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earth balance, and peach pie

June 28, 2010 in Recipes, Reviews by bursty | 2 comments

earth_balance

Generally I’m not a big fan of the vegan substitutes for various products.  I typically just use applesauce and a little olive oil, for example, rather than a vegan-substitute-for-butter type of thing.  But lately I’ve been trying out the various earth balance products in my baking.  And, just for full disclosure - I haven’t received any earth balance products from them.  I’ve been buying them at the co-op in all of their rather-high-priced glory.

Thought I’d share my results thus far, and ask you what YOU usually use for baking in the vegan style…  I like the sticks of earth balance vegan butter for cookies.  I made a variation on this new york times chocolate chip cookie recipe, vegan style - using earth balance, and they were AMAZING.  I’ll post the recipe after it’s been perfected.  Because, you see - I tried them again using the earth balance shortening stick, and they were a total flop.  All puddles of cookie dough, scorching on my cookie sheet.  Plus they didn’t taste good.  Recipe needs some tweaking.  (This is what coming up with recipes is all about though, right!?  They can’t all turn out perfect). 

The earth balance shortening for PIE CRUSTS, however - is a whole different story.  Made a vegan peach pie last night that is TO-DIE-FOR, using earth balance shortening for the crust, and it’s fantastic.  Here’s the recipe (makes one crust, top and bottom, of one standard pie):

  • 1/2 cup earth balance vegan shortening
  • 1 1/4 cup spelt flour
  • 1/4 cup luke warm water
  • 1 t. salt

Cut the shortening into the flour, then add water and salt - mix it with your hands until it forms a good dough - then break it in half and roll into two pie-size circles…  Fill with your choice of fruit!  I used peaches (about 7 small peaches, sliced, mixed with about 1 T. of cornstarch and 1 T. of spelt flour, with honey to taste).  Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 degrees and bake for another 50 minutes or so.

Anyway — what do you, dear readers, like to use for baking, in place of butter or shortening (or lard, as my grandma uses)???

Smooth

May 26, 2010 in Recipes, Seasonal Eating by bursty | 2 comments

buds2

So last night I came up with another great “humidity food” — and as we were sipping them, we realized just how much nutrition you can pack into one of these babies — SMOOTHIES!  We were blessed with a kickass blender as a wedding gift which makes ALL the difference.  Last night we went the banana / blueberry route, added a little Rice Dream, berry juice, and green kale.  It was so tasty!  And, with all of those goodies, it was packed with calcium, B-12, vitamin C, iron, folate, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants.  I promptly declared 2010 the “summer of smoothies”.  What are some of your favorite smoothie combinations!?

Farm Fresh: Strawberry Blueberry Couscous Cake

May 10, 2010 in Farm Fresh, Recipes by Andrew Lee | 1 comment

SUMMER IS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR!!!

summer

Alright.  I am convinced that summer is here.  It’s hitting 95 degrees almost every afternoon here in Texas.  Now, I know that A Grain A Day writers cover the US, North to South and all the way to the west coast… AND I know that in MN last week it dropped to 20 degrees one night, but DAAAANG SUMMER IS HERE IN TEXAS.  So for those of you in colder climates, sorry to wave the summer flag early.  Though you might find some sick delight in this:  In just a few short weeks, I will be melting in almost three solid months of 100+ humid heat waves.  That starts… oh, probably next week.  Yikes.

So summer’s here at the farmer’s market as well!  Two weeks ago, I saw the first batch of STRAWBERRIES!  In the next week or so I plan on making this dish:  Strawberry Blueberry Couscous Cake.

I made this last year and loved it for its simple fruit and grain composition, with just enough natural sweetness from the paired couscous and berries.

It comes from The Changing Seasons Macrobiotic Cookbook by Aveline Kushi and Wendy Esko, a great cookbook that lays out the recipes for each season in a Day 1:  Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner… Day 2: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner… format.  Not only does it have great recipes, but its been a great resource that inspires varied weekly macro meal planning.  I recommend it.

(Recipe after the Jump)

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A little avocado makes all the difference

May 5, 2010 in Recipes, Seasonal Eating by cooljuice | 3 comments

avocadoWe recently returned from a trip to the San Francisco Avocado Area. I mean Bay Avocado. I mean Bay Area. Ain’t not avocado like a Bay Area avocado ‘cuz a Bay Area avocado don’t quit!

So, when we got home to Minnesota and were in “vacation from our vacation” mode and sauteed tempeh over rice, although delicious in its own rite, looked kind of old hat, I plopped some avocado slices on top. It was sensational. It was fireworks. It was bathing nude in the hot springs. It was everything you hoped it would be.

Renewal and cycles are everywhere. Of course, I always have avocados available to me at our local food co-op, but now this spring I was seeing them again, rediscovering them, tasting them with intention.

It got me thinking that there must be hundreds of foods that our eyes slide past or our minds forget about, or our stomachs can’t remember. And that’s part of the reason we started the glossary section of AGAD. Put some of your favorite ingredients in the comments below that we don’t already have in the glossary and let’s breathe some new life into our food!

Farm Fresh: Link Love

April 26, 2010 in Farm Fresh, Recipes, Reviews by Andrew Lee | 4 comments

quinoa

Happy Monday!  As I write this from my outdoor patio with a glass of iced green tea, Spring is turning into Summer here in Texas.  Where ever you are, I hope Spring is finding its way to you!  Stop reading a website!  Find some sunshine!

But if you’re stuck inside at a computer, here’s some link love:

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Lemon-Olive Seitan Cutlets

April 16, 2010 in Recipes by cooljuice | 4 comments

This seitan meal is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. I’m serious. I wanted to let it run down my chin and let my skin absorb the flavors. Try it out. Here’s what you do:

  • 1 pound of homemade seitan
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup of basil leaves, chopped
  • 1 lemon, sliced
  • 10 green pitted olives, sliced
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp tamari
  • salt
  • 1 cup mushrooms, diced
  • 2 cups vegetable stock

Cut the seitan into 4 equal pieces and fold the basil and a pinch of salt into each cutlet. You will have to really knead them to get the goods absorbed. I also added a little bit of minced garlic to the raw seitan. Flatten each piece and place them individually on a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold the foil into a square packet around the seitain, flattening and shaping it into a cutlet. Place the packets in a steamer for 30 minutes.

While the cutlets are steaming, prepare a roux of 4 tablespoons olive oil and the flour. Keep it at medium heat, stirring constantly until it becomes a golden brown. Add the turmeric and garlic and mushrooms. Cook with a cover on for 10 minutes. You may need to add a little water to keep things from getting pasty. When the mushrooms are soft, add the vegetable stock and stir in completely. Let simmer.

Once the cutlets are done steaming, remove them from their packets and place in the roux. Add the sliced olives and lemon slices and tamari. Let cook on low heat for another 15 to 20 minutes.  Serve over brown rice or other grain of your choice. Top with parsley.

Red Lentil Dhal

April 14, 2010 in Personal Health, Recipes, Vegetables by cooljuice | 1 comment

red lentil backgroundRed Lentil Dhal over Brown Rice

This is one of those delicious Indian-inspired dishes that seems to get better over time. I actually prefer eating this as a next-day leftover after all the delicious spices and flavors have been fully absorbed and expressed.

Here’s what you do:

  • 1 cup dry red lentils
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 medium onion diced
  • olive oil
  • salt/tamari/shoyu and pepper
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 cup loosely chopped cilantro

Spices:

  • 1 Tbsp fenugreek
  • 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
  • 6 whole cloves
  • 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds

Roast the seeds briefly in a hot pan and then mix everything up in a little coffee grinder or spice grinder. You can also use a mortar and pestle.

Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add water, lentils and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer. Once simmering, add chopped tomato (seeded) and let simmer for another 20 minutes. Stir frequently. 5 minutes before it’s done, add cilantro and shoyu/salt/tamari it to taste. It should be a thick, pasty, goopy deliciousness that goes perfectly over brown rice, or with naan.

Farm Fresh: Tacos

April 6, 2010 in Farm Fresh, Recipes by Andrew Lee | 6 comments

Vegan Breakfast Taco

“Tacos in the morning?  That’s the routine in Austin.”

This was a headline in The New York Times in March!

And you know what?  It’s true.

Breakfast tacos are an amazing tradition here in Austin.  When I first moved here (before going macro) I was in love with the fact that if I wanted breakfast wrapped in a tortilla, I could stop at just about every other restaurant / food cart / gas station and pick up a taco for around $2.00.  Heck, you can get a taco any time of day here.  I.  Love.  It.  These days I’ll still treat myself to a breakfast taco every now and then, but for the most part I’ve kept to making tacos at home.  We’ve written about snacks and quick foods before (here, here, and here), and this is another installment.

Every so often, I’ll make a dozen (or more) tacos on a Sunday and eat them for lunch or a snack throughout the week.  Making macro snack tacos is a snap.  These ain’t no fancy gourmet.  They’re meant to be quick meals and I love them when I’m having a busy week.  Let me show you how I do it:

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[Vegan] Pineapple Fried Rice

April 2, 2010 in Recipes by bursty | 3 comments

This dish has become one of our staples — it’s what I order from our favorite little Thai restaurant whenever we go, and I’ve since started making it at home (without the egg).  Super simple, filling, yet light and refreshing!  We recently made the big SPRING SWITCH to long grain brown rice (a big deal in our household) — and this dish was even more delightful last night.

Pineapple Fried Rice (with tofu):

1/4 onion, sliced thinly and then into half moons
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can of pineapple chunks (drain off *most* of the liquid)
1/2 package of tofu, drained & cut into cubes or small rectangles
2 cups of cooked brown rice
olive oil
black pepper (to taste)
and shoyu or tamari (to taste)

Saute the onions in olive oil until they are clear, then add in the garlic & tofu — turn up the heat and brown the tofu to your desired amount, adding olive oil as needed.  Once the tofu is as fried as you’d like it, add the pineapple with a *little* (about 1/4 cup) of its liquid, and a couple of tablespoons of tamari/shoyu to taste.  Let this cook together for a few minutes to get the flavor into the tofu.  When the liquid has cooked down some, add the rice, and fry at a high temperature until browned the way you like it!

Lime-Curry Quinoa with Marinated Tempe

March 25, 2010 in Recipes by cooljuice | 2 comments

This is what I’m talkin’ about. One of the most delicious recipes I’ve had in a long time. I made it last night for dinner, feeling like the energy of Spring called for a little zest in the flavor profile rut I’d fallen into over the winter.

Here’s what you do:

  • 1.5 cups cooked lentils (I like French lentils)
  • 1.5 cups cooked quinoa
  • 1T curry powder
  • 1T tamari/shoyu
  • 3T lime juice
  • 2T olive oil

Mix the curry, tamari, oil and lime together, then stir into quinoa and lentils until moist.

thennnnnnnn…

  • 1 package (or 8 oz.) tempe cut into slices
  • 1T lemon juice
  • 1T grated ginger
  • 1T minced garlic
  • 1T olive oil
  • 1T apple juice

Mix it all together in a ziploc or pyrex tupperware container and shake it up, then marinate tempe in it in the fridge for a few hours. Fry in a pan and serve on top of quinoa/lentils.

Spring has sprung!

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