I based this on a recipe from Ethnic Vegan, but didn’t want to boil all the nutrients out of the dates. So instead of adding a bunch of unnecessary sugar, I took a lesson from my raw diet friends and pulsed them in the food processor with some agave nectar.  These were delicious treats – similar to a Fig Newton bar – but much healthier. I left the sugar in the crust this time, but will be experimenting with that as well for future versions. I was also out of walnuts, so used almonds and cashews instead. Turned out to be a great substitution, as many times walnuts make my tongue itch slightly. If you’ve got folks with walnut allergies, simply try other nuts.

Warning! I rarely measure anything when I cook, so these amounts are approximate. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the amounts. Let me know how it works out.

What you need

Filling

• 2 cups dates
• 1 cup prunes
• 1/2 cup figs
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 2 Tbsp agave nectar
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup hot water

Crust

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup margarine
• 1 cup turbinado sugar

How to make it

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.

Next prepare your crust. Combine flours, flax seed, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats, applesauce, margarine and sugar until ingredients are well blended and mixture is crumbly.

Then combine all filling ingredients except water in a food processor and mix. Slowly add water until ingredients are well blended and you have a thick paste.

Add half the crust mixture to the baking dish and press evenly. Spoon the filling on top of the crust layer. Tip! Use a wet rubber spatula to prevent the filling from sticking and making a mess of your crust while you do this. Finish with a layer of crust mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool then cut into squares and enjoy.

Tags: healthy snacks, vegan

I became a vegan in January 2009 after beginning a 3-week vegan-inspired detox diet. I simply felt too good to stop. I cut out caffeine and processed sugars in addition to changing from a vegetarian to vegan diet.

This year, I’m giving up alcohol for 3 weeks. I’m not sure what my relationship with alcohol will be when I’m done, but my goal is to connect with how good I feel without it and take it from there.

What are your resolutions this year? Do you want to eat healthier? Give your body a rest from the constant barrage it gets? Why not pledge to eat healthier this year by learning one new healthy recipe each week? In fact, I challenge you to try it.

Take the “eat in b-e-d” challenge
Each week, find inspirational recipes on the pages of this site or others that have healthy, wholesome ingredients and let your taste buds be your guide. If you like it, cook it more often! But still commit to trying a new, different healthy recipe each week. Your goal is to begin a lifelong journey with food – finding healthier ways to enjoy it each week.

Make a pledge to eat healthier for the benefit of your body, mind and spirit…

Tags: detox diet, eat better, lose weight, vegan

I enjoy fries just as much as the next person. But I’m trying to make healthier versions. This one was a fresh, new experiment and turned out quite well.

What you need

• 1 sweet potato, sliced into steak-size fries
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced thinly
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 2-3  tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

How to make it

Sautee the potato in olive oil covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring well to coat. Add onions and sautee covered for another 2 – 3 minutes. Add garlic and sautee for another 1 - 2 minutes. Add maple syrup and water, stir well, cover and sautee for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Add spices, cover and sautee for another 5-10 minutes until potatoes are browned and onions are slightly caramelized.

The spiciness of the pepper, onions and garlic was a beatiful compliment to the sweetness of the cinnamon, nutmeg and maple syrup. And cayenne pepper is great for vitamin C.

Next time, I’d love to drizzle it with a peanut butter-coconut milk sauce. Delicious.

Tags: vegan

November and December are great months for vegans. Not only was World Vegan Day November 1, but we get to display our vegan prowess by making all sorts of holiday comfort food feasts that don’t have a lick of meat, dairy or eggs in them. I’m happy to report that my Chocolate Mousse Pie got just as many rave reviews as my friend’s did even though hers had eggs, heavy cream and a couple cups of sugar in it.

And even my steak-and-potato dad loved the Thanksgiving Pot Pie which Vegetarian Times lists as low calorie as well as delicious.

The Fruit and Toasted Almond Stuffing wasn’t as much of a hit, but still managed to get eaten after a couple meals of leftovers. Don’t you love the week after Thanksgiving? For the first time since going vegetarian five years ago, I felt like I ate as much as everyone around me. I’m satiated and love it.

The real hit of the party was Rachel’s cupcakes. At fourteen, she’s already a rockstar. Not vegan so I didn’t get to try them, but how beautiful was the presentation? I mean – seriously? Amazing.

I have to thank Vegetarian Times for much of this year’s Thanksgiving inspiration. Vegetarian Times is a great magazine for vegetarian, and even vegan, inspiration. Subscriptions are a bargain on Amazon.com right now if you want to pick one up. I gave some as Christmas gifts this year to folks I know that have been wanting to eat healthier and are looking for new recipe inspiration. There’s still dozens of recipes I need to try. With 27 recipes in the latest issue, 20 of which are vegan, I could almost try a new recipe every day for the next year straight out of the magazine. Hmmmm – something to think about for 2010?

Happy eating in b-e-d (aka browse the recipes)…

What you need

• 1/2 cup lentils
• 1/2 tsp vegetable seasoning
• 1-1/2 cup water
• 1 medium russet potato
• 1 small sweet  onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Olive oil

How to make it

First cook the lentils. I use a rice  cooker and have learned that adding a bit of olive oil to the bottom saves an enormous amount of cleanup time and prevents ruining your rice cooker from scraping the crap out of it every time the rice sticks to the bottom. Add lentils, vegetable seasoning and water and cook.

Meanwhile, peel and cube the potato and boil in water until soft. Then sautee the onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sautee for another 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

When everything is ready, combine the ingredients – mixing and mashing until everything is well blended and sticks together. Add curry powder and salt and blend well. Modify seasonings to taste.

Form the lentil-potato mixture into 4 cakes and sautee in olive oil over medium heat until brown on each side.

Serve with a sour cashew cream sauce.

Tags: healthy, high protien, vegan

It’s blistery cold out. I don’t like to go out on cold days. And there’s not much left in the cabinet – this is when my most creative recipes come to life. I do have plenty of coconut milk for some reason. And following up  on my lentil kick from the weekend, I decided to lookup some recipes using coconut milk and red lentils. So I found this Red Lentil Coconut Curry recipe to use as a base, and modified from there based on what I had in the kitchen. This is a very mild curry recipe. If you like it spicy, add more chili oil, cayenne pepper and other favorite heat spices as you wish.

What you need

• 1 1/2 cup red lentils, cooked
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup braggs amino acids
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Thai chili oil (or more to taste)
• 1 cup hot water
• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 celery stalks, sliced

How to make it

First, cook your lentils. The original recipe uses a stove-top method which you are more than welcome to try. I prefer the rice cooker method so I can walk away and forget about it while moving on to the next step.  The original recipe also called for extra water for the lentils. I simply cooked the lentils and added an extra cup of hot water at the end of the recipe.

Sautee onions in coconut oil in a large soup pot until clear.  Be sure to stir frequently to avoid browning. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, red pepper, cinnamon and bay leaves and sautee for another 3 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid browning.

Turn temperature down to medium-low. Add coconut milk, braggs aminos and tomato sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes. I didn’t have any tomato sauce. But I had 5-6 cherry tomatoes that were extremely soft and not quite ripe sitting in my window. The last of my cherry tomato harvest from the garden. So I put them in a cup of boiling water, chopped them up, and added organic ketchup.  Thank you cherry tomato plant for getting me through one last creative recipe. May you rest in peace in my compost bin.

Add cooked red lentils and vegetables and cook over medium heat until vegetables are just tender. Ready to serve! Try it over brown rice like the original recipe suggests, or add some asian rice/vermicelli noodles to the pot and serve when softened.

Yummy. And warm!

Tags: vegan

Lentils, Cashew Cream Sauce & Sauteed Vegetables

I’ve been having a hankering for lentils lately. I like to get my protien from as many different plant-based sources as possible and it’s been awhile since I’ve had lentils. I thought the lentils would be a nice pairing with a sauteed mushrooms and onion red-wine reduction, contrasted with a creamy cashew-based sauce. The results were superb. The beauty of this dish is in versatility of serving. I started simple, layering the lentil base with the cashew sauce and sauteed vegetables on top. For lunch the next day, I mixed the whole thing together and ate it with spelt crackers. And for round three, I’m going to try making a patty out of it and frying it in olive oil. Wish me luck!

What you need

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup lentils
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup cashews
• 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 2 Tbsp braggs amino acid
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup mushrooms (button, cremini, etc)
• 1 small onion, quartered and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp red wine
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tsp molasses
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 cup fresh spinach

How to make it

I like to simplify things by cooking lentils in the rice cooker. The same way you cook rice. Start by adding a Tbsp of olive oil to the bottom of the rice cooker to prevent the broth from sticking or burning on the bottom. Then add lentils and broth and cook.

While the lentils are cooking, make cashew cream sauce in a food processor or blender. Add cashews and pulverize. Then slowly add hot water while blending. Add braggs and lemon juice and salt if desired. Check your sauce consistency at this point. If you’d like it thinner, add more hot water. Thicker, add more cashews. Blend until very creamy.

Now it’s time for sauteeing vegetables. Start by adding the remaining olive oil to a pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes, until softened. Add onions a cook for another 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add red wine, sherry vinegar and molasses. Blend well. Cook for about 5 minutes, until liquid is mostly evaporated. Add celery and cook for another 2 minutes. Add fesh spinach and cook for another minute.

Layer ingredients and serve. Enjoy!

Tags: healthy, non-dairy, vegan

Fruit and Toasted Almond Stuffing

This recipe came straight out of the holiday issue of Vegetarian Times. While it was flavorful, I don’t think it was exquisite enough to find a place at the table at next year’s Thanksgiving. In fact, my mom made a batch of vegan stuffing that was much more popular than either my version or the sausage stuffing that sat beside it on the table. I need to get that recipe from her. In the meantime, if you have a favorite stuffing recipe to share, please send it my direction!

Note: I halved the original recipe and baked it in a square casserole dish. I still thought it was a little too bready – but it is stuffing after all, right? The original recipe also called for fresh parsley which I left out because I didn’t have any. If you decide to add parsley, add it along with the apples, sage, thyme and other spices after you’ve sauteed the vegetables.

What you need

• 6 cups oat bread, cubed
• 1/2 cup almonds, coursely chopped
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, cut lengthwise in half and sliced
• 1 large apple, peeled and diced
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaf, chopped
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth

How to make it

First, toast the bread in a 225 degree oven for 30-45 minutes until dry and crisp. Transfer to a large bowl.

Increase the oven to 350 and toast aonds for about 10 minutes or until pale brown and fragrant. Be sure not to leave them in too long. Almonds forgotten in the oven can burn quickly – trust me.

Coat a large square casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 -7 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add celery and sautee another 2 minutes. Add apples, sage, thyme and remaining spices. Cook 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and vinegar and remove from heat.

Combine apple mixture, bread cubes, almonds and dried cherries in large bowl. Transfer to prepared baking dishd pour broth over the top. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.

Serve immediately or remove foil and bake another 10 minutes if you prefer crisper stuffing.

Chocolate Mousse Pie

This recipe was inspired by a great dish on VegFamily called Amazing Chocolate Mousse Pie. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t bother changing anything in the filling because it was perfect just the way it was. The crust, however, was problematic for me. I still find it difficult to add dextrose directly to a recipe while trying to call it healthy. I thought we were trying to avoid that stuff, right? So I experimented using dates and agave nectar instead with mixed results. The crust wasn’t moist enough with my first experiment. While tasty, the crust was more of a “crumble”. The second attempt, I mixed the dates longer in the food processor to make a paste before adding the crackers. I also added water. That worked much better, but I still wouldn’t say it’s the perfect graham crucker crust. If you have a favorite graham cracker crust recipe that approaches healthy, let me know. I’m still on the hunt.

Alas, I was never able to find graham crackers without honey either so while still healthier than traditional mousse pies made with heavy cream and sugar – this one isn’t vegan either. I went to multiple stores including two natural grocers. Someone tell me where to find graham crackers without honey in Denver!

What  you need

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 cup dates
• 1/2 package graham crackers
• 1 Tbsp agave nectar
• 1/4 cup water

Filling

• 1 package semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips
• 1 package firm silken tofu (the boxed kind)
• 1/4 cup Kahlua (I used cheaper Kamora and didn’t sacrifice on flavor)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla

How to make it

We’re going to start with the crust ,so you have something into which you can pour the filling. Preheat oven to 375. Place dates in a food processor and blend until a thick paste. Add graham crackers and process until crumbled. Add agave nectar and water until mixture sticks together.

Lightly spray a 9 inch pie pan or similar size rectangular baking dish. Press the crust into dish and bake for 8-10 minutes, then cool while preparing the filling.

Start your filling by melting the chocolate chips. I don’t have a lot of fancy kitchen equipment like a double broiler. If you do, go for it. If you don’t, just use two medium saucepans on top of each other. Put a couple cups of water in the bottom saucepan over medium-low heat. Place the second saucepan over the first and add your chocolate chips to it. Stir frequently until completely melted.

Meanwhile, add the rest of the filling ingredients to a food processor.When chips are melted, add them to the food processor and blend all ingredients well.

Pour filling into prepared crust. Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This one can easily be made the night before.

My family and friends were delighted with this dish. Most agreed that the filling resembled a smooth and creamy fudge – sufficiently decadent to be satisfied with just a few bites.

Tags: non-dairy

Thanksgiving Pot Pie

I’ve been doing Thanksgiving without Turkey for about 5 years now. Each year, I get to experiment with trying to figure out how to bring back my fond memories of Thanksgiving without imbibing the bird.

After a few miserable failures and a couple decent but heavily processed Tofurkey dinners, I was thrilled to try this vegan Thanksgiving Pot Pie inspired by the holiday issue of Vegetarian Times. I invited friends over to enjoy the feast and everyone agreed this hit the spot. Fresh thyme and sage provide the Thanksgiving aromas we’ve grown to love and red wine, hoisin sauce, molasses and vinegar give the gravy a hint of meatiness.

Although you can serve this with any side dishes you like – mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc – it’s quite satisfying on its own and was quite delicious paired with my mom’s sweet potato casserole.

What you need

Filling

• 2 small potatoes, diced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 3-5 Tbsp oil, divided
• 8 oz firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into cubes
• 4 Tbsp Braggs amino acids, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
• 1/ tsp cayenne pepper, divided
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms, cremini and/or button
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup almond or soy milk
• 3 Tbsp red wine
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 tsp hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tsp molasses
• 1/4 tsp sherry vinegar

Crust

•  1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 3-4 Tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

How to make it

As with any Thanksgiving it all starts with the turkey – I mean tofu. I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve destroyed by not pressing the tofu first. Be sure you’ve got tofu in water from the refrigerated section, not the silken tofu in a box. Once you’ve got the right tofu, drain the water and wrap the tofu in cheesecloth or an absorbent towel. Place the wrapped tofu on a cooling rack and place something heavy on it. I used three ceramic dinner plates. The more water you drain from the tofu, the better consistency your tofu will have. Drain and press the tofu for at least 30 minutes, if not an hour or more.

While the tofu is draining, you can chop all your vegetables and prep your ingredients. Once the tofu is ready, cut it into cubes and sautee over medium-high heat in 1 Tbsp oil. Cook for 5-10 minutes – until tofu begins to brown. Stir in 2-3 Tbsp Braggs, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper. Cook until all liquid evaporates and set aside.

Next boil the pototatoes and carrots in a large pot of salt water. I have a fear of mushy carrots and hard potatoes, so I boiled the potatoes for 5 minutes first, then added the carrots for another 5 minutes. When both are just tender, drain and add to the sauteed tofu.

Next, heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium hat. Add mushrooms and cook 3-5 minutes, until soft. Add onion, broccoli and garlic and saute another 6-7 minutes, until onions begin to soften. Push veggies to edge of skillet and add flour. Stir flour while adding remaining oil with fork to make roux (a thick sauce that is going to be the base of your gravy). Stir roux into vegetables then stir broth into vegetables. Once gravy is smooth, add the tofu, potatoes, carrots, nondairy milk, remaining braggs and wine. Stir gently, the add thyme, sage, hoisin sauce, molasses, vinegar and remaining garlic and cayenne. You want to have a nice hearty gravy at this point, but be sure to cook off any excess liquid or it will bubble over in the oven. When filling is ready, transfer to a casserole dish.

Next we’re going to tackle the crust. Preheat the oven to 375. Mix together flour, salt and shortening with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Add water until dough sticks together, without being too moist. Gently knead rosemary and sage into dough and shape into a ball. Place dough ball in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to push out from the center of the ball, shaping your dough to completely cover the casserole dish.

Remove dough from bag and lay over the vegetable filling in your casserole dish. Poke large and plentiful holes in your crust to make sure the gravy doesn’t seep out the sides. If you don’t want to end up cleaning your oven, place a broiling pan in the bottom while cooking. Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Tags: holiday meals, low calorie, thanksgiving, vegan