passing along.  However, I have been taking the easy route lately by just preparing frozen and canned foods for meals (veggie patties, beans, vegetables, etc).  I do have some Yves Meatless Ground Round that I still haven't tried.  I think I might use it to make some "beef" tacos.  We'll see.

Recently, I've had some friends contact me about being interested in eating vegan.  I'm wondering how you are all doing with that?  What are some problems you have run into on your journey so far?  Have you found enough food items at the store?  Is it worth continuing?  I'd love to hear your stories!

Finally, on the right side of this page, I put up a list of links to products that I have tried and therefore recommend.  Check them out, and let me know of others that you recommend!

Until next time ... happy vegan eating!

Product Review - Back to Nature California Lemon Cookies

I was browsing in the cookie aisle at Wal-Mart (one of only two real supermarkets in this town) the other evening in hopes of finding a new vegan sweet treat.  Box after box that I flipped around to look at the ingredients contained milk and eggs, two definite no-no's!  As I was about to call it quits, thinking that the town I live in is just not vegan-friendly at all, I checked one last box: Back to Nature California Lemon Cookies [fingers crossed because I love lemon].  To my surprise, I found a winner!  But do they taste good?... Yes, they do!  I will definitely buy these again.  I'm so glad to see that more options are becoming available at places such as Wal-Mart.

You can check out Back to Nature's website at www.backtonaturefoods.com.

Nutritional Info:
Serving Size 5 cookies
Calories 150
Fat 7g
Saturated Fat 3g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0g
Sodium 105mg
Potassium 60mg
Total Carbs 20g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 9g
Protein 2g
Vitamin A 0%
Calcium 2%
Vitamin C 0%
Iron 2%

Ingredients: whole grain wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, palm oil, sea salt, baking powder (monocalcium phosphate, baking soda), natural flavor, lemon oil.

Product Review - Gardein Crispy Tenders

When I was in the Chicagoland-area last weekend, I made a trip to Whole Foods with my "wegan" friend, Kate.  As she put it, my cart looked like one of those from Oprah's Vegan Challenge.  (I swear, if I had access to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's where I lived, I could easily be completely vegan.)  Among many other things, I picked up two frozen packages of meatless products from Gardein for the first time.

One of those was Gardein's Seven Grain Crispy Tenders, which is a vegan version of a chicken strip.  It is made from a combination of soy protein, whole grains, and vegetables.  I tried them for the first time today, and they were really good!  I followed the instructions for cooking them in the oven and I felt as though they were a bit overcooked, so next time I will reduce the temperature to 350 or 375 degrees and cook for 20 minutes or so (instead of for 20 to 25 minutes at 430 degrees).  The package also indicates you can microwave them for 45 seconds first to reduce the time in the oven if you are in a hurry.

I will definitely be buying this product again as it is a good option for a quick vegan meal or snack.  Although I enjoyed them simply dipped in organic ketchup (from Trader Joe's, of course), there are many other ways this product could be used: on a salad, in a wrap, with marinara sauce and noodles, etc.

You can print a $1.00 off coupon from their website at http://www.gardein.com/ecoupon.php.

Nutrition Information:
2 tenders (1.8 oz.)
Calories 90
Total Fat 2 g
Saturated 0 g
Polyunsaturated 0 g
Monounsaturated 0 g
Trans 0 g
Cholesterol 0 g
Sodium 260 mg
Potassium 200 mg
Total Carbs 9 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 9 g
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 4%
Iron 15%

"Whatever-Can-Be-Found" Stuffed Peppers

I've only ever made stuffed peppers twice (that I can remember), and the first time was better than the most recent.  The first time I was actually trying to make them taste good, and this time I was just throwing whatever I could find in to make a meal that would fill our bellies.  Unfortunately, I didn't find much but three green bell peppers that desperately needed to be used, whole-grain rice (not the instant kind - what a pain in the butt!), canned tomato sauce, black beans, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Oh, and Italian-style meatballs for the non-wegan's portion.  I also had some hamburger buns that needed to be used so I made those into makeshift garlic bread!  So, if you ever have some bell peppers you need to use and not much else in the house, think of this recipe!

Monday Night's "Whatever-Can-Be-Found" Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:
3-1/2 bell peppers
2-1/4 to 2-1/2 c. cooked rice
3/4 c. black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. oil
garlic powder
Italian seasoning

Directions:
1) Cook rice as indicated on package.

2) Cut the tops of the peppers off and remove inside core and seeds.  I used my hands to get some of it out and also ran each pepper under water to remove all seeds.

3) Chop the remaining 1/2 pepper and saute it in a pan on the stove top with 1 Tbsp. oil, garlic powder and Italian seasoning to your taste.  (I used generous amounts of garlic, probably close to 1 Tbsp.)  You can use an onion instead of green pepper if you have one. 

Once it is tender, remove from heat and add black beans and tomato sauce.  Stir until well-mixed.


4) Spoon rice mixture into peppers evenly.  Place stuffed peppers into baking dish.  Cover.

5) Bake at 450 degrees until peppers are tender.  Serve with your favorite side dish.

For "Makeshift" Garlic Bread:  Separate 2 hamburger buns into 4 halves on foil.  Spread butter generously on top and sprinkle generously with garlic powder.  Place in the oven on high broil for two minutes or until lightly toasted.

And there you have it.  Making nothing into something.  It wasn't the greatest meal ever, but it did what it was suppose to do ... it put nutrition into our bellies and filled us up!  However, the next time I make stuffed peppers, I'm going back to how I made them the last time ... if I can remember!

This is what they looked like last time I made them with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes (another good recipe I'll have to post on here soon!)

Delicious Fruit Pancakes!

Growing up, my mom always made pancakes from "scratch," and they were so delicious!  Now that I have learned how to cook and bake more nutritionally, I have altered the recipe just a little.  Yes, "Mom's Favorite Pancakes" are now vegan!  But non-vegans, don't fret; my husband, who is very critical of my vegan recipes, loves these pancakes, too!!!

Apple-Cinnamon Delicious Pancakes

Delicious Fruit Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/3 c. whole wheat or spelt flour
3 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. turbinado cane sugar
1 1/2 c. soy, rice, or almond milk
1/3 c. unsweetened applesauce
2 tbls. refined coconut oil (optional)
1 c. fresh fruit of choice 


Note: I've used whole blueberries, halved blackberries, and apples with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon so far, and they have been excellent each time! You don't have to use the oil; I've made them with and without it, and I can't tell a difference.


Instructions:
 Combine flour, baking powder and sugar in a small bowl.
 Pour milk into medium-sized bowl and combine flour mixture, applesauce, and oil (if using) and stir just until mixed well.
 Fold in fruit.

 Drop batter in desired amounts, usually about 1/4 c. increments, onto hot griddle (375 to 400 degrees F).
 Flip pancakes when bubbles form on top and spatula can easily be inserted under each pancake (see picture on left).





Makes 10 4-inch round pancakes. Serve with margarine (I use Earth Balance Organic Whipped) and maple/agave syrup (check "picture outtakes" at the end of blog to see products).


Variations:
If you insist on being non-nutritional, then you can substitute white flour and sugar, cow's milk, and any oil you like. Replace the applesauce with 2 eggs and leave the fruit out... it's still a good pancake recipe. Eat it with the syrup you have in your pantry that most likely contains high fructose corn syrup for all I care. But it won't be as good or as good for you!

This Morning's Picture Outtakes From Making Apple-Cinnamon Delicious Pancakes:

The flour, baking powder, and sugar mixture

I cut a Gala apple into fourths and removed the core part from each.

I used a hand chopper to chop 3/4 apple into small pieces, while I sliced the last 1/4 for garnish.

As much as I've made pancakes in my life, I'm still a terrible flipper.

Yummy!!!

Agave and Maple Syrups

"Ice Cream"

On a day when all of Central Illinois is getting pounded with record-breaking snowfall, what is it that I want to snack on?  Why, my favorite food on the planet--ice cream!  No, not snow ice cream--that's gross--but VEGAN ice cream!

    I've researched vegan ice cream recipes pretty thoroughly, and I've actually followed through and made some of them, too!  (You know I have a pretty intense desire for ice cream when I actually get off my butt and make my very own homemade vegan ice cream.) 

    The easiest recipe I've found is just a traditional vanilla.  I'm not going to lie to you non-vegans and tell you this tastes as good as ice cream made with fatty cow's milk (so bad for you but so good!), but it does the trick when you're actually wanting to abide by the "vegan code."

    You'll need an ice cream maker to make this recipe.  I use the Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker (ICE-20 Series) that one of my great friends, who appreciates ice cream as much as I do, bought me for a wedding shower gift!  She might have been skeptical at how much I'd actually use it, so I'll take this time to say:  I've actually used it between 5 and 10 times now!

Vanilla Ice Cream (vegan)
Ingredients:
1 c. soy milk creamer
1 c. soy milk*
1/2 c. sugar**
2 tsp. vanilla extract
pinch of salt***


*You can also use rice milk, almond milk, or coconut milk.
**I recommend using evaporated cane juice; it's sugar that's less refined than white, granulated sugar, and it therefore retains more of its natural nutrients.
***I like sea salt.
Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a blender until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes.
Turn on ice cream maker and pour mixture in.
Allow ice cream maker to freeze and turn mixture until it is frozen to your likeness, usually 30 minutes or more.
Serve immediately and/or store leftovers in a plastic container in the freezer.

It'll look like this when you first pour it in ...

... it'll look like this when it's done ...

... and it'll look like this when you serve it sprinkled with ground cinnamon and agave nectar!  Yum!!!

 My husband, who is not vegan, thinks this ice cream is "really good" with the cinnamon and agave.  Try it!!  And try to stay warm!!