Chicken for My Birthday

For my birthday I departed from my vegan ideals and cooked something I had been craving for some time, a roast chicken.  I must admit, after so many months, it felt strange to walk down the meat isle and pick out a raw chicken.  I felt a bit of sadness as I did, that I had sacrificed another animal's life to supply my birthday wish.  So right there, in the grocery store, I stopped for a moment and in my mind I thanked the chicken, who probably had a lousy life in a warehouse in a cage, and then died so I could have this treat.

I didn't start this vegan diet for any ethical reason.  I started it because my husband's doctor recommended it to manage my husband's cholesterol levels.  But over time I have come to feel good about not taking animal life to support my own.  I know we are genetically omnivores, and if I was only thinking about myself I would probably go back to eating meat on a pretty regular basis, but I have proven to myself that we can live in peace with all other animals, and there is no real need to kill to survive.  There is something ennobling about that.

That said, the roast chicken was delicious.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops

Ok, here is another Kodiak cooking mix recipe. I call them muffin tops because they are low fat, but your kids just might call them cookies.

1 cup Kodiak Chocolate Chip Muffin Mix*
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/3 cup soy milk (or other nut milk)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
More chocolate chips if you want (my husband's suggestion)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all the ingredients until blended.  Spray muffin top pan with cooking spray (or you can use a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.). Spoon mixture by heaping tablespoons onto the pan. Bake for 12 minutes.

*I want to try making this with the regular Kodiak mix to see if it works.  I will post a comment when I do.

If you are not vegan, just vegetarian add an egg

If you are not as concerned about fat, add 2 T vegetable or olive oil.

P.S.  The regular kodiak mix works just fine.  My hubsand prefers the milk chocolate chips, but semi-sweet work as well.

Lowfat Vegan Ice Milk

My husband insists I shouldn't call this ice cream.  It doesn't have any cream in it.  But it does have soy milk, so I feel okay calling it ice milk.

2 cups vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
An ice cream maker

Put the water into a small microwave safe bowl.  Heat in the microwave until it boils.  Remove carefully, and stir in the gelatin. Keep stirring until it is fully dissolved. Cool slightly

Put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix in the slightly cooled gelatin mixture.  Pour into the ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions.  I use a table top electric ice cream maker and it takes about 20 minutes for the ingredients to thicken.  Once the ingredients are fairly thick, transfer from the mixer to a freezer safe container, and freeze until solid, about another hour.  Scoop and enjoy.

Broccoli Rice Soup

This is a recipe I got years ago from a Cooking Light magazine.  The original recipe called for chicken broth, so it was super easy to make it vegan by changing the chicken broth to veggie broth.  I also added the monosodium glutimate to add back some of the umami flavor of the broth.

1 cup chopped onion
5 cups veggie broth
1 can diced tomatoes
4 cups fresh broccoli flowerets
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon monosodium glutimate (optional)
dash of red pepper (more if you like it spicier)
1/2 cup instant brown rice (or if you have left over brown rice, you can use that)*

Coat a large pan with cooking spray.  Add the onion and saute until slightly soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients except rice.  Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rice and simmer another 15 minutes or until broccoli and rice are tender.  Serve with your favorite whole grain bread.

*If you are using regular white rice or converted rice, add it in at the beginning with the other ingredients and cook for the full 1/2 hour.  If you are using uncooked brown rice, add it in at the beginning, but don't add the broccoli yet.  Cook it for 1/2 hour, add the broccoli, and then cook it all for another 1/2 hour.)

Sweet and Sour Tofu

The other day I was craving one of my favorite meat recipes, Sweet and Sour Chicken.  Then I thought, why not make the same recipe but use tofu instead.  The sauce is naturally low fat (though very high in sugar) and vegan.  It turned out quite good.

1 package extra firm tofu
1 teaspoon vegetable soup base

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
I/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup canned pineapple tidbits (use both pineapple and the juice it is packed in)
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Open the tofu package and drain off the water.  Pat the tofu down with a paper towel to dry as much as possible.  Cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.  Heat a skillet or wok and spray with cooking spray.  Add the tofu and brown slightly.  Stir in the soup base until the tofu is coated.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Heat until it boils, reduce heat, and then let it simmer for 5 minutes until the green pepper is thoroughly cooked and the flavors are blended.  Pour over the browned tofu and simmer over low heat for a few minutes so the tofu can absorb the sauce flavors. Serve over brown rice with a side of stir fry vegetables.

A Simple White Sauce

Here is a simple white sauce I use in recipes in place of Cream of Mushroom Soup or Alfredo.

1 1/4 cup plain soy milk or your favorite nut milk (divided)
1 bay leaf
1 slice onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon mono-sodium glutamate (optional)
Pepper to taste

Place 1 cup soy milk or nut milk in a small pan. Turn heat to medium.  Add the bay leaf, onion slice and garlic powder. Heat until it just starts to boil.  Turn off heat and let sit for 15 minutes.   (if you double the milk, you don't have to double the bay leaf or onion. )

Remove the onion and bay leaf and discard.  Add mono-sodium glutamate if desired. Mix the flour with the remaining soy milk and mix into the sauce.  Heat again until it just begins to boil and thicken. Serve as a pasta sauce, or use in recipes in place of cream soups.

Mix-in's

To make mushroom sauce
Place 8 oz of sliced mushrooms and 1/2 cup of chopped onion into a skillet coated with cooking spray.  Saute until the onions are translucent (adding a tablespoon of water whenever the onions begin to scorch) .  Put the mushrooms and onions in a blender and add the white sauce as well. Blend until smooth.  This is a great pasta sauce.

To make spinach sauce
Add one package (8 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, (or wilt one package fresh spinach in a steamer).  Put in a blender with one batch of white sauce and blend until smooth.  Add a dash of hot sauce if desired.  This is a pretty green sauce that goes nicely with tri-color rotini.

Alfredo
If you are not vegan, just vegetarian, you can make the same recipe using milk instead of soy milk.  Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to make a great lower fat Alfredo.

Chili Penne Caserole

When I was growing up one of our common family dinners was something we called "Mucket".  It was a casserole with macaroni, ground beef, tomato sauce, chili powder, and green pepper with melted cheese on top. When I got married, my husband didn't like the name "Mucket" but we both liked the casserole, so we called it "chili mac casserole."   In this recipe I give the recipe a low-fat vegan makeover.

1/3 cup chopped green or red pepper
1 cup diced onion
I can red kidney beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 cup frozen corn (heated through)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
8 oz wheat penne, cooked according to package instructions.

Put water in a 2 quart sauce pan, and heat to boiling.  Add penne and cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, spray a skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium.  Add the chopped onion and green pepper.  Cook, stirring until it starts to scorch.  Then add a little water or veggie broth, to gently steam and cook the onion and green pepper until they are tender and translucent.  Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and heat through.

Chocolate Muffin Tops

Baking cookies is one of the things I really miss following a low-fat vegan diet.  These are about as close to "cookies" that I can get with the low-fat vegan restriction. Like the muffins below, they are not strictly vegan because there is a little bit of milk in the mix, but they are pretty low-fat*, are made with whole grain, and don't contain eggs.

1 cup Kodiak Double Dark Chocolate Muffin Mix
1/3 cup soy milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 banana

Mash the banana in a medium bowl.  Add the other ingredients and mix until blended. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and drop by tablespoons onto the paper.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.  Remove from the parchment paper with a spatula.

*A regular chocolate chocolate chip cookie might have 9 or 10 grams fat, these have about 2.

Egg-Free Pineapple Muffins

One of the challenges of trying to live a vegan lifestyle is baking.  I have always made muffins or coffee cake for breakfast on weekends.  So how do you make muffins without eggs?  This solution isn't perfect because it does have some powdered milk in the mix, but it is a compromise we can live with.

1 cup Kodiak buttermilk flapjack mix
1/4-1/3 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1/4 cup honey
2/3 cup soy or almond milk (I like vanilla but plain works)

Mix all ingredients until just blended.  Spray muffin cups with cooking spray and fill 3/4 full.  Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown on top (about 20 minutes for smaller cupcakes.) makes 6 smallish muffins.

note: why Kodiak?

I like this mix because it is whole grain and has extra protein.  It doesn't taste as bitter as other whole wheat mixes I have tried. 

Note: if you are not vegan, just vegetarian, add an egg.  If you are not as concerned with fat, add 2 T of vegetable or olive oil.  

Asian Vegetables over Rice or Chow Mein

1 package stir fry vegetables
2 carrots: pealed and coarsely grated
4 leaves Napa Cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon peanut butter (optional, but it adds a nice flavor)
1 teaspoon vegetable bullion
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce (choose reduced salt soy sauce if you are concerned about sodium)
2 Tablespoons corn starch

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Cooked Brown Rice

Coat a wok with cooking spray and heat.  Add vegetables and stir fry.  When they start to scorch, add a little vegetable broth and continue frying.  Stir in the vegetable bullion and peanut butter and stir to coat the vegetables.  Mix the corn starch into the rest of the broth, and add the soy sauce, garlic powder and onion powder.  Pour over vegetables and stir until thickened. Turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors.  Serve over warm brown rice.

To make Chow Mein
Use the same recipe, but reduce the vegetable broth to 1 cup and corn starch to 2 tsp.  Stir in cooked wheat fettuccine instead of the brown rice.  Heat through and serve.

Baked Beans and Cornbread

I was looking through my recipes and realized I hadn't written this one down yet.  It isn't really a recipe.  It is more like an idea for a super fast, super easy low-fat vegetarian dinner.

1 28 oz can vegetarian baked beans (I like the Bush brand)
1 cup reduced fat cornbread mix (Krusteaz makes one, as does Marie Calendar)
Soy or almond milk (about 2/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Empty the baked beans into a casserole bowl.  Heat in the microwave for about 3 minutes until heated  through and then place in oven. While the beans are heating, pour 1 cup of cornbread mix into a small mixing bowl.  Add enough soy or almond milk to make a slightly runny batter.  (I am afraid I never measure.  I just add the milk until it looks right.  It should be about like muffin batter, or regular cornbread batter.)  Don't add oil or eggs.

Remove the beans from the oven and pour or spoon the cornbread batter evenly on the top.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.

Notes: You have to be careful about cornbread mixes.  The regular ones are loaded with extra fat. Also, most have added dried milk, so check the package first if you need to be strictly dairy free.
The beans need to be hot when you put the batter on them.  If you put it on cold, the underside of the batter won't cook.  The top may look done, but the underside will be a doughy mess. (trust me.)


If you don't have Bush's on hand, here is a recipe for fast baked beans

2 cans pinto beans

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp prepared mustard 

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and heat through.  use in place of the Bush's above.

Veggie Potstickers

This is another that can work as a side dish or hors d'oevres

18 wontons
3 carrots, pealed and grated
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage (I like bok choy)
1 can water chestnuts
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger 

Stir fry carrots, cabbage and onions until lightly browned and softened.  Add chopped water chestnuts and ginger.  Stirfry for a couple more minutes.  Remove from heat.

Place one teaspoon of vegetable mix in the center of a wonton.  Dip your finger in water, and wet the outside edge of wanton.  Fold in half, with the vegetables on the inside and pinch the edges together, gathering them a little with each pinch (see picture).

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium and spray with cooking spray.  Add the potstickers.  Brown lightly on each side.  Add 1/4 cup water, and immediately put on a lid.  Steam for about 3 minutes. Serve with soy dipping sauce.

Note: A non stick skillet is a must with this recipe.  If you try to cook these in a regular pan, you will have a sticky mess.

Stuffed Yellow Potatoes

We ate these as a main dish, but they would also work well as a hors d'oevres

5 small yellow potatoes (red would work too, but I like the flavor of the yellow)
1 grated carrot
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 oz mushrooms, sliced

Wash the yellow potatoes and place them on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until baked through, about 45 minutes-1 hour.  Cool.  (I often do this ahead of time)

Cut the potatoes in half and scoop out some of the center with a ice cream scoop.  Place the centers in a bowl

Peal and grate the carrot, chop the onion and slice the mushrooms.  Heat a skillet or wok and coat with cooking spray.  Stir fry the vegetables until softened and lightly brown.  Add water or veggie broth while cooking if need to prevent scorching.

Meanwhile, heat potato insides in the microwave until heated through.  Add the cooked vegetables and mix.  Use the ice cream scoop to return the potato/veggie mix to the skins of the potatoes.   Bake until lightly browned.

Feasting

It has been almost 2 months since we have started (or attempted) this low-fat vegan diet.  I have not been able to achieve the 10% of calories from fat and 10% of calories from protein, but most days I am at about 15% in both categories, and I believe that is considered a pretty low fat diet. A mild craving for fat and protein is my constant companion. 

On day last week I had a perfect storm of bad eating.  I had a lunch meeting at work where they fed me pasta salad, pesto and chips, and a big sandwich with thick slices of goat cheese. In the evening I had an "ice cream social" party to attend.  Instead of dinner I ate cookies, ice cream, brownies, and cracker-jacks.  I was 250 calories over my recent averages, and ate 40% of my calories as fat.

And do you know what.  It felt wonderful.  It felt so nice to not crave fat for a little while. I felt full and content--much more so than after a Thanksgiving dinner. My whole body relaxed with a happy sigh.

I understand that if I ate that way all the time that would be very bad, but it taught me something about what it means to feast.  Since I have lived in a society where there has always been abundant food, I have never really known prolonged deprivation.  Before, when I wasn't Vegan,  after a holiday meal I felt uncomfortable physically and guilty mentally.  I was eating a lot because it tasted good, not because it felt good.  After that day last week I felt a little guilty, but mostly I felt gratitude that such wonderful stuff as chocolate fudge moose ice cream exists in this world.  It was so wonderful to be free from cravings, and to feel satisfied. I think that is what feasting is supposed to be. 

Chick Peas and Nori

This is a recipe my mom used to make when she was on Macrobiotics back in the '80's.  It is probably my favorite chick pea recipe

1 bag dried chick peas
7 cups water
1 sheet nori, like you use to make sushi, torn or chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Put ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8+ hours.  Serve with rice or with your favorite ethnic bread.

Bean and Veggie Tacos

This is a yummy low-fat vegan variation on traditional tacos

Wheat tortillas (I like the uncooked kind.  Then I cook them on the skillet right before serving)
1/2 batch of Red Beans and Rice  or you can use your favorite canned beans or refried beans
4 carrots, pealed and coarsely grated
1 cup shredded cabbage (I like boc choy)
1 onion, sliced
1 cup vegetable broth
Lettuce or raw spinach (as desired)
Salsa (as desired)

Coat a skillet with cookie spray and stir-fry the carrots and cabbage. Set aside.
Caramelize the onions.  To do this, coat a skillet or wok with cooking spray.  Stir fry onions until they brown slightly.  Pour in a little of the broth, and cook until the liquid is gone.  Pour in a little more. Continue adding broth and cooking onions until they are thoroughly cooked and translucent. Set aside
Heat beans, and cook tortillas.  To assemble tacos place some of the beans, onions, carrots, lettuce or spinach and salsa if desired on a warm tortilla.  Roll up and eat.

If you are not worried about being Vegan and Low-fat, you can also add cheese, plain yogurt or sour cream as  toppings.

Red Beans and Rice

These make great filling for enchiladas or tacos, or can be eaten with your favorite ethnic bread.

1 bag dried kidney beans
1 small red or green pepper, chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
7 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup uncooked instant rice

Put everything but the rice in a crock pot and cook on low for at least  8 hours
Add the instant rice, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Bubble and Squeak (potato pancake)

Here is a low-fat version of a recipe I found in the Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking. The traditional version of this dish is served as a breakfast food in England.  There are a variety of vegetables that could be used to flavor the  potatoes.

1 lb potatoes (I like to use the yellow kind)
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup thinly sliced boc choy or nappa cabbage
1 teaspoon vegetable base
Cooking Spray

Boil the potatoes in water until soft, remove skins. Mash
Heat a pan and spray with cooking spray.  Stir fry the carrot, cabbage and onion until soft.  Stir in the vegetable base to coat.

Mix the vegetables and the potatoes together thoroughly. Spray a good sized nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Spread the potato mixture in the pan and cook until the bottom starts to brown.  Carefully flip the potato onto a plate, and then return it to the pan with the other side down. Heat that until slightly browned.  Carefully remove to a plate.  Cut like a pizza and serve.

I served this with a side order of peas, and a nice crisp apple.  It is a filling dinner, but doesn't have much protein.  Good for when you had beans or tofu earlier in the day.

Asparagus Soup

Here is another wonderful fresh vegetable soup.
I modified it from a recipe I found in The Cook's Encyclopedia of Vegetarian Cooking to make it low fat and vegan.

1 pound young asparagus
6 shallots (or you could use 3/4 cup chopped onion)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup plain soy milk
1 tablespoon flour
salt and pepper to taste

Cut off about 1 1/2 inch off the tops of the asparagus and set aside.  Cut the rest of the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces, making sure to discard ends that might look tough.

Spray a large sauce pan with cooking spray and heat. Slice the shallots, and add them to the pan, stirring to prevent them from scorching.  Add about 1/2 cup of the broth, a little at a time, and continue cooking until the shallots are soft. Add the asparagus pieces (not the tops) and saute for a couple of minutes.  Add the rest of the broth and the lemon juice and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the asparagus is quite soft.  Pour the mixture into a blender and process until smooth.  If you like, strain it to remove any tough fibers.  Return to the pan. Add the reserved asparagus tops and simmer until they are soft (about another 10 minutes).  Add the flour to the soy milk and mix until smooth.  Add to the asparagus mixture and heat through.  Serve.

If you are not concerned about dairy or fat, substitute 1 cup milk and 1/2 cup light cream for the soy milk (that's what the original recipe called for, but really this version is yummy without the added fat.)

The Protein Question

I have been doing the low-fat vegan diet for two weeks now.  I keep track of what I eat and have been watching my nutrition statistics.  My average calories have dropped by about 60/day.  That is not a bad thing, since I haven't lost the weight I gained over Christmas yet.  The statistic that worries me is that I have been eating much less of my calories as protein.  I was eating about 15% of calories from protein, and that last two weeks it has dropped down to about 10%.  Since my calories has also dropped, I am guessing my protein intake has decreased from about 50 grams a day to about 30 grams a day.  I don't know if that is a problem or not.  The calculators online recommend that a woman my size eat about 50 grams/day (what I was eating before).  I am also more active than many women my age, so I might need more.  I think I need to watch my protein more carefullly.

A struggle is that the things that are plant based and have a lot of protein, also give my indigestion.  I enjoy the taste of beans and lentils, but it is hard for me to digest them, even with digestive enzymes.  I like soy milk, but it is not particularly low fat, nor is tofu.  (both about 30% of calories from fat.)  What is a woman to do?  I wish they had protein supplements, like they have calcium supplements. 

Tomato Basil Bisque

You can use canned tomatoes and dried basil, but if you use can use fresh, it is much better.

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
2 stocks celery, chopped
6 fresh tomatoes, and 1/2 cup water,  or 2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (loosely packed), or 1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup plain soy milk

Spray a pan with cooking spray.  Sauté onions, pepper, and celery until soft.  Add tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes.  Put the tomato mixture into a blender.  Add the basil, sugar, salt and soy milk. Blend until desired smoothness.(add in stages if your blender is too small to fit the whole recipe). Return mixture to the pan and heat through. 

Serve with your favorite whole grain bread.

Vegetable Curry

Here is one of my favorite vegan comfort foods.  You can make it higher fat or low-fat

4 carrots, pealed and sliced
2 potatoes, pealed cut into cubes
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 parsnip and or one sweet potato, pealed and cut into cubes
5 cups vegetable broth
1 curry cube, or one Tablespoon curry powder (more if you like it spicier)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed.

1 cup coconut milk (higher fat option) or 1 cup plain soy or almond milk (lower fat option) or leave out the milk all together.

salt and pepper to taste
Cooked white or brown rice,

Put the first 6 ingredients into a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8+ hours on low or 4 hours on high.
Mash the vegetables a bit with a potato masher to make the broth thicker. 
Add coconut or soy/almond milk (or leave out the milk).  If you want a thicker sauce, mix in 1/4 cup flour in the milk before you add it, or thicken by stirring in  1/4 cup dried potato flakes.  Add the thawed peas.

Serve over white or brown rice, or eat as a stew.

Potato and Leek Soup

I had tried potato and leek soup at restaurants and parties before, but I had never made it myself.  I cooked it because I was ready for something without beans.

2 lbs potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (4 -6 potatoes)
2 leeks, thinly sliced (you only eat the bulb of the leek, or the white and light green part.  The dark green part is too tough)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
a pinch of marjoram (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup plain soy or almond milk

Put everything except the soy or almond milk in a crock pot and cook on low for 6+ hours.  Remove the bay leaf, and depending on how chunky you want it, remove some or all of soup and blend it in a blender, then return it to the crock pot.  (Or if you have a hand held blender you can use that.)  Stir in the soy or almond milk and garnish with a little parsley if you like. Serve. This is a really mild soup, and is good for dipping wheat bread in.

Lentils and Cornbread

This one turned out like a casserole instead of a soup.

1 lb lentils (2 cups)
4 cups water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon season salt
3 carrots, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)
1 small red or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, shopped (1/2 cup)
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 can vegetable broth (14 oz)

Combine in a crock pot.  Cook on low for 8+ hours

Corn Bread Topping
1/2 cup white or wheat flour
1/2 cup corn meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon sugar or your favorite sweetener

Mix the corn bread topping. Spoon over the hot lentils.  Replace the lid and cook for another 20 minutes, or remove the lid, and put the crock in the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve immediately.

Minestrone

I found this in a Vegetarian book and tweeked it to make it low-fat and whole grain

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry great Northern Beans
2 large carrots, sliced thin
2 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 turnip, cut into bite sized pieces
1 celery stock, sliced
2 fresh basil leafs, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 small cabbage, shredded (I used nappa cabbage)
2 oz whole wheat pasta

Combine the first 12 ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hrs or more.  Add pasta and cabbage and cook for an additional 15 minutes.  If it is too acidic, add 1 tsp sugar.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Quinoa Pilaf

Here is a quick and easy dinner. I make the quinoa ahead of time, and then save it in the fridge until I am ready to assemble the pilaf.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
cook quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside

1 carrot, coarsely grated
1 cup thinly sliced bock choy
1 cup mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon vege broth paste
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce


Spay a wok with cooking spray and heat to medium.  Add the carrots and bok choy and stir fry until they start to brown.  Meanwhile, cook mixed vegetables in the microwave until they are soft (about 4 minutes).  Add the mixed vegetables to the carrots and bok choy.  Dissolve the vege broth paste into the water and add to the vegetables, stirring to coat.  Add the quinoa and soy sauce and mix well, cooking until it is heated through. Serve immediately.

A Venture into Vegan

Hi, friends, I am back. 

My husband's doctor is worried about his cholesterol and has recommended that he go on a low-fat vegan diet.  I am so glad I had a little practice with vegetarian cooking two summers ago and I am ready for this new challenge to find delicious foods that are also low-fat and vegan.  I will be going back to some of my old recipes and adding notes about how to make them low-fat vegan.  I will also be adding some new recipes. Stay tuned!