New Start & a delicious curry recipe

I have not been doing so great on this journey, I can make a pile of excuses including being on holiday and eating whatever was served by my cousin who is an amazing cook. But as a person who believes we should all take responsibility for our actions, the truth is I have just not been considering the effect of eating poorly over the summer.

I went on retreat over the Labour Day week-end and had answer to my prayer of 2 weeks ago. The prayer was on the lines of "Help Lord, I eat healthily by general standards, keep off meat, fish & gluten most of the time yet I am yo-yoing in a 3kg window. Show me what I need to do & please help me do it"

While up in the beautiful Rockies I began re-reading  my book on Reversing Heart Disease by Dr. Dean Ornish. I got to the bit on fats. Well of course I don't eat much fat I thought, but decided to do his calculation any way.

What a shock! My healthy breakfast of porridge made with water, fruit, nuts and my 'elevenses' of a bagel with a scrape of vegan marg put me 8 grams above the daily allowance I should be aiming for!

I had this OMG moment & realized that this may be the glitch. Came on to my blog today & what do I find, my last post used a whole tin of Coconut milk - very high fat content!

So when I got home on Monday evening I decided to go back to keeping a daily food log as this really helps me keep track and think twice before I put anything in my mouth. I have succeeded in keeping my fats intake down to 18-20gramms per day since Tuesday, have had no gluten & have been in vegan delight with delicious meals. I will weigh myself tomorrow to see if it is helping in that department.

Delicious Curry

I love creamy curries with coconut milk so trying to create one without was my challenge yesterday. It turned out good and once the rice was mixed in it was more like a biriani.

Way to Go:
Put 5-6 dried shitaki mushrooms broken into pieces to soak in enough boiling water and 1-2 tbsp of low salt tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) before preparing rice.

Remember that whole grain rice and wild rice take about 50 minutes to cook so get that going first. It is good if it can stand for at least 10 minutes before adding to the rest of the mix.

1/2 cup of wild, brown & other whole-grain rice mix (I used Lundbergs)
1 1/4 cups water
pinch of sea salt
Put all in large wide bottom pot, bring to boil, stir & turn down to simmer. Cook for 50 minutes til rice cooked but still firm & whole. Turn off heat & leave covered.

2 tsp birani curry mix - feel free to use your favourite mix or make your own & adjust to your heat level
1 head of garlic peeled
3 carrots chopped into bite size bits
1/2 very large sweet potato chopped into bite size bits
1 small red potato chopped into bite size bits
1 onion peeled & chopped into bite size bits
2 vegan stock cubes - I like McCormmicks
1 tin chickpeas drained & rinsed this helps reduce the salt content.
water to nearly cover
Feel free to add any other veg you might enjoy - this was just what was in the fridge on a Friday night.

In a very large pan on medium heat add the spice mix & stir for a moment until aroma begins to rise. Be careful not to burn the spices. Add all dry veg & stir. Add water, stock cubes, mushrooms and their liquid, chickpeas and enough water to nearly cover the  veg. Bring to boil, stir and then turn down to simmer. Cook for about 30-50 mins, this will depend on the size of the veg pieces.  Add rice & cook for 2-3 mins so all flavours are mingled.

This amount made enough for 2 bowls last night & for lunch today.

Tagine Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I discovered some Tagine sauces made by Alfez in the store yesterday. I picked up the Apricot & Coriander variety.Oh so yummy! Slightly spicy and not too sweet for someone who enjoys sweet!
So of course I had to develop an recipe...

Quinoa Tagine Stuffing:
In a large saucepan I began to sauté

• one chopped onion, 
• one diced carrot, 
• 6 or 8 mushrooms cut in thick slices
• about 6 cloves of garlic which had been peeled and cut in half.
•  I added a diced red pepper and cooked till they began to soften. 
• Then I added a half cup of Quinoa and stirred.
• Next I added 1.5 cups of water and a pinch of salt.
• I put half the jar of Tagine sauce in & stirred it all together.

I let this simmer for about 20 minutes till the water & sauce was nearly gone -Then I added about half of the remaining sauce and stirred it in & left on the heat a couple of minutes to make sure it was all hot. The mix was still a bit sloppy.

I ate  about half of that with a vegan sausage for supper.  The rest went into a container in the fridge.

Today I got a big red pepper out, cut it in half, removed the seed, pale membrane bit & stuffed it with about half of the remaining Quinoa Tagine mix. I put it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes til the pepper was cooked and the quinoa top was crisp. 

Served with a salad it was a delicious lunch! 

Turmeric Mayo
I have been reading about the health benefits of Turmeric,  (see my page on Health Benefits above)  I'm  especially interested reducing inflammation and helping with heart problems; so today I added 2 tsp of turmeric to my veganaise then added 1/2 tsp paprika and a dash of lemon juice. I spread it on some gluten free toast added sliced tomatoes and a sprinkle of "Montreal steak spice" it was delicious!

Creamy Veg with Lemon Quinoa

Having lived in Jersey off the coast of France I miss the cream sauces of French cooking. Being a lover of Asian fusion cooking I love the tang of lime or lemon and a hint of spice heat. So this week I made one of my favourite dishes to combine this mix of delightful tastes.

Ingredients:

Any mix of  veg; I used

zucchini aka courgettes for my English friends - cut in 4 lengthwise & then sliced in chunks

green onions aka spring onions - sliced 

garlic - I left the smaller cloves whole & cut the big ones in half

crimini or brown cap mushrooms - cut in quarters

asparagus - each stalk cut into about 4 pieces, reserve the tips for later

baby bok choy - white part cut into 4 and green part reserved for later

a little oil to stirfy

After these had stir fried til just starting to get tender I added some pre soaked and cooked shitaki mushrooms.

Add asparagus tips and bok choy greens

Add cayenne, tamari (gluten free soy sauce) and liquid from cooked shitaki mushrooms.

Stir fry for a  couple of minutes to combine flavours.

Pour in tinned coconut milk.

I have not put amounts as you can make this a big or small as you like and adjust the amount of cayenne to your taste.

 Lemon Quinoa
1/4 cup of Quinoa per person
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp of water per person
juice of lemon  I used 1 lemon to 1/2 cup of quinoua/1+ cup of water.

Cover pan with lid.  Bring to boil, turn to simmer, cook for about15 mins until quinoa is cooked. Turn of heat & let sit for a few minutes until all water is absorbed. Fluff with fork & serve with creamy veg.

I really wanted a more "meaty" burger, not so much that I wanted a burger that was like meat but I wanted one that was more textured. I also wanted a protein burger with lots of mushroom flavour.
So I experimented and came up with this. These are not quick, but can be made in advance, and actually are better when made the day before:
Mushroom Nut Burgers
Preparation ingredients:
6 -8 dried Shitaki Mushrooms, including stems; broken into pieces & soaked in hot water with
1 tblsp miso
Soak mushrooms 'til softened (1-2 hours is best)
1/2 cup ground flax soaked in 1 cup of warm water, this will make a gooey mix which thickens in about 20 min
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
Other ingredients:
1/2 cup of chopped nuts, any nuts you like, preferably raw unsalted. Mixed nut are best, as cashews are soft & creamy, almonds crunchy & other nuts add different textures
4-6 brown or crimini mushrooms roughly chopped
1/2 small onion chopped
3-6 cloves of garlic or more sliced
2 tbsp. wheat free Tamari
1 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1 tbsp apple sauce
ground chillies/ cayenne to taste
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup of almond meal/ground almonds or more to thicken to right consistency
olive oil for fying
Making the burgers:
Once Shitaki mushrooms have softened chop the stems into small pieces, make sure the rest of the mushrrom pieces are not too huge but big enough to give some texture. Place mushrooms and their stock in a large bowl with the quinoa and the flax mix. This is a bit sloppy.
In a frying pan toast chopped nuts, stirring frequently until just browning, be careful not to burn them.  Add to quinoa mix.
In same pan add a drip of olive oil, just to stop any sticking. Cook mushrooms, onions and garlic 'til browned. Add to the quinoa mix.
Add tamari, liquid smoke, apple sauce and seasoning.
Add ground almonds and leave to sit for 15 minutes.
If the mixture is still too wet add more ground almond.
Cover bowl and put in fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight
Cooking the burgers:
Take a heaped tablespoon of mix and with hands form in to a ball, then flatten to make patty. I usually cook one first to make sure the seasoning is right and  it is not too wet still, if so add more seasoning and/or almond meal and wait 15 mins before cooking the rest.
Fry 3-6 patties in a little oil on a low heat turning after 5-8 minutes. They should be brown & crispy on the outside, hot and textured on the inside. I served them with salad.
I also made this into mini laves and it was really good with roasted  sweet potatoes, veg and vegan gravy.

Holiday in Nelson

It is so good to get to Nelson and spend time with my daughter Bex & Sue; having Dave my husband here is a huge added bonus. We came to hear her play in her showcase at Selkirk College. to see her fantastic performance. Please go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shambhala-music-hall to see for yourself. She is the 2nd performer on 27 March
Another great thing is there are so many places to eat that provide wonderful gluten free vegan food. We went to KC on Baker St, they have sushi, Thai & Chinese - yum what a delight - especially their Omega 3 sushi - double yum & healthy; what more could you ask.
I found some tofu with sea veg in a supermarket so I'm looking forward to trying that.
I made my favourite roast veg for supper the other night & that went down well with everyone. (See the recipe section - though it is so easy you probably do this already!)
The difficulty I am having is both Bex & Sue are amazing cooks; so I have not been totally vegan or gluten free this week; with the usual uncomfortable results of course! I have been attempting to base my eating therefore on the 18/21 principle - that is if you eat 3 meals a day for 7 days a week then 18 of them should be healthy; in my case vegan & gluten free. Then snacks I try and make as many as possible g.f & v- which is generally pretty easy.
Had a bit of a disaster last night; I tried to make wraps with coconut flour, but as I had no xanthan gum they were not going to hold together. Still no problem the mix will be added to other ingredients to make a banana bread for desert tonight.
Love & blessings to all who read my blogs. xxx

Protein and being vegan

I am always amazed  by how many people say to me the reason they don't consider going vegan is because they feel there would't be enough protein in a vegan diet. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to hear this from my fellow Albertans, after all beef is big round here!

It does concern me though that this myth continues. Most westerners eat far more protein than is actually needed by our bodies. In fact some studies show that the average sedentary American eats about 50% more than the daily recommended amount. I'm not sure how Canadians fare with this. The daily recommended is 40 - 70 grams per day. This is just as easy with a vegan diet as it is with a carnivorous diet as you can see below:

Table 2 shows the amount of protein in various vegan foods and also the number of grams of protein per 100 calories. To meet protein recommendations, the typical adult male vegan needs only 2.5 to 2.9 grams of protein per 100 calories and the typical adult female vegan needs only 2.1 to 2.4 grams of protein per 100 calories. These recommendations can be easily met from vegan sources.

Table 2: Protein Content of Selected Vegan Foods
FOOD	AMOUNT	PROTEIN(gm)	PROTEIN(gm/100 cal)
Tempeh	1 cup	41	9.3
Seitan	3 ounces	31	22.1
Soybeans, cooked	1 cup	29	9.6
Lentils, cooked	1 cup	18	7.8
Black beans, cooked	1 cup	15	6.7
Kidney beans, cooked	1 cup	13	6.4
Veggie burger	1 patty	13	13.0
Chickpeas, cooked	1 cup	12	4.2
Veggie baked beans	1 cup	12	5.0
Pinto beans, cooked	1 cup	12	5.7
Black-eyed peas, cooked	1 cup	11	6.2
Tofu, firm	4 ounces	11	11.7
Lima beans, cooked	1 cup	10	5.7
Quinoa, cooked	1 cup	9	3.5
Tofu, regular	4 ounces	9	10.6
Bagel	1 med. (3 oz)	9	3.9
Peas, cooked	1 cup	9	6.4
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), cooked	1/2 cup	8	8.4
Peanut butter	2 Tbsp	8	4.3
Veggie dog	1 link	8	13.3
Spaghetti, cooked	1 cup	8	3.7
Almonds	1/4 cup	8	3.7
Soy milk, commercial, plain	1 cup	7	7.0
Soy yogurt, plain	6 ounces	6	4.0
Bulgur, cooked	1 cup	6	3.7
Sunflower seeds	1/4 cup	6	3.3
Whole wheat bread	2 slices	5	3.9
Cashews	1/4 cup	5	2.7
Almond butter	2 Tbsp	5	2.4
Brown rice, cooked	1 cup	5	2.1
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	5	13.0
Broccoli, cooked	1 cup	4	6.8
Potato	1 med. (6 oz)	4	2.7
Sources: USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 18, 2005 and manufacturers' information. The recommendation for protein for adult males vegans is around 56-70 grams per day; for adult female vegans it is around 46-58 grams per day (see text).

It is very easy for a vegan diet to meet the recommendations for protein. Nearly all vegetables, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds contain some, and often much, protein. Soybeans, quinoa (a grain), and spinach also are considered high quality protein. (http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm)

I do hope this will help dispel the idea that vegans are protein deficient, in fact it is very difficult for anyone who is not starving to death to be protein deficient.

It is true though that we sometimes crave protein and when I do I just eat a handful of nuts. When I want a high protein meal I make my Quinoa Protein Blast:
        1 cup cooked quinoa
        1/4 cup almonds
        1/2 cup chickpeas
        a few slashes of tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
        chopped chives
        dash of cayenne
Mix together, leave sit for 15 minutes for flavours to combine. Eat on its own or serve with veg or salad.  Yummy