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

I made this with the sweet potato
tortillas, but left out the cabbage

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 bok choy or napa cabbage

1/3 cup diced sundried tomatoes

4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon vegetable base
Cooking Spray

Boil the potatoes in water until soft.  While they are boiling, stir fry the carrot, cabbage and onion until soft,. Add sliced mushrooms and sundried tomatoes and sauté a few minutes more. Stir in the vegetable base to coat.

Mash the potatoes and then add the vegetables and mix thoroughly (I just throw them all in my kitchen aid and turn it on). If the mixture seems too dry, add a little water or plain nut milk. Spray a 12 inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Spread the potato mixture in the pan and cook on medium 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.