Mock Egg Salad

     This is by far the best "egg salad" I've ever had and it doesn't have any eggs, mayo, or salt in it.  I mixed a brick of firm tofu with an equal amount of hummus.  Before using the tofu I put the brick in a colander and placed a weight on top of it for about 20 minutes. This removes excess water and makes for a firmer texture. I cut off about 1/4 of the brick and diced this portion and set it aside. Next, I mashed the other 3/4 of the brick of tofu into the hummus. To this mixture I added 1 tbsp. turmeric, a pinch of smoked paprika, 1 tbsp. no-salt seasoning, and chopped celery. Then I carefully incorporated the diced tofu.  

     Chill in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Pictured here is  a mock egg salad sandwich with freshly picked Boston lettuce on toasted Ezekiel 7 grain sprouted flourless bread.

• Nasoya lite firm brick of tofu (14 ounce)
• Sabra hummus
• turmeric
• no-salt seasoning
• chopped celery
• smoked paprika

Vegan Meatloaf with steamed vegetables

  Here's a vegan meatloaf that has the texture and zesty flavors that rival any meatloaf I've enjoyed in the past.  I served it with steamed cauliflower, steamed yellow squash, and a mix of red peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

Vegan Meat Loaf
1 10 ounce package of Tofu Crumbles
1 cup TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
1 or 2 chopped garlic cloves
3 tbsp. mustard
4 tbsp. Pomi strained tomatoes
4 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 cup cooked thin sliced onion
1/2 cup cooked red peppers (diced)
1/2 cup cooked mushrooms (sliced)
2 cups black beans (hand mash or  use food processor)
3 tbsp. flax meal 
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried basil
2 tbsp. no-salt seasoning
 splash of hot sauce
1 tsp. smoked paprika
3 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. salt 
3tbsp. veg broth or water
     With a large fork, mix all the ingredients together. I spread mine evenly and pat it down into a 9" X 12" glass Pyrex pan. 
     Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Mushroom Pasta

This recipe has all my favorite attributes for a home cooked meal--quick, easy, tasty, and nutritious. 

• pasta
• sauteed baby portobello mushrooms
• roasted red peppers
• tofu
• no-salt seasoning
• nutritional yeast

Naturally Sweet

    My tastebuds have a renewed appreciation for the natural sweetness in fruit since I've cut added sugars and artifical sweeteners from my diet. For the best taste I search out ripe locally grown fruit when available. This summer I spent a month in southern California. Each day, my friend and I picked and enjoyed juicy sweet tree ripened nectarines from her back yard. It was such a treat.

Minestrone Soup

      Today is the first day of autumn and I celebrated by making a big pot of minestrone.  And, if I do say so myself, it's really good.  I get excited when a new vegan recipe turns out to be as good, or better than my non-vegan version of a favorite dish.

     I cooked the kidney beans in a big pot of water.  When the beans were nearly done I added the tomato, TVP, seasonings, fresh cut carrots, celery, onion, and yellow squash. I let the vegetables cook with the beans and water.  I kept the bean cooking water to add a little body to the soup.  I was careful to check the veggies so they didn't overcook to mush.

  Then, I added the frozen veggies, cooked chick peas, fresh spinach, and cooked pasta.  The heat already in the soup warmed these ingredients.

   One of the best things about minestrone is that you can vary the ingredients depending on what you have on hand.

• kidney beans
• no salt added diced tomatoes
• no salt added crushed tomatoes
• TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
• garlic
• bay leaf
• basil
• parsley
• oregano
• Spike no salt seasoning
• turmeric
• hot sauce
• celery
• carrots
• onion
• yellow squash
• pasta
• chick peas
• frozen cut green beans
• frozen corn
• fresh spinach

Thumb Print Cookies

     These chewy thumb print cookies have Simply Fruit jam in the center.  The the dough is made with banana, fiber cereal, oatmeal, unsweetened cocoa powder, vanilla extract, almond milk, and pumpkin pie spice.  I don't use exact measurements because this isn't really baking in the sense that you need to measure precisely for the recipe to work. These cookies have no flour, eggs, sugar, leavening, and so on.

Peach Salsa With Grape Tomatoes

     Sometimes it's too hot to cook.  Today, we made this colorful peach salsa.  It's a refreshing mix of fresh peach, grape tomatoes, mild sweet vidalia onion, fresh raw sweet corn taken off the cob, black beans, cilantro, and hot sauce. It was a tasty way to beat the heat.

Fennel

     When I was living in Florence, Italy, my friend Alice would cook the most amazing things. We would walk to the daily outdoor market, shop, and then go back to her home and cook.  She often served raw fennel salad.  I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it's fresh delicate flavor and it's crunch. 

     Now, I have been buying  fennel from the farmers market. I like  eating it raw. It is similar to celery in crunch and texture. I take off the green tops and slice the bulb parts. I store the sliced bulb, like I do celery, in a bowl of water in the refrigerator. The fennel keeps drinking and stays crisp.

What's On My Vegan Shopping List?

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My low fat, low sodium, low glycemic index, high fiber, vegan shopping list

Breakfast:

• Fiber One original 57% cereal (looks like twigs)
• Steel cut oatmeal
• Fruit (except watermelon and pineapple)
• Unsweetened low fat almond milk or soy milk
• Multi-vitamin/mineral
• Water
• Green and other decaf teas
• Teeccino coffee alternative

Lunch and Dinner:

• Beans like navy, black, chick peas, kidney, and so on
• Lentils
• Brown basmati rice
• Hulled barley
• Herbs and spices
• Garlic 
• low sodium hot sauce
• low sodium mustard
• Pasta
• Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas
• No-salt-added, or low sodium canned diced or pureed tomatoes
• Vegetables
• Sweet potato or yam (no white potatoes)
• TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
• Tofu
• Nutritional yeast
• vinegar

I use these high fat foods sparingly:

• Walnuts (unsalted, no added oil)
• Almonds (unsalted, no added oil)
• Avocado
• Extra virgin first cold-pressed olive oil (used only to dress raw salad, 1 teaspoon)

NOT on my low fat, low sodium, low glycemic index, high fiber, vegan shopping list

• no cold cereal
  
• no dairy products like cheese, milk, yogurt, butter, and so on
• no watermelon
• no pineapple
• no bread (no whole wheat bread either), if you must eat bread choose pumpernickel or rye
• no crackers, chips, and so on
• no white potatoes
• no popcorn
• no eggs
• no meats like beef, pork, chicken, and so on
• no fish
• no refined flour or sugar products like cookies, cakes, and so on
• avoid products with preservatives or artificial colors
• no high fat or high sodium prepackaged vegan products like burgers, cheese, hot dogs, and so on
• no added salt 
• no alcoholic beverages  
• no soda
• no diet soda
• no artificial sweeteners
• no added sugar
• no honey
• nothing fried

For specific information on shopping tips, meal prep, the do's and don'ts, and the why's and wherefore's of the low fat, low sodium, low glycemic index, high fiber, vegan diet go to Dr. Neal Barnard's website listed above on my helpful links.

Oatmeal Cookies

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     My daughter made yummy oatmeal cookies that are crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.  She made some in bars and some in haystack shapes.  Similar to most cookie recipes, the raw dough is as good as the baked cookies.  They are a mix of Fiber One cereal, oatmeal, banana, vanilla extract, almond milk, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.  The cookies are either rolled out in a slab or dolloped on parchment paper.  They are baked at 350 degrees until crispy on outside and still chewy on the inside.

 

Stuffed Shells

     Thankfully, my daughter has been tweaking recipes to make them delicious and low fat, low sodium, low glycemic, vegan. It's been awesome having her here for a visit. I could live on the shells stuffed with tofu and covered in tomato mushroom sauce she made over the weekend; they are that good.

Troll Cheese Ball

     Another hummus attempt gone awry turned into a happy accident I call the troll cheese ball.  My daughter says it looks like something a troll would roll out from under a bridge. Okay, so you think I'm insane, and the theme to the Twilight Zone is starting to run in your mind.  My husband has a co-worker who says that she can tell I'm in this for the long haul. Well, she's absolutely right. 
     I am, what my son calls, a faux-cook.  I prefer eyeballing measurements and hate making the same thing twice. Nice qualities for an artist perhaps, but not so much for a cook. Ah well, I remain undaunted and am going to figure out how to eat low sodium, low fat, low glycemic index, high fiber, vegan.
     A vegetarian friend asked me this week what made me decide to go vegan.  I tried low fat, low sodium, low glycemic, vegan for three weeks not knowing that I'd stick with it past that trial period. However, by week three I was feeling and looking so much better that I was sold. I continue to feel and look better, so why would I eat any other way?

Alfredo Sauce

     We recently purchased a blender and food processor.   My daughter has been making the most awesome creations. This alfredo sauce is fantastic.  She served it over rotini and sauteed mushrooms. It's a simple mix of these ingredients in the food processor. Then heated on the stove for about 5 minutes.

• nutritional yeast
• tofu
• almond milk
• nutmeg
• garlic 
• onion powder

Fruit Dip

     Here's a mousse-like fruit dip that is light and creamy. Whether it's spread on a black bean brownie, eaten alone, or as a fresh fruit dip, this treat tastes like dessert.  Simply blend, silken tofu, banana, unsweetened cocoa, and vanilla extract in a food processor until smooth. Chill in refrigerator.

Turkish Cucumbers

     Trying new vegetables is a great way to keep vegan eating interesting.  A friend gave us these Turkish cucumbers from her garden. This is the first time I tried them.  They remind me of a honey dew melon. These cucumbers have a cool and refreshing mild melon flavor and texture which I love. 

Pasta!

      

     The thing I love most about eating a low fat, low sodium, low glycemic index, high fiber vegan diet is that I can actually eat! Yay, I can eat! There is no need to ever be hungry when eating this way. I feel and look healthier, have more energy, and am steadily losing weight. It's such a relief from the days of struggling to drop weight to no avail.

     My daughter made this pasta sauce and said she didn't miss the oil or salt. This easy sauce is made by mixing roasted red peppers, fresh tomatoes, roasted garlic, and lots of fresh basil leaves in the food processor. It is packed full of flavor and very satisfying.

Stuffed Mushroom Caps and Veggie Burger

     My daughter and I made these veggie burgers and stuffed mushroom caps. They were really good. I especially love stuffed mushrooms, and these were as good as any I've had in the past that had added oil and salt. We filled the mushroom caps with the same mixture we used to make the veggie burgers. We baked the burgers and stuffed mushroom caps, on the same baking sheet, for 30 minutes. Turn the patties after first 15 minutes.

     In a food processor pulse the chick peas until there are no whole chick peas left in the mixture--but not smooth like you'd do for hummus.  Put this in a large mixing bowl. Now process the vegetables until chopped like the chick peas. Add this mixture to chick peas along with TVP and herbs and spices.  (When it comes to food, I have an omni frame of reference;  this mixture reminded me of turkey stuffing.)  Stuff mushroom caps and form patties.

chick peas

black beans

sliced carrot

onion

parsley

TVP

nutritional yeast

mushrooms

garlic

thyme

smoked paprika

turmeric

Cayenne Black Bean Brownies

      While I was living in Italy, dark chocolate flavored with hot chili pepper was popular in chocolate bars and hot cocoa.  I tried it and thought it was an interesting combination.  These brownie's are really easy and tasty. This recipe makes chewy fudgy brownies.

1. Mix together in food processor:
    2 c. black beans
    2 ripe bananas
    1/4 c. almond milk
    1/4 c. no sugar added natural apple sauce
    1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
    1 pinch cayenne powder 
    1/4 c. TVP
    2 tsp. vanilla
    1 c. instant oats
    2 tbsp. flax meal
    1/4 c. chopped walnuts

3. Pour mixture into an 8" X 8" pyrex that has parchment paper cut to fit bottom of pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let brownies cool. Then, cut and enjoy.  Store covered in refrigerator.

Fuggets

Here's a recipe for faux chicken nuggets, or as we call them, fuggets.

 1.  Mix 1/4 c. almond milk (or soy milk) and 1tsp. lemon juice.  Set aside. It will start to foam.

 2.  Mix fugget ingredients in food processor.

      1/4c. TVP
      2 c. chick peas
      garlic powder
      thyme
      mustard

 3.   Form into ping-pong size balls
 4.   Flatten into chicken nugget shape.
 5.   Dip and coat in almond milk and lemon juice mixture.

 6.   Roll in dry coating.

Dry Coating mixture
Blend together in a food processor the following dry ingredients:
TVP
nutritional yeast
fiber cereal


7.  Place fuggets on cookie sheet and bake 12 minutes on each side in 350 degree oven.


Dipping Sauce #1
  Blend together in food processor: 
garlic
roasted red peppers
nutritional yeast
fresh basil
6 walnut halves

Dipping Sauce #2
  Blend together: 
roasted red peppers 
fresh basil 
hot sauce
dried herbs:  parsley, oregano

Dipping sauce #3
mustard

Clockwise in photo: fuggets, dipping sauce #1, dipping sauce #2 

Gifts From A Home Garden

   
     I'm so grateful to receive fresh vegetables from a friend's garden.  My husband has a co-worker who routinely shares the most wonderful vegetables from her garden.  She leaves these vine-ripened beauties in the office kitchen for anyone to take home and enjoy.  When my husband came home tonight he had some of her grape tomatoes. I was so excited when I saw them, you'd have thought he was handing me gold nuggets.  They are such a treat because they have that unmistakable just picked home garden flavor that can't be beat.  Although I usually prefer to eat these raw, I put some of the tomatoes in the sauce I was making for lasagna. They added so much fresh sweet flavor.