Eating Consciously

Tofu. It has been around for thousands of years and is a staple food in many Asian countries. Tofu is high in protein and considered a complete protein, as it contains all of the essential amino acids. Unfortunately, tofu does not have much of a reputation in this country. Those who shun it are usually those who have never had it, or have only tried it once or twice. I think it's safe to assume that the majority of peoples' dislike for tofu is based on psychological thoughts they harbor before even tasting it in the first place. Tofu has also gotten a bit of a bad rap from the "scientific" community as well. Recently, many so-called "studies" have claimed that "soy" is responsible many health ailments. Why soy? Why not pinto, or kidney, or black, or garbanzo? Why do we focus in on this innocent bean? I am sure it has something to do with it being an excellent replacement for meat. In fact, aside from being a complete protein, just like ...

I just couldn't resist putting up another Martha clip. In this one, she makes s'mores, which I believe we could make vegan because I am pretty sure there are vegan marshmallows out now. I don't think she even tells you how to make the s'mores, but she ends up using a swiss army knife, sand paper, and a power drill! Ah, I truly am obsessed with this woman. Only Martha could turn s'mores into a 3 hour project.

Here in Philadelphia we have been teetering on the edge of the arrival of fall. It makes me want to cook everything pumpkin and that's exactly what I decided to do yesterday. I made pumpkin cookies, pumpkin waffles with blueberries, and pumpkin pasta. Everything was so delicious. I love pumpkins! I am going to put the pumpkin spice cookies up on my Etsy page if anyone is interested in having a taste of the season. The waffle recipe actually came form The Joy of Vegan Baking which is also available for purchase on the side of the page. Here's the recipe I developed for the pasta: 1/2 lb of pasta (1/2 box or bag) 1/2 can pumpkin 1/2 C soy milk 1 TBS olive oil 1/4 tsp ground sage 1/4 C chopped sundried tomatoes 1/2 block tofu crumbled (optional) 1 tsp freshly ground pepper salt to taste Cook the pasta in some water with a bit of salt. In a saucepan on low heat, stir together the pumpkin, soy milk, oil, sage, tomatoes, tofu and pepper. Allow to heat until warm. When pas...

the way it should be. Am I the only person who finds it extremely annoying that it's near impossible to find a mixed drink that is not full of artificial colorings, flavorings, and high-fructose corn syrup? I think I've found a solution. I just made a real green apple martini. Just throw a green apple, 4 jiggers of vodka, and 2 TBS of agave nectar into a food processor. Strain. Shake with ice. Serve.

Woo hoo! Another item on Etsy and I'm now an official member of the Vegan Etsy team! Buy my cookies!

A few weeks back, I blogged about the great food at Horizons here in Philadelphia. One of the best appetizers is the Jamaican BBQ Seitan and fortunately, chef Rich Landau has been kind enough to share this recipe on a local media website. I decided to recreate the dish myself last night and it was amazing! I did make a few slight alterations and I also had to make my own Jamaican jerk because the grocery store was all out of it! I'll give you the Jamaican jerk recipe followed by my slightly modified version of the Jamaican BBQ Seitan. The sauce for this is amazing, I bet it would be great on some roasted tofu! Jamaican jerk: 1/4 of a small onion A few sprigs of fresh thyme 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1/4 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp cumin Mince the onion and thyme together very finely until it becomes almost a paste. Add all of the spices and mix well. If you want to make some to use in the future, use dried onions and thy...

Well, maybe not completely, but almost. In preparation for the bountiful season of delicious food to come, I decided to come up with a new recipe for one of my favorite foods. Squash. There are so many varieties and so many uses for squash, sometimes it's hard to decide where to begin. Squash make a wonderful accompaniment to most dishes both savory and sweet. Squash pairs amazingly well with sage. Squash is to sage as tomato is to basil. Roasting squash in the oven with sage is perhaps the easiest and most delicious way to prepare it. After doing a quick assessment of my pantry, here's the recipe I developed: Squash, Rice, and Amaranth Medley For the grains: 1/2 C brown rice 1/2 C amaranth (use quinoa, or brown rice if unavailable) 2.5 C water 1 tsp brown miso paste (any miso paste will do, I prefer the dark brown) 1 tsp dried tarragon (certainly use fresh if available) 1 TBS olive oil (can make without if you prefer less fat) salt and pepper to taste (this dish is nic...

I'm finally back from my week-long trip! I had mentioned in my last post that I was going to visit a vegan Chinese place called Veggie Heaven. I did and lunch was so good that I decided to go back and get take-out for dinner. Here's what I had: For Lunch: Wonton Soup Curried "Chicken" Strawberry "Cheesecake" Delicious! And for dinner: Hunan Dumplings Five Flavored "Chicken" If you are ever in the North Jersey area, I recommend checking this place out! Since I have arrived back in home in Philadelphia, I have noticed that a fall chill seems to be lingering in the air. How exciting! The arrival of the autumn season is perhaps my favorite time of year. In fact, right now I am roasting pumpkins, butternut squash, and spaghetti squash with sage. I am thinking about cutting them into cubes and serving them with quinoa or millet. I am beginning to think about what I should plan for this Thanksgiving. If you weren't around for my last Thanksgi...

Today marks my last day here in the NYC metro area. I am working in Monclair, NJ, which is a beautiful little town full of shops, cafes, and of course a vegan restaurant! It's called Veggie Heaven and apparently they have several locations around here. I've never heard of it before, but I'm going to go there for lunch. I'll let you know how it is. Last night, I ventured into Manhattan to have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Gobo. I had a Swiss Chard and Sun Dried Tomato Lasagna: Tonight I will be heading up to Stamford, CT where I will spend the next couple of days visiting Whole Foods locations in White Plains, Greenwich, and Westport. Then I finally get to go back home to Philadelphia. I'm actually enjoying the traveling and getting to visit all of these gorgeous towns. Moving forward, let's talk about Sarah Palin. As you may or may not know, she is the animals worst nightmare. Not only is she a lifetime member of the NRA, but she is an av...

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, but I have been out of town on business selling teas for the company I work with. I am in the NYC area visiting all the Whole Foods stores and will be off to Greenwich, CT early next week. I visited the new TriBeCa Whole Foods location today and I must say it is huge! They have two checkout areas, where you must wait in color-assigned lines and wait for the flat screen to display your color and inform you as to which register you must go to. Amazing coordination they have there. Since I'm doing so much driving around, I decided to put my new bumper sticker to good use and spread the vegan message. I drive a yellow Smart car, so that little sticker surely gets lots of attention! I have a generous food allowance, but I have been living off Whole Foods hot bar, vegan scones, kombucha tea, and vegan dumplings for the past 3 days. I honestly don't feel like maneuvering my way into Manhattan to eat at a good vegan restaurant, but I th...

My interpretation of a cheesey quesadilla was extremely tasty. The instructions are a bit longer than usual, but it's very quick to make. Less than 20 minutes, make it now! Tofu Polenta Quesadilla: 1/3 C cornmeal 1/4 block extra firm tofu (crumbled) 1 C water 2 TBS nutritional yeast 1 clove garlic 2 whole wheat tortillas 1 TBS olive oil 1 tsp earth balance 1 tsp hot sauce 1 tsp tahini salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of black pepper in this) In a pot, combine the cornmeal, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low-med and cover. Stir every two minutes or so to avoid sticking to the bottom (it's inevitable, some will stick to the bottom, but you don't want a large amount to collect there). After the cornmeal mixture has cooked for about 10-15 minutes, it should be sticky and gooey. Place a tortilla on a plate and spoon the mixture right on top of it, spreading it to the edges. On top of the h...

I have quite a fascination with savory peanut recipes, especially when paired with my favorite curry. This is one of my favorite dinners to make because it's so quick and easy. It literally takes 15 minutes from beginning to end. Curried Peanut Noodles 8 oz whole wheat linguine (1/2 bag) 1/3 C peanut butter (smooth, or crunchy) 1/3 C water 1/2 onion (sliced) 1/2 C peas (frozen is fine) 1/2 block of extra firm tofu (crumbled) 3 cloves of garlic (minced) 2 tsp your favorite curry powder 1 TBS fresh ground ginger (or use 1 tsp dried ginger powder) 2 TBS tamari (I prefer the reduced sodium variety) Begin cooking your pasta in a large pot of salted water, by the time the pasta is cooked your sauce will be ready. In a saucepan, cook the onions, garlic, ginger and curry over medium heat until the onions soften slightly, about 5 minutes. (Add a bit of oil if it begins to stick to the pan, but I usually do not find this is necessary.) Add the peanut butter, water and tamari, then stir ...