The Pea and Bee

Tofurky Frozen Vegan Pizza in BOULDER!

2011-02-23T23:06:00.000-08:00

Vegan Pepperoni Frozen Pizza?   That tastes good? GET OUT OF THE CITY!   YES! It’s finally in Boulder at Whole Foods after many months wait and we had to have a pizza party a few weeks ago to try them all out.   Tofurky Pizza comes in three flavours: pepperoni, cheese and sausage with peppers and grilled veggies. Kids, this stuff is GREAT!   This is good for frozen pizza, period, much less vegan pizza. The Turtle Island folks have done it again and they decided to be the very first vegan pepperoni pizza on the frozen aisle.      We used to love frozen pizza, it reminded us of our childhoods eating Totino’s Party Pizza and out of this box, the sight almost brought a tear to my eye.   I remembered my grandmother buying that particular brand of pizza for me to have on Saturdays as a treat when I’d go over to her house. We’d have Kool Aid and Party Pizza.   (Admit it, this looks familiar!) :

This pizza pie does our old fave justice with a similar dimension, crispy but light crust and CUBED pepperoni and a light (not gross) portion of Daiya cheese. (In case you have been living under a rock, Daiya is the only non-dairy cheese that melts like the real thing and TASTES amazing– a review of that is underway for any of you rock-dwellers out there).    But where the old time Party Pizzas were a greasy, meat-slathered, sweet (on what I assume is a deep fried crust) kiddie-pie, Tofurky Frozen Pepperoni Pizza is lean, vegan, cholesterol free, high protein, critter-free and all natural. It’s an optimal choice for lactose intolerant, vegetarian or vegan diners.
I have always been on the look out for decent vegan pepperoni and have found most versions tasty, but not quite authentic. This stuff is amazing. The pepperoni tastes great and even has little “fat” globules and just the right texture (don’t start gagging – they replicated the authentic pepperoni flecks with brown rice) but isn’t as salty as the real stuff.    The crispy (but not card-board-crispy) crust is the best I’ve had on ANY frozen pizza.   The sauce was not my favourite element of this pizza, it could use a little saltiness or sweetness to cut the acidic tomato-y bitterness but it was tasty nonetheless. (* some of the taste testers thought the sauce was fabulous. )

The Cheese Pizza is REALLY good and, thankfully, it doesn’t have too much cheese on it. Diaya is a wonderful thing, but too much of a wonderful thing is not good. As with all cheeses, it turns gloppy or slimy if there is too much. This is one you could spice up with your own fixins and toppings. The sauce tastes a little different on this version -and it might be my imagination, but it seems more delicate and less aggressively tomato-y and it pairs well with the mozzarella-cheddar mix of the cheese. It’s also very “Tontio’s-esque” but in a good way:

but my second favourite, behind the pepperoni Totino’s flashback of childhood, was THIS baby right here:

Of all the three varieties, this one is the most sophisticated.   This is a delicious combination of vegan sausage and grilled vegetables. I wish they added a little more fennel to their Italian sausage, but I add the fennel seeds on with a little dash of sea-salt.   Delicious!    The smokiness of the veggies and the savory sausage is a perfect match for the sauce and crispy crust.
For 6 bucks and some change.. you can’t go wrong!!!

Note: I haven’t been up to blogging this year yet, as I’ve been very busy working, and also getting into a new dietary routine in which I am eating mainly unprocessed whole foods and limiting “white” and refined foods. My rule is “single ingredients that are what they are.”   I will be posting some new recipes but I also wanted to post some reviews I’ve not had time to publish (like the above).   Of COURSE there will still be reviews from the “junk food” loving side of the family and I will still be sampling treats once a week.   After all, moderation in all things!
~B~!

Match Meats Part 1: Beef and Pork

2010-09-02T18:36:00.001-07:00

The reasons to not eat animal meat are numerous and obvious in the growing wake of devastating ecological and health impact. Our bodies, and the planet, can’t keep up. What then, is this meaty-love affair? One questions I hear a lot is, “Why would a vegan want to eat fake “meat”?     - and the answer is really simple; most people in the Western World grew up with meat dishes, and some people liked the taste before they changed their diet for ethical or health reasons.    For people who miss their burgers, chicken fingers and carnitas, there are alternatives that are better for you and the world.
Not one to love the “real deal” before I became a vegetarian, I used to shy away from processed “meat” alternatives but now there are more and more nutritious, natural and GOOD tasting substitutes out now that I’m on a veritable mock meat-jag, helped along with the ersatz carnivores in the family still missing their old treats.
Enter: Match Meats. After a client and foodie friend on the west-coast told me about her fantastically realistic sandwich one night, I was on a mission to find this stuff, and thankfully, Boulder is one of the test markets and it’s available at Whole Foods.   Match is being lauded as one of the best, most realistic, gourmet vegan matches for animal meats. These swankily packaged faux meats are seriously unlike anything else out there.

Flavours are: ground beef, pork, ground chicken, italian sausage, breakfast sausage and even crab. Amazingly, it smells, looks, tastes and prepares like the real deal. Unlike other vegan-meats that come pre-shaped and seasoned, Match Meats can be prepared according to your own traditional meat recipes and can be shaped to form many different types of dishes.
My first two to review shall be the Ground Beef and Pork varieties. The hamburger totally disarmed me out of the package; while it wasn’t pink (a nice burger-y brown) it SMELLED and FELT like actual cooked hamburger meat.    It was kind of neat to be able to form patties and add ingredients to the mix. I wanted to keep it simple to better taste what the “meat” tasted like on it’s own so I added a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce and a few shakes of chopped dehydrated garlic.    Man, were these burgers amazing!! We were all just blown away by how “burger-like” the texture was. Instead of the strange somewhat soft-texture of vegan burgers, this was exactly like HAMBURGER! I had to resist the temptation to scrutinize the burger for gristle and fat the way I did when I was a kid. We ate this up on vegan buns with mustard, organic ketchup, pickles and tomatoes just to keep things plain and they were AMAZING.   MIL almost came unglued with joy at having her favourite burger taste back.   I will definitely be using this for my mom’s numerous ground beef recipes and and meatloaf.

and check out the texture on the inside:

Match Ground Pork, was another experience that was just on the edge of being a little TOO realistic in terms of texture and smell… (pork was one of my least favourites) but, unfortunately, due to my preparation I didn’t get to taste the porkiness of the finished product because I prepared it ala molé using a vegan adaptation of Mike’s Molé de Pollo , a recipe I got at Savory Spice Shop here in town. I used veggie broth and omitted raisins, but was extremely impressed by the smoky complexity of this powdered version of a notoriously difficult, labour intensive sauce. The Match Pork held up beautifully, even with the addition of extra liquid.**     Most other faux meat would have turned into a pasty mess.
I served with rice, chipotle corn and white corn tortillas. On the side I served a cucumber salad made with dried shallots, olive oil, cumin, green chile powder, lime-juice and Grand Garlic salt .
Delicious! The picture below shows dad’s plate with some Daiya cheese sprinkles on top. - Next time, crab-cakes and breakfast sausage.
**Guidelines for cooking with MATCH®;

MATCH® comes frozen and takes 24 hours in your refrigerator to thaw, depending on the temperature. Keep it cold until cooking; this will give you a better texture.
MATCH® is soft when cold, firm when warm. Keep this in mind when cooking. It is a low fat food, and requires oil or water when you handle it.
MATCH® is firmer with less moisture in it and softer with more moisture in it. Baking, sautéing, poaching, and steaming all affect the moisture and texture, so you may have to experiment with it.
MATCH® needs oil on the outside of it when placing it on the grill, or spray the grill; when baking, oil the pan. We spray burgers, breast shapes, medallions and patties prior to grilling. You may want to oil or wet your hands in cold water when forming patties or other shapes.
MATCH® requires about half the cooking time as meat (thawed) and about 10% less time when cooking from a frozen state. Pay attention not to cook it too long as when it becomes over cooked, it will dry out. Covering loosely if cooking in an oven is a good idea.
We do not use egg yolks, as they are not necessary and make the dishes too soft. Nor do we incorporate bread crumbs (except in recipes for crab cakes), as they compromise the texture of the product. Some chefs have found that egg whites are acceptable, but not necessary.
Use roasted or raw vegetables sparingly. Raw vegetables release a lot of moisture, which softens the product. The more moisture you incorporate, the softer the end (cooked) product will be.
Incorporate fresh herbs and spices use as you would normally for a recipe for animal proteins. For salts and peppers, use @ 15-30% less in comparison to meat recipes. Roasted garlic, garlic, sugar, honey, salt, pepper use is about the same.
When using MATCH® in casseroles, remember that the vegetable protein is dense and it will take up some moisture. For example, in lasagna, you do not have to squeeze out the spinach nearly as much. Or you may want to keep your tomato sauce with more liquid, or your casserole will be too dry.
Fresh vegetables stuffed with MATCH® make easy and hot appetizers since the vegetable provides additional moisture and flavor when baked.
When cooking off to use for sauces as in lasagna or marinara or a pizza topping, and other sauces, season the bulk product and sauté in oil, using a medium heat. Work quickly, breaking up into desired size as you cook. Remember, MATCH® has a short cooking time.

Technorati Tags: Savory Spice Shop,Match Meats,Boulder,vegan,burgers

The Village Smithy, Carbondale Colorado

2010-08-02T23:37:00.001-07:00

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands. - (The Village Blacksmith) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

One of our favourite vacation traditions in Colorado is the Village Smithy in Carbondale Colorado; simply called “Smithy's” by locals in the Roaring Fork Valley, it has been a breakfast institution since 1975. When I was a kid, we’d visit the location that used to be in Glenwood Springs next to the Walgreen’s Drug Store. Back in those days, in the mid-1970s, my main objective was to get to the world famous Hot Springs Pool as fast as humanly possible, but my parents insisted on breakfast. Lame. Nonetheless, I loved this restaurant because it had a sandwich named after one of my favourite animals (the B.A.T. - bacon, avocado, tomato), cool decorations like a huge old-timey coffee grinder, and was adjacent to the beach balls, nose-plugs and pool toys at the Walgreens.

The Glenwood Springs locale closed years ago, but the original Carbondale restaurant is as popular as ever with diners waiting to eat on the sunny patio.

These days, I’ve replaced my once-beloved “BAT” sandwich with one of their numerous veggie friendly dishes that can be customised to be vegan: scrambled tofu with veggies and “Smithy 7” (Kashi 7-grain pilaf with zucchini, mushrooms and veggies), grilled veggie salad, famous “McGurks” hashed browns with peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and onions, vegan tomatillo green chili, southwestern wrap, and more.
My dining companions had all of the above, and everything was fresh, hot and delicious. The Kashi was a welcome, healthy change of pace from usual sides. The only thing that was a little awry were English muffins that were stale and the texture of roofing shingles.

This time I had the “Southwestern Wrap”, sans chicken, and sampled some of the “McGurks” potatoes and Kashi Pilaf. The wrap contained romaine lettuce, guacamole, black beans, corn, rice and tomatoes. It was all fresh and delicious, though the french fries were your standard diner variety chips.
Luckily for me, it still ended up being a “BAT” after all (beans, avocado, tomatoes? ) and my inner child was happy.

Mom’s Fourth of July Potato Salad Vegan Re-Do

2010-07-05T16:14:00.001-07:00

My mom made a great traditional mustard potato salad! ( I know, I know, everyone says their mother makes wonderful potato salad, but my mommy made the best.) I have not had potato salad for a number of years because of the mayo and egg in it (not vegan) so this year I decided to do the Forth of July up right and grill with all natural hardwood charcoal, some Amy’s vegan Texas burgers, home-made potato salad vegan style, and patriotic red-white and blue potato Terra chips. Watermelon for dessert. Here’s the potato chips (terrachips stripes and blues) :

Never mind that the grilling was interrupted by a torrential downpour and that the burgers had to be finished on the George Forman and the corn had to be unwrapped and stuck in an indignant steam bath.

The potato salad was AMAZING!!! Absolutely 100% EXACTLY like the real deal. I changed the onions to shallots and the pickles to real German garlic barrel pickles but it tasted just like mom’s Vlasic pickle-yellow onion- real mayonnaise version, and better still, drew rave reviews from the Midwesterners.

Potato SALAD:

Ingredients:

4-5 cooked RUSSET (it MUST be RUSSET) potatoes, chopped into 1 inch pieces*

3 dill pickles, diced (I used Gundelsheim’s Garlic Barrel Pickles)

2 table spoons pickle juice

4 ribs celery, chopped

1 cup of vegan Mayo (use Veganaise original for EXACT flavour of mayo)

2 heaping tablespoons yellow mustard (use more after you taste the finished product if you like.)

3 shallots diced (or 1/2 small onion) , finely minced

Boil potatoes until tender but not mushy (*I use boiled potatoes with the skins removed but you can use baked, boiled with skins on etc. ) chop into 1” pieces, and cool in the refrigerator.

Chop the shallots, celery and pickles, and toss with potatoes. Add the pickle juice. In a separate bowl mix the mayonnaise and mustard and blend. Mix mayo/mustard mix with the rest of the salad and refrigerate for at least 3 hours to let the flavours blend.

You can mix in carrot, radishes, veggies or celery seed, but this is the standard mom version.

serves 8 (or 5 big heaping portions)

Nonny’s Pea and Beet Salad

2010-06-03T00:13:00.001-07:00

This salad was inspired by the late-night cravings of a dear friend and fellow night-owl. This is a basic Midwestern mayo salad gone vegan. The basic core of the recipe is mayonnaise, peas and beets. but you may add the spices I did, green beans, fresh, raw, frozen, or canned, use more or less vegan mayonnaise – use the high fat but just-like-the-real-deal VEGANAISE, or something more low-cal… vary it however you like it. I was in a hurry and not feeling well so I whipped up a lazy-version with CANNED veggies.

I used these…

Ingredients;

1 can sliced beets (then chopped)

1 can peas

1 can french style beans

1 cucumber (diced small)

1 table-spoon Veganaise mayo

1 table-spoon plus Nasoya mayo (use as much vegan mayonnaise as you like to just coat everything but not be a mayo-mess)

1 small shallot (or freeze dried shallots)

1/8th tea-spoon garlic powder (or more to taste)

seasonings to taste (I used Thyme, garlic salt, fresh cracked pepper – use what you like)

chopped chives

fresh dill

If using canned veggies, drain and rinse them, mix with the ingredients above and refrigerate for at least an hour.

VOILA:

The BIG (magnificent) SALAD

2010-05-29T17:53:00.001-07:00

I love salad. It’s probably one of my favourite foods and nothing could be easier on a day when I’m in super-lazy-sloth-mode than to get some fixin’s from Whole Foods to add to my own greens, or use up left-over cut up veggies, grains, pasta or salads.
When I say salads, I don’t mean pitiful American Salads with iceberg, a few pale splinters of carrot and some plastic tomato slices. I mean Elaine Benes’ “BIG SALAD” - salad with lots of stuff in it.
In my BIG entree salads, greens like lettuces or spinach only constitute another ingredient. I don’t use them as a basis for the salad so there’s just as much veggies as anything else. This makes for a heartier, tastier salad. I typically use cooked grains, left over veggies (Raw or cooked) pasta, chopped veggies, herbs and even fruit as long as the ingredients are cold, they can go in the salad. One tip: cut veggies small… that way the mix blends better and no-one gets huge hunks of objectionable ingredients like kale or broccoli. You’ll be amazed what you can eat if it’s cut into small pieces!
Last night I tossed in a small amount (high fat content) of Annie’s GODDESS DRESSING and a bunch of good stuff served with garlic bread and some warmed up vegan meatballs. Everything is raw unless otherwise noted:

curly kale (chopped)
basil
baby spinach
romaine
cucumber
tomatoes
peas
edamame
shredded carrots
shredded beets
green French lentils (cooked)
grains mixture (cooked jasmine rice, quinoa, radish seeds, red rice)
artichoke hearts
roasted garlic cloves
chopped celery
red and green capiscum (bell peppers)
chive flowers (mild onion flavour! very pretty)
parsley
slivered almonds
zucchini slices
a few spirals of left over cooked fusilli and steamed veggies
cauliflower
broccoli

Caramel Frapaccino VEGAN?!?

2010-05-24T09:28:00.001-07:00

Oh joy of transcendent joys! I know it’s cow-towing to the corporate monster and not remotely healthy. But – one of my favourite pre-vegan treats is FINALLY (after much complaining by vegans especially) accessible in SOY version: The Frappacino at Starbucks. They’ve revamped their “blended beverage” so that people can choose what type of milk, decaf-coffee, espresso, etc. they want. Many of the varieties can be made vegan.

I was even more excited to find out that the soy CARAMEL frapaccino is vegan. (*make sure you don’t get the caramel sauce topping… it’s NOT vegan=made with butter and, of course, no whipped cream).

Wow is that good.

Technorati Tags: coffee,starbucks,frapaccino,vegan

Artichoke Triple Play Pasta

2010-04-26T09:25:00.001-07:00

What to call this delicious nearly-no-fat dish? I asked for suggestions and this one was the winner.   This pasta combines artichoke hearts (one of my very favourite things on Earth) Jerusalem artichokes, and pasta made with Jerusalem artichoke flour.   Actually, the title is a misnomer since the “Jerusalem Artichoke” is neither from Israel nor an artichoke. More commonly called sunchokes, sun-roots or topinambours, these are knobby little ginger-looking tubers of a sunflower native to the Americas.   Once a very popular vegetable, Jerusalem artichokes are now less widely known but are available in stores and easy to grow in the garden.
What do they taste like? Sliced thin or shredded into salads they’re like a cross between water-chestnut, or jicama with a crispy, sweet taste and cooked they’re more potato-like or like a mild rutabaga. In fact, they’re often recommended for diabetics as a substitute for potatoes since the tuber stores inulin (a complex carbohydrate not to be confused with INSULIN) instead of starch and converts not into glucose, but into fructose in the colon. This makes this sweet starchy delight, low on the glycemic index. Inulin is also a “pre-biotic” which supports healthy intestinal flora and may help lower cholesterol. One note of caution though: go easy on this ingredient if you’re a first time diner, since the carbohydrate in these guys is partly indigestible and causes some people to feel gassy as with beans and cereals.     Unless your diners are all really good campfire buddies. LOL

Ingredients:

1 Jerusalem Artichoke if larger tuber, 3-4 of the small sized tubers sliced. (you don’t need to peel the sunchokes, simply scrub them with vegetable brush OR peel as you would ginger)
1 can artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and sliced or broken apart.
1 package Deboles jerusalem artichoke pasta (fettuccine or spaghetti style)
1/2 veggie bullion cube (or 1/4 cup veggie broth to sauté)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 roasted red pepper (or jarred roasted red pepper)
handful roasted garlic cloves* or 1 clove fresh garlic minced
teaspoon parsley flakes
salt-pepper (to taste)

Sauce:
1 and 1/2 cups   fresh basil
veggie bullion/ veggie broth to dilute to desired consistency
5-8 cloves ROASTED garlic (roast yourself in the oven or buy pre-roasted and peeled cloves) sliced thin. *Note: only use roasted garlic in this quantity because the roasting makes garlic sweet and mild. *you will use garlic for the saute and for the sauce. You can use more or less depending on your taste.

need: Magic Bullet, Food Processor or Blender

Directions:
While you’re boiling water and cooking pasta, sauté the slices of Jerusalem Artichoke, artichoke hearts, red pepper, garlic, salt pepper, parsley and thyme in a little bit of veggie broth. simmer with lid on until the Jarusalem Artichoke is tender. (You may cook it to your preferred doneness… crispy/crisp-tender or tender but be careful, it can turn mushy if over cooked!)
When pasta is done, according to package instructions, drain pasta

To make the sauce, take the rinsed torn basil, roasted garlic cloves (add the amount of additional garlic you'd like to taste) and broth and Magic Bullet until smooth (add broth to make it desired thinness) – you don’t need to cook the sauce but you may heat it gently if you want, otherwise, add it directly over your hot pasta
garnish with fresh basil leaves. I served this dish with steamed green beans

Playing with Your Food; Brought to you by the Number 9

2010-04-26T07:50:00.001-07:00

Let’s face it, even as a vegan or vegetarian it’s still easy to lapse into simple, starchy or even fatty meals that are uninspired and less than healthful. It’s easy to fall into the common-place “BROWN” of the modern American diet (though much more difficult as a vegan). Big brown blobs of bean burritos and chips, big orange clots of vegan “mac n’ cheese”, brown rice and tamari sauce, a bowl of potatoes, etc.
My first dietary transformation was to try to eat as many COLOURS in every meal as I could. (No, candies don’t count, and neither do ketchup or mustard! )
Colours on the plate ensure that fresh fruits, veggies and greens get make it on to the scene and not just as “lettuce and tomato” garnishes. I make a game out of trying to select as many of the seven colours as possible. Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues purples and violets. Blues and purples include berries, eggplants, blue corn, purple potatoes, purple broccoli, black beans, etc. (since it’s hard to get actually purple/blue foods in nature).
Now my new crackerjack, non-scientific dietary epiphany is to see how close I get to eating NINE specific types of foods in each meal, at least;
FIVE VEGGIES, 1 fruit, 1 greens, 1 whole grain, 1 legume
For example, a burrito with black beans (legume), whole grain wrapper and quinoa filling (grain) chopped spinach (greens) orange squash, red pepper, purple onion, yellow corn, tomatoes (5 veggies) and a salsa with fruit in it. *Yes tomato is a fruit. I could count that in either category.
It’s a crazy aspiration maybe… but I’m going to try. Here’s a NINE WONDERFUL FOODS recipe for supper (served with additional veggie on the side plus salad !)

Red INCAN QUINOA Pilaf :

Ingredients:
3 carrots chopped
1 cup red (or regular) quinoa (red quinoa makes a pretty plate)
2 cups low sodium veggie broth (or water) plus a few extra tablespoons for sautéing
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic (or to taste), minced
1 half roasted (or jarred) red pepper
one bunch (about 1/2 cup) basil, chiffonade (roll herbs and slice in long thin strips by cutting the roll crosswise)
1 small can white corn or about 1/2 cup fresh cooked corn (preferably soft/white variety)
1 small can baby peas (frozen or fresh)
1 bunch asparagus
salt, pepper, oregano to taste. (about 1/2 teaspoon oregano, dried)
* raw or roasted almonds, sliced (optional)
In a saucepan, put 1 cup quinoa, the chopped carrots and 2 cups of the low sodium broth. Bring up to a boil and then turn down to simmer for 15 minutes, covered, until quinoa starts to fluff up and absorb all the liquids.
While the quinoa cooks, steam the asparagus over the quinoa or in its own pan and then add garlic, celery and a little broth to a frying pan to sauté until celery is tender and the garlic is fragrant and starting to get translucent. Add red peppers, peas, corn, oregano, salt and pepper and stir-fry in the broth/garlic mixture for a few minutes into veggies are hot.     Tossing in the basil just a few seconds removing the veggies from heat.
When quinoa is cooked and absorbing liquid, fluff with a fork and stir in the veggies and top with a few sliver of almonds (optional).
** Serve with asparagus on the side or mixed into the veggies and mixed green salad with strawberries and oranges.

SAVORY SPICE SHOP

2010-04-22T16:09:00.001-07:00

Years ago, I moved beyond my mom’s canned green beans and saved up for some Grey sea salt imported from France, cooked up some pitiful little green beans from the first garden I ever tried to grow, and spiked those beans with the only herb growing in my “herb garden”, some tarragon, --and it was THE BEST THING EVER COOKED since man invented fire. To me, anyway.
Since that first little epicurean steps, I’ve always loved to try new seasonings and was overjoyed when my dad read in the paper about Savory Spice Shop right here in Boulder.

Owner Janet Johnston now has her own show on the Food Network and her shop specialises in herbs, spices and seasonings milled and ground fresh on a weekly basis to ensure the best flavour.     Needless to say, we headed straight over to check out a few of the wares.
I think every city, town, and hamlet should have a spice shop. Spices are a great way to expand your palate and make inexpensive or simple foods more exciting.   The heady smell of fresh ground spices is totally unlike the vague, desiccated smells that come out of some store-brand jars. Cinnamon from Ceylon, Jamaican allspice, curry blends with kefir lime and galangal, cloves and cardamom, pure maple sugar, Himalayan salt; you name it, and it’s here. Another specialty are house BLENDS of seasoning such as Mayan cocoa with vanilla bean and chilies, seasoning salt mixes and a deluxe Taco Seasoning that makes the puny little packet of over-salted junk in the store seem like floor sweepings. Now this is a fragrant, glorious taco seasoning : Masa Harina, salt, chiles, tomato powder, garlic, cumin, California paprika, onion, white sugar, Mexican oregano and allspice.

They have little jars set out so you can taste (or sniff) the different spices and seasonings and spices are all available to be purchased in bulk or in starter bottles at reasonable prices.

We purchased some:

GRAND GARLIC SALT: a blend of garlic powders, roasted garlic, salt and minced green onions

MOUNT OLYMPUS GREEK STYLE SEASONING: a perfect blend of garlic, lemon peel, salt, Greek oregano, spearmint, and black pepper

PASTA SPRINKLE:   European basil, Mediterranean thyme, Greek oregano, California basil and garlic
and
TARRAGON SHALLOT CITRUS SEASONING (not vegan, it has honey powder) containing: shallots, honey powder, tarragon, lemon peel, garlic, salt, black pepper, arrowroot and citric acid.

I made some steamed green beans to go with the tarragon shallot seasoning, some pasta with pureed basil, broth, roasted garlic and “pasta sprinkle” - as well as some sautéed fresh veggies with minced garlic, Grand Garlic Salt, and Pasta Sprinkle and a salad of cucumbers, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives with white wine vinegar, olive oil, and the Greek seasonings… it was AMAZINGLY good; cheap easy “had on hands” eats transformed by wonderful spices.

Love, B

Cool Strawberry Spring Rolls

2010-04-15T15:05:00.001-07:00

Yesterday it was great weather to beat the traffic to the trails… the grass is green, the flowers are swelling on the sides of the pathways in hyacinth and tulip explosions, and yet people haven’t gotten into the habit of swarming public trails and parks like locust yet because they’re still in winter couch potato mode.
I picked up these great spring rolls filled with match-stick carrots, avocado, strawberries, cucumber and romaine lettuce leaves. Try making these at home with your own (Sweet Thai Chile?) dip or chutney.
If there is any food that really is “refreshing and cool” it’s these beautiful rice-paper spring rolls.

Easy Easter Turnovers

2010-04-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

For Easter (Spring Day) we were again entertaining a group of people used to ham and the big “HOLIDAY FEAST” spread (an idea I always found a little incongruous and odd on a theological front) but without time to do a whole big “to do” and put on the “great vegan gourmet” show for the family, I had to be creative. Since it was too late to create something really fancy and gourmet, I went to the deli and got some lovely brussels sprouts roasted with olive oil, lemon, garlic and sea-salt and some roasted balsamic beets and set to making some turnovers.    Reduced Fat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls are a vegan convenience food that can fill in in a pinch and I was excited to try out the much hyped Daiya Cheese (REVIEW TO COME!) I found at Whole Foods on that same trip.
These turnovers turned out beautifully and were REALLY easy and tasty. Again, though I never was the biggest meat-analog fan in the world until I had Ne0-Vegans to feed, I was surprised at how tasty the Yves Canadian bacon was diced into the turnover. Suffice to say that Daiya Cheese is AMAZING and not just a “good substitute” for cheese, it’s a good cheese period! The two ingredients (though I only used a tiny amount of each) provided the most amazing ham and cheese taste the likes of which I’ve not had in years and years.   You could easily omit them or substitute your favourites as well as replace with textured veggie protein, spiced tofu, etc. These turnovers would be easy to alter into Mexican turnovers (roasted chilies, black beans, or corn with textured veggie protein taco seasonings or soyrizo) or even Indian samosas with curry seasonings.
Enjoy –Bee
Ingredients:
* 2 tubes/tins reduced fat Pillsbury crescent rolls
2-3 small white potatoes, diced (or 1 package frozen O’Brien potatoes w/ no oil just peppers/onion)
1 cup frozen peas (or more depending on your level of pea love)
1 carrots, diced (or use frozen pea and carrot blend as an homage to “peas and carrots” don’t-know-the-words-in-choir technique)
Diaya Cheddar style cheese shreds/vegan cheese of choice *optional
2-3 slices of Yves   Canadian Bacon style vegan deli slices diced small or minced *optional
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
*salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
pre-heat oven to 375.
Boil potatoes, carrots and peas until tender (About 10 minutes) or, if using frozen veggies, heat in a skillet with a few teaspoons of water until thawed and warmed up.
open cans of crescent dough and press the dough down lightly using two triangle shapes per turnover to form a rectangle and press the seam together, use about a table-spoon or more of the veggie mixture (don’t over-stuff too much) and sprinkle on a little of the Daiya Cheddar Shreds (if using) and a few sprinkles of the diced vegan Canadian Bacon (if using) and fold into a pocket sealing the seams by pinching the dough. It’s OK if the fillings pop out here and there, but try to keep as much stuffed in as possible.
Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the turnovers are golden brown. Serves 4 as main entree or more as appetizers.

Belated St. Patty’s Day: Vegan Corned ‘Beef’ and Cabbage

2010-03-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

My father has reported not missing much of his old meat-eating life but said he’d miss his corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty’s Day. Eager to find a tasty replacement, I scoured the net and even thought about making this delicious recipe from Susan’s Fat Free Vegan Kitchen, but I found that the recipes either sounded not corned-beefy-enough for my dad, or were long elaborate “make your own seitan with vital wheat gluten” affairs like the famous Bryanna’s recipe, and so I set off to create my own somewhat lazier version and concocted the following experiment. It was a big hit, even for the former carnivores and corned-beef lovers. I’m not the biggest “faux meat” lover in the world, but even I thought this made a good dish.   I didn’t think it tasted exactly like my memory of corned beef, but with the potatoes and horse-radish sauce it was very close (in a good way)! One guest raved about how tasty the corned “beef” was and how great the texture was. In the future I might experiment with making my own brining spices, cooking in beer, adjusting the spices but I was happy with the results. It took two days to create, but this dish was a big hit. Better late than never, Erin Go Bragh!

Part 1 THE BRINE (corning the Seitan the day before)
You need:
Big glass or plastic bowl (no metal)
Non-reactive sauce pan
2 packages of Seitan … ( I used WestSoy brand which is seasoned with spices, garlic and soy sauce) *lightlife “steak” style strips should work for this too
1 can of beets (non pickled)
1 tablespoon sea salt (or table salt)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons pickling spices *if you don’t have pickling spices you can make your own but note that for meatless corned beef the flavour of CLOVE is especially prominent. If you don’t like that taste, make your own or use less. To prevent spices from getting all over your corned seitan, you can make a sachet with cheese cloth or coffee filter tied with a string to boil the spices in.
1 teaspoon dry mustard (ground mustard)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or white vinegar
Pepper to taste.
3 cups water

Put the seitan in a large glass or plastic bowl, drain the beet juice into the bowl (reserve the beets for later use). The beet juice gives a nice pink corned-beef colour to the seitan but doesn’t adversely lend flavour. *I found it worked better when the seitan was chopped in somewhat smaller pieces for the beet juice to penetrate, it might help to use more beet juice or to brine for a longer period of time.
In the saucepan boil the water and spices for five minutes and then pour liquid over the seitan and beet juice in the bowl. Put your bowl in the fridge to brine, at least over night and through the next day until you make the rest of the feast.

Part TWO: COOKING DAY
Large stock pot or boiling pot
fry pan/sauté pan
large Pyrex roasting pan or large casserole pan
little salad bowl to mix “glaze” for the roasted corned seitan.
1 green cabbage chopped into large wedges
1lb New red potatoes cut in half (or small potatoes quartered) or as many as you like
Carrots quartered (as many as you like)
4 cups veggie broth ( Or 1 package Pacific Foods Low Sodium Vegetable Broth)
1/4 cup water
1 shallot minced
1 clove garlic minced
2 stalks of celery chopped into slices
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish *Be sure to read labels many jarred horseradish contains milk ingredients to make it “creamy”. I got mine ("Bubbies" prepared horseradish) in the vegan section of Whole Foods.
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoon white wine vinegar (or any wine vinegar)
Vegan Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper (to taste) *optional
tablespoon parsley flakes
The Glaze:
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar,
½ teaspoon Bragg’s liquid aminos or low sodium soy sauce

Directions:   Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In the stock pot, place chopped garlic, shallots, and celery slices and sauté until the shallots and garlic are fragrant and translucent. Add broth, water, 1 teaspoon vinegar, the horseradish, (1 tsp) dry mustard, carrots, potatoes and cabbage, bring liquids to a boil then cook covered, on medium heat for 15 minutes or until cabbage is getting tender.

While the veggies are cooking, drain the brining liquid from the seitan that has been in your fridge overnight and brush off any large pickling spices (you may also rinse the seitan but this will lighten the shade too) place in your frying pan or sauté pan and heat through (use a little of the broth to “sauté ”) sprinkle on a little of the Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, a dash more of white vinegar, and a little more of the mustard (if you like mustard) as you cook the seitan just until heated through and set it off to the side.   (*You may also transfer seitan into the simmering veggies but this will cause your seitan to lose some of the pink colour)

In a little bowl, mix the 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon Bragg’s Aminos or soy sauce and 2 tablespoons brown sugar until it forms a syrupy consistency (add a bit of broth or water if too thick) to make the glaze.

When the veggies are tender, transfer them (and the remaining broth/cooking liquid) into the roasting pan and place the seitan in the middle of the pan in a little “nest” created in the veggies. Spoon broth over all exposed veggies/”meat” and then brush the top of the seitan with the “glaze” mixture (which will create a nice crust on the tops of the corned setian ) top with parsley and cook, uncovered in the oven for about 10-15 minutes (check periodically for browned potatoes and baste the corned seitan with broth if it’s drying out).

Serve with a side of horseradish sauce (mix your desired amount of horseradish with vegan mayonnaise ) and vegan soda bread/rolls.   I made a side of steamed baby asparagus :)

Blarney B

Pea shakers!

2010-03-27T23:56:00.001-07:00

Get out of the city, these are too cute for words. Pea salt and pepper shakers! I rarely salt my foods but my dad likes to have a little set next to his TV nook. In my book, salt and pepper is for cucumbers, maybe tomatoes – and baked potatoes.
Live in Peas with all men
~B.

EASTER YEGG(plants)

2010-03-26T12:43:00.001-07:00

In my family we called eggs “yeggs” and in the Spring time we dyed them, hunted them, bought them in decorated hollow sugar fantasias, and peeled coloured tin-foil off of them in chocolate form. I never liked chicken eggs, my boiled eggs were for decorating, not eating! (I gave them to my friends or parents). Now that we are celebrating the rites of Spring, it’s time to come up with vegan yeggs.

Who doesn’t love aubergines? Apparently lots of folks don’t love ‘em. I know grown adults who gag at the very mention of eggplants. And I don’t know why, what is lovelier and tastier than this delicious violet egg-shaped member of the nightshade family? I’ll tell you why: cooked improperly, eggplant is bitter, slimy or both.

The good news is that it’s easy to cook aubergines. One of the tastiest versions is the breaded cutlet. Beyond the YEGGY goodness:

Breaded EGGPLANT Cutlets (or Zucchini, or squash, etc.)

1 aubergine (eggplant)

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c wheat germ (may omit)
1/2 c corn meal
1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes

Whole wheat breadcumbs

1t each;salt, garlic powder, onion powder.

Dish of soya milk (I prefer UNSWEETENED for this recipe)

For Best Results SALT YOUR EGGLANTS: Before cooking, sprinkle salt over your eggplant slices, dices or chops and let it drain in a colander for about an hour. Then carefully rinse the salt off and gently squeeze/dry the eggplant with a kitchen or paper towel. Why do this? - It will remove some of the water from the eggplant along with the bitter compounds most people don’t like. Salting your eggplant also creates a denser fruit which means it won’t be an oily sponge should you fry it.

BATTER UP:
Slice your eggplant (leave the peel on) into thin slices no more than ¼ inches thick. Dip your eggplant slices first into your dish of soy milk, then into dry batter above, repeat.

FRY METHOD: Fry your breaded cutlets up in olive oil, or canola until golden brown (** if you’re feeling really unhealthy you can deep fry in your Fry Daddy)

Broiler method: batter your eggplants as in the fry method and then place your slices on a cookie sheet in a single layer under the “broiler” setting of your oven for about 5 minutes. You might flip them over half-way through – they’re done when browned by not burned and tender.

**NOTE : if you don’t want to go to all this trouble, a great low-fat and delicious ready made eggplant cutlets are also available by DOMINEX Eggplant Cutlets Italian Style (vegan) in freezer section. These ARE DELICOUS! They also reputedly make a BANGIN’ eggplant burger!

For Parmesan: add prepared or homemade tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce spiked with Italian seasonings, vegan parmesan/mozzarella, and basil to each cutlet and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until “cheese” melts

For ELT (these are one of my all time favourite sammies!): To whole grain, toasted bread add red, green, yellow or purple heirloom or fresh tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant cutlets, vegan mayo. Try sprinkling a little “bacon salt” (it’s vegan!) on the eggplant cutlets or mix a bit into the batter. Be careful, it’s quite bacon-y.

Enjoy those yeggs,

Love,

(picture is Dominex "Parmesan" with veggie pasta :) yum!)

ANOTHER FOOD BLOG??

2010-03-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Surely there is no more room in the expanding (like a yeasty starter dough) blogosphere for one more food blog. But here it is! And another VEGAN/Vegetarian blog at that. But this isn't to say this is a typical "vegan" blog because I want the P. and B. to stand for "plant based" diet related goodies and for this blog to be a place where anyone is welcome: vegan, honey-eating vegans, lacto/ovo vegetarian, omnivorous, and even carnivorous (in case they want to stave of rickets or scurvy) foodies to get product reviews, recipes and restaurant information. No matter why you're eating your veggies, this is the plant-based diet, vegetable fruit and edible flower place to BEE.

love,