Soft Core Vegetarian

Frozen Yogurt

2008-07-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

I bought and ice cream maker, and hands down the best thing I have made so far is frozen yogurt.

Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

1 1/4 cup full fat yogurt
1 cup table cream
1 3/4 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup sugar

Mix yogurt, cream and sugar and let sit in fridge.
Puree frozen strawberries in food processor, mix with yogurt mixture and put in ice cream maker until done.

couscous salad

2008-07-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

1 cup couscous, uncooked
1-1/4 cups vegetable broth
1- 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tomato
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup cucumber, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice, (more if you like it tangy)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add couscous, stir and cover. Turn off heat and leave for 5 minutes.
Fluff couscous with a fork very well.
Prepare the dressing in a large bowl by whisking together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and cumin. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add the black beans, bell pepper, corn, scallions, cucumber and couscous to the dressing and toss all together. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
Sprinkle a bit of chili powder and add cilantro at the end.
Toss again and refrigerate to let the flavors blend. This makes a great summer salad.
Serves: 6

2008-03-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

Baby want protein. Hubby was pleased when I ate an extra helping of ham with Easter dinner. Meat is slowly coming back into the house. Luckily my grocery store has started carrying organic meat. I am cooking one meat meal a week.

I am also eating organic cheese and eggs. Eating this way is more expensive, but it is healthier. A small brick of organic cheese costs only slightly less than the large rectangle of cheese I used to buy. This means I use less cheese. I am drinking rice milk, even though I find it very sweet. It's good with cereal in the morning and before bed.

Organic eggs are pricey too. I think we are going to get chickens this year. Thus endless supply of eggs. I doubt it will be cheaper than buying eggs at the store, but at least I will be able to control what they eat. Lets hope our cholesterol doesn't shoot through the roof because of this.

I read labels like crazy. Who knew that canned soup had so much MSG? I was able to find a few varieties that didn't have any. I haven't been in the mood to make my own soup, so picked up a few cans to tide me over.

Soon the snow will be gone, and I will be able to start planting. I can't wait to harvest vegetables again. I plan on having a freezer full of organic veggies for the winter.

2008-03-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

This story http://www.naturalnews.com/022885.html made my stomach turn. A floating dump the size of two United States? That is gross.

The worst part is most of the garbage sinks, this poor planet.

Well Fuck

2008-02-13T07:55:00.000-08:00

I am pretty shocked at the two articles I read this morning concerning soy.

Turns out it is very bad for you. Great...

They can't put unfermented soy in animal feed because it fucks with their fertility, so they put it in human feed instead.

Soy can pass into the baby through the placenta.

Soy given to children can delay or prevent puberty in boys, and bring it on sooner in girls.

Soy is in 60% of packaged products in supermarkets.

http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/022630.html

I have drank countless litres of soy milk, and eaten soy products to replace meat. A wanna be vegetarian just can't win!

So Long Animals

2008-02-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

When I was reading the China Study I knew something was changing in me. Not only was I pregnant at the time, but food became not something that kept me alive, but something that was growing another person.

That day I started to reduce my meat intake. Shortly after my dairy and egg intake was reduced as well. This started in November.

Now it's the middle of February and I have no intention of going back. I think I am finished with meat. Perhaps I will eat organic free range meat on occasion, but for the most part meat found in resturants and grocery stores is off limits and just plain gross.

The one indulgence I will allow myself in moderation is cheese, but I will switch to organic, and eggs will be free range, vegetarian fed. I think that's pretty good for a start.

Cure all soup

2008-02-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

I woke up with a sore throat. I knew I couldn't get through the entire winter without a cold, so i wasn't suprised when a glass of water didn't make the pain go away.

What do you do when your sick? Well, i am nuts, when I feel sickness come on I go crazy with cleaning. I organized the closet, took a couple loads of stuff to the basement, vaccumed, did the dishes, put away laundry, made the bed and when I finally sat down I realized I wanted soup.

Not any soup, because I have left over soup from yesterday (split pea). I wanted a chicken soup. So I threw together a chickenless soup, and I fully expect it to cure all.

Super fast Chicken-less soup

1 onion chopped
garlic minced
carrot chopped
potato chopped
1/2 can corn
handful of wild rice
handful of quinoa
handful of barley
1 chickenless bouillion cube
salt, pepper
parsley

You can put what ever in the soup, I just used what I had. Simmer for a while and enjoy. I have already had one bowl and am thinking about another.

Yeast!

2008-02-11T02:10:00.001-08:00

I successfully made a yeast coffee cake yesterday. I was so proud of myself. I tried to make it somewhat healthy by slipping in some whole wheat flour, wheat germ and ground flax, which changed the taste a little, but with the cup of brown sugar and butter crumbled on the top it wasn't noticed.

I think I have figured out the best way to use yeast with my food processor. The trick is to mix the yeast with the liquid before hand, not put the yeast in with the dry ingredients like my book says.

I don't know why I was so afraid of yeast before. Once tamed it is a great cooking tool.

Spinach Samosa

2008-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

I was stoked when these turned out. They tasted better than the deep fried ones you buy, and way healthier.

Once the dough is made, you can fill it with what ever. I choose spinach, but the classic potato and peas would be good too.

Samosa-

1 cup white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 ground flax seed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp yogurt or sour cream
1/2ish cup water

Put everything but the water in a food processor and blend. Once mixed slowly add about 1/2 cup of water, until dough forms a solid ball. Remove and wrap, refridgerate for 30min.

Then take dough and quarter, then cut each quarter into six pieces and roll into a ball. Keep dough covered when not using. Roll into disks and fill, use water to seal the half moons.

Spray a cooksheet and bake for aprox 30 min, turning once.

Five Freaking Stars!

Spinach Filling

I just made this up.

1 package of frozen spinach thawed
2 cloves garlic minced
1 onion diced
1/2 zuchnni diced
salt n pepper
grated old cheese

Cook the ingredients minus the cheese, spoon into samosa with cheese.

Defeat

2008-01-30T14:58:00.001-08:00

I hate it when a recipe fails. It irritates me to no end.
A whole bag of blueberries wasted. My cobbler tastes like the ocean. I looked at the recipe and said "Hmmm, two tsp of salt seems like a lot...but whatever". I should have used my better judgement.

It's like a piece of salt soaked cardboard on otherwise perfect berries.

Lets hope my spinach and cheese samosas are better.

Mac and fake cheese

2008-01-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

My sister sent me a fat-free vegan food blog today. I was hooked, excellent blog, excellent recipes. I noticed a recipe for vegan mac and cheese. I had every ingredient, thanks to an earlier stop at the bulk barn. I decided to jump in and see what it was like. I love cheese..who doesnt...and thought if I could make a fake cheese dish that didn't make me want to barf I'd be that much closer to veganizing myself.

I was delighted at how good this was. The only down fall was the canker on my tounge that prevented me from eating it quicker.

The real test will be if hubby likes it. I won't tell him it's suppose to be "cheese" and just say it's a new sauce i tried.

Roast

2008-01-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

When hubby is away I don't like making big meals, but I do like to eat well. Tonight I invented a roasted vegetable dish. Fingerling potatoes, zucchini, onion, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and some oil.

Mix them all together in a baking dish and cook for 30min.

Paired with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower made the perfect dinner for one.

Veggie Egg Rolls

2008-01-20T05:31:00.000-08:00

Eggrolls are very easy to make. Even easier if you have a food processor. You can have as many or few ingredients as you like. Pre-made eggroll wrappers also help.

Veggie Egg Rolls

1 small cabbage grated
1 large carrot grated
1 onion grated
2tbsp sesame oil
2tbsp vegetable oil
soy sauce
Package of wrappers

extras- mushrooms, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, bok choy, ect ect.

Heat oil in large pan, add onions, then carrot and cabbage and everything else and cook until done. Scoop into wrappers and fold. Lightly spray and bake in the oven until crispy, turning once.

The light

2008-01-17T11:23:00.000-08:00

I walk around the grocery store and think to myself. Why did I spend so many years buying this pre-packaged crap? I'll tell you why, it's because I worked 55hrs a week, I was always tired and wanted something quick for dinner, and something even quicker to throw in my lunch bag.

Now I walk through the grocery store and my cart has next to nothing pre-packaged. Fresh fruits, and vegetables. My collection of vinegars, oils, flours and dried beans grows every week. The last meat I bought was a box of frozen fish filets, and a bag of frozen shrimp. Food I can keep in the freezer for when hubby is home and needs animal to be satisfied.

I had chicken at a resturant yesterday, only because the alternatives were too enriched and fatty to be concidered "good vegetarian" food. I skipped the fries and had salad with my wrap. I felt good the rest of the day.

My grocery list becomes more refined. I am finding I need less food in my cart to feed me longer.

I will attempt to stop buying bread, in favor of making it myself. Then maybe pasta, but that seems like a lot of work when a very healthy alternitive is found dried in a box.

This summer I will can my own tomatoes and be able to cut out buying pasta sauce, and salsa. I will have a freezer full of veggies for the winter, so I won't have to go to mexico to have zuchnni in my stirfry.

I will make all my own baby food. I have always felt that the baby should eat what hubby and I are eating. It's healthier and just as easy to liquify left over dinner into baby food and freeze as it is to open a jar. Cheaper too.

I like being aware of what I eat. I am a stay at home mom to be. My job is to make healthy food for my husband and baby. I have never loved a job more than this one.

Yeast...take two

2008-01-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

My first attempt at using yeast resulted in two loaves of "bread" suitable for building a retaining wall, or shotputting lessons. Hubby was excited that I made bread and ate it anyway. Reading the directions out of my vegetarian bible states that "Even a 10 year old can make bread better than store bought on the first try". Well, that made me feel even better.

However, I did not give up. Today I am attempting pizza. I did not use the cookbook, but found a different recipe (one that came with my food processor) and voila! A batch of pizza dough rising almost three times it's original size. It was sticky and airy and fabulous. I should have taken a picture.

My food processor made it possible, along with slicing all the veggies and grating the cheese in record time. I will let you know the verdict, and the recipe after I eat it.

Verdict...

I am amazing. The pizza was awesome, and I can't believe how easy it was.

I am sure I will tweek the recipe the more I make it.

Pizza Crust

2 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp herbs
1 cup water
1 pack yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp parmesean cheese

mix the water, oil and yeast in a pan and heat until just starts to feel hot when you put your finger in it. Remove and set aside.

Place all dry ingredients in food processor, mix until blended.

When yeast is dissolved slowly pour into running processor. (Let spin for about a minute) A dough ball will form.

Put dough ball in oiled bowl and place in a sunny window for an hour.

Cut ball into two, shape pizza's on oiled/corn mealed pan. Top with your ingredients. Cook until done.

Enjoy!

Beauty

2008-01-13T04:22:00.000-08:00

It might be irrational to be in love with a kitchen appliance. But I think I might be. Yesterday, after months of waiting I bought my food processor. A beautiful 12 cup, 750w, food making machine.

Never have I spent so much money on an appliance. It would never have come to be if I didn't have the $250 gift certificate courtesy of RBC reward points. A year of credit card spending was all I had to do.

It even came with a free $100 frying pan. So the money that I had to spend beyond $250 was basically given back with the free gift.

I have yet to try it out, but I know it will be awesome. Recipes I have been saving will be unleashed.

Veggie Meatballs

2008-01-10T04:54:00.001-08:00

I think I have been meat "free" for about 1.5 months. I made it through Christmas, (eating lots of meat and dairy...only to avoid the disapproving looks and having to explain myself). Now that the holidays are over I am back at it.

The last animal products that are still hanging around are cheese, fish and eggs (which i use in baking). Lately the fish I have been cooking has left me feeling blah. So I found an equally satisfying recipe that I can throw in the oven along with hubbies fish.

I bought a package of soy meatballs a while back, hubby did not enjoy them. So they sat in the freezer. A couple days ago I experimented and made a tinfoil package of meatballs and honey garlic bbq sauce. Luck would have it, it was delicious. So much that I ate it last night again.

The secret is to use Canadian Club Honey Garlic bbq sauce, it tastes like meatball sauce and works well over rice.

Pad Thai

2008-01-01T06:25:00.000-08:00

The easiest dish to make if you have pre-made pad thai sauce. I haven't attempted home made yet, but will let you know if I do. Usually this rice noodle dish has chicken and shrimp, but is easily made vegetarian with the addition of veggies and or tofu.

I like to make a big wok full when I cook. I have yet to master the "cooking for two" mentality. All you need is a bunch of veggies, some dried rice noodles and sauce.

My version goes something like this.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

1 onion chopped
1 head of broccoli chopped
1 or 2 carrots sliced
1 zucchini chopped
1 pepper chopped
bean sprouts

1/2 package rice noodles
pad thai sauce

Boil water for the noodles, Start with the onion in a heated wok with some oil. Cook until almost soft then add the carrots. I put a bit of water now to help steam and cook the carrots. When starting to turn bright orange I add the broccoli and zucchini. I cook covered for a minute, adding a bit more water. Then the pepper and bean sprouts.

Usually the bean sprouts are served raw, but i like them cooked better.

If everything works out your noodles will go in around the time that the broccoli does, that way they will be cooked at the same time. Add the noodles to the veggies and mix sauce in. To be fancy, serve with chopped peanuts, and lime wedges.

enjoy!

Meat

2007-12-31T06:05:00.000-08:00

Visiting family means you are going to eat bad food. This past weekend was a shock to both mine and hubbies systems.

Saturday night was dinner at his mothers. Meat Pie, with Ragu and fried sausage was dinner. A heavily meat based meal. Sunday we visited hubbies step-brother, we had shepards pie, pepperoni pizza, cheese spreads and other various fat and refined carb foods.

When we were driving home hubby said that everything was irritating him. I told him it was the food. I am right too.

I know die hard carnivors wouldn't agree with me, but too much meat, dairy and eggs will make you irritable, sluggish and depressed. I couldn't wait to get home and start eating good again.

Hubbies mother told me that it is important to eat a balanced diet while pregnant. I wanted to reply "No shit, why do you think i am cutting out meat?" but instead I replied "I have a very good diet", Hubbies father and stepmother don't think I eat, and even wrote in our xmas card "eat well".

I roll my eyes at this old school way of thinking about food. You don't see many studies that say "Steak, now proven to fight cancer" or "Bacon, the new super food".

Hubby is supporting me more than ever, he now sees and feels the difference eating veggies and whole grains instead of meat. I guess his family will just have to accept the way I am now.

Rice and Beans

2007-12-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

I love how nutritious and yummy rice and beans are. I know lots of people who turn their nose up at beans, because I used to be one of them. Since cutting out meat I find I rely on beans to provide the protein I am missing in my diet.

I have found that an easy way to cut cost and time is to keep a supply of cooked rice in the fridge at all times. I can be used for stir fry, in soups, and as a side dish.

A quick dish using left over rice and canned black beans follows.

Rice and Beans - Quick and Dirty

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup black beans

dop of olive oil

Diced Onion,

(peppers, tomatoes, corn ect)

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

dash cayenne

dash oregano

Salt and Pepper

Saute the onion in the olive oil first. When soft add the veggies (if you don't have any, don't include them). Cook until tender crisp. Then add the beans and rice. The measurements are random, if you don't have that much rice, add less, same with the beans. Then add the spices. If the mixture is a little dry, put a few tablespoons of water in to help coat the spices on the rice.

Cook until heated through.

This can be eaten as a side dish, or used to fill enchiladas, put on pizza or nachos. Salsa and sour cream are good companions.

Soy Dog

2007-12-19T09:05:00.000-08:00

I love soy dogs. They are my new favorite food. I know that sounds crazy, but I really enjoy them and have them almost every day.

Here is my favorite Soy Dog Recipe

Soy Dog Kabob

1 package of soy dogs

1 handful of multi grain soda crackers mashed into crumbs

Ketchup

Mustard

Toothpicks

Cut the soy dogs into appetizer sized pieces. put a toothpick in each one. Dip in ketchup, and then roll in cracker crumbs. Place on a pan and cook for 15-20min at 350 oven or until the heated through.

Dip in ketchup or mustard and enjoy!

Barley Soup

2007-12-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

Barley Soup

1 onion diced

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup barley

2 carrots chopped

2 celery chopped

2 potato chopped

7 cups veggie stock

1 tsp rubbed sage

1 can of corn

Salt and pepper

Saute onion in oil until soft, then add garlic, salt and pepper and saute for an additional minute. Add barley and cook until browned or sticky. Add veggie stock and simmer for 20 min. Add carrots, celery and potatoes and cook until tender. Add sage and corn and heat through just before serving.

Makes one large pot of food. (two meals, four lunches)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This soup is exceptionally good. I didn't have veggie stock so I used a chicken bullion cube. I also omitted the celery because it's gross. It is easy to make and my carnivore husband loved it. The only downfall is the colour of the soup makes you think it will be gross. Feel free to add any veggies you like, or any other grains, just increase the water.

Shepards Pie

2007-12-16T04:15:00.000-08:00

When I decided to try a meatless Shepard's pie I thought lentils would be the solution. They are brown, and crumbly like ground beef.

Since my husband isn't quite on the vegetarian bandwagon yet I made half with the traditional beef.

Lentil Shepard's Pie

3/4 cup lentils (or less)

potato's (cooked mashed for topping)

brown gravy mix **

olive oil (about a tbsp)

onion

Worcestershire Saucecan or frozen corn

~~~~~~~~
Procedure:

Boil lentils for about 20 min. While that is cooking dice the onion and saute in the oil. When lentils are soft, strain and add to onion. Now put in the gravy package Add the appropriate amount of water. Usually between 1 and 1/2 cup. Add worcestershire sauce. Cook until gravy is thick.

Put lentil mixture in bottom of a casserole dish and top with corn, then mashed potatoes. Make fancy designs in the mashed potato with a fork, then sprinkle with paprika.

Cook in a 400 degree oven until heated through.

** The dried gravy package I used didn't show any "meat" in the ingredients, however I am sure some could have been hidden in there. If your hardcore check, if not don't worry.

~~~~~~~

This was my first time cooking lentils. I give the recipe 3/5, it was good but not excellent. I could have used more gravy mix (only half the package was used since the other half was in the ground beef) The lentils were a little starchy. I found mixing the mashed potatoes with the lentils, then adding hotsauce and katchup pumped it up to a 4/5.