Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 26

So I'm not going to tell you how amazing last night's meal was. But it was pretty amazing, anyway. It consisted of the new pasta "alfredo" sauce that I've been told looks like an unfortunate byproduct of digestive distress. And the now staple marinara sauce, garlic rolls and roasted brussel sprouts and leftover delish bits from Easter vegan desserts. There could be a crumb or two, EER. And Kim, it's deliciously cheesy...not Cheddar, but tasty. If you lived closer I'd so have you over to taste it.

I do need to give a report about my 21 day commitment to working on the novel. I completed the task. I rewrote a problematic scene. Then wrote and edited three more scenes. And discovered a creative way to work out a fairly big plotting point. I read all that we had written out loud, found several issues and suggested how we might fix said issues. And most importantly, I think I've got the remaining 7 or 8 chapters blocked out, broken down, and skeleton figured out. Now we just need to hang the muscle and meat on the skeleton and pump it full of life.

And I enjoyed it. I had committed to a half hour per day, focused on an aspect of the book. But as I dove in I found that I wanted to spend more time, that I was enjoying writing. I also think I've grown as a writer. The words flowed easier. The sentence structure, the getting under the character's skin, the hanging onto the voice...those happened easier...almost like my brain was still working on those skills while I was refusing to go any further on this story.

Glad I took that little venture on. And I'm going to keep on, keeping on that one, too.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 25

Scalloped "Cheesy" Potatoes

3 lbs potatoes
4 TBSP of Earth Balance Spread (or fat of choice)
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
4-6 ounces of fresh mushooms
5 TBSP of flour
2 and 1/2 cups of non-dairy unsweetened milk
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast (bulk or packaged at health food stores, on-line or some grocery stores.)


Prepare (I just cut eyes out, left most of the skin on) potatoes. Bake in 350 oven for approx 25 min (for small to medium potatoes) until half baked. Cool. Then slice into slightly greased 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with salt.

In a sauce pan melt:

4 TBSP of Earth Balance
Toss chopped onion, minced garlic and mushrooms.
When veggies are sauteed and tender add 5 TBSP of flour and blend together until pasty.
Stir in 2 and 1/2 cups of non-dairy unsweetened milk of choice. (i.e, almond, soy, oat or rice)
Stir over low heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast (bulk or packaged at health food stores, on-line or some grocery stores.)

Pour "cheese" veggie sauce over potatoes.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Not the best picture. But the potatoes were pretty tasty. Even the non-vegans scarfed them down. Win. Win.

Every dessert we had was Vegan. And, again, no one complained. The chocolate cake was a little crumbly, but oh so good.

These cookies are amazing.


Orange Cranberry Pecan Coconut Cookies

1 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Sugar
Zest of one small orange. (zest before juicing)
Juice of one small orange
1 Cup chopped nuts of choice
2 and 1/4 Cups flour (King Arthur, unbleached, Oat or spelt flours or a blend)
1/2 to 3/4 Cup of dried cranberries

Set oven to 350. Blend coconut oil and sugar until mixed. Add zest and juice. Mix. Add flour, stir. Add nuts and cranberries. Roll into small balls, or use small cookie scoop. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 oven for 11 minutes. NOTE: These little guys are frail. Loosen them on the cookie sheet. Cool for a few minutes, then place on cookie rack. Store in the refrigerator or they are really fall apart crumbly.

Rob and I were able to pass up the half and half, the ham, the venison (that wasn't tough. Ha.) and a few more non-Vegan items without feeling super deprived. Because the vegan dishes were pretty delish.

And boy, did we ever have fun with Kombucha and the mother. Several brave souls tried a sip of both Kombucha and Kefir. And there were some seriously hilarious expressions on people's faces when they were introduced to Mother in her new home. She now resides in a 6 quart crock pot crock. She was getting too big for her huge pickle jar. One of her babies is now living there. Mother is fully unfurled across the top of her tea bath. Pulling back the curtain on her was quite the trip. Ha. Ha. We also did do a little I Pad/I Phone research and found that Kefir has tons of probiotics...

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 22

No pictures of poo food, EER. So sorry. However, last night's dinner was fajitas made with portebello mushrooms sliced into strips, tossed with onions and red, yellow and green peppers and sauteed.

With that much taste you don't really need cheese. Okay. I didn't.

Add to that cilantro lime rice. Which was precooked and frozen servings of brown rice. Juice of a lime and fresh cilantro (or dried) to taste.

Threw it all together into a multi-grain tortilla. Added tomatoes, good lettuce. Really satisfying and delicious.

I also did some searching for the difference between coconut oil (which is one of our staples) and coconut butter which we've never used (not even on our heels, EER.)

http://nouveauraw.com/special-ingredients/coconut-oil-vs-coconut-butter/

http://www.ehow.com/how_4733159_milk-coconut-cream-coconut-water.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/245310-what-is-the-difference-between-coconut-oil-coconut-butter/

http://paleohacks.com/questions/890/coconut-oil-vs-butter#axzz1KDRLEnLI

I'm also reading the Coconut Oil Miracle that goes into all this Coconut Oil craze.

More to report after the Holiday weekend.

For Easter dinner I will be serving Tropical Eggplant - eggplant coated with toasted coconut and served with Mango/Pomegranate Salsa. And Vegan Scalloped Potatoes. And some delicious Orange Cranberry Pecan Vegan Cookies.

And there will be items to please the meat eaters who will attend as well.

Hope you have a meaningful Resurrection Sunday. Christ is alive. He is indeed.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 21

All these comments and questions, Friends. Thanks for all the support/interest.

Just in case you are looking for a healthified treat I'm posting a recipe I "fixed/veganated".

Apple Chunk Cake

4 TBSP ground flaxseed
6 TBSP warm water (combine these two ingredients in a small bowl and let sit approx 7 or so minutes. This will gel and will replace eggs)
1/2 Cup coconut oil (don't melt, but you can set in a warm place to soften.)
1 Cup sugar (minimally processed - I used turbindo which is darker because it retains some of the natural molasses)
2 tsp vanilla
2 Cups flour (I used spelt)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt.
2 medium apples cut into small chunks. (I used tart ones)

Preheat oven to 350 and oil a 13X9 pan.

Combine the coconut oil with the sugar, add flaxseed/water blend and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. Add the flour, stir, and finally mix in the apples. Spread in prepared pan.

If you want a crunchy topping mix equal amounts (approx 2 TBSPs each) of oatmeal, finely chopped pecans or walnuts and approx 1 TBSP of brown sugar. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the dough.

Bake for approx 40-45 minutes.

Xta asked about Earth Balance and Coconut butter.

Here's the skinny Earth Balance.

Earth Balance spreads are: "made with a proprietary blend of expeller-pressed oils and are a good source of important Omega 3’s. Available in both tub and stick forms, Earth Balance® Natural Spreads are vegan, non-GMO and free of gluten, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and artificial ingredients of any kind. Earth Balance® Nut Butters are Non-GMO Project verified. Earth Balance® Soymilk is certified organic, Non-GMO Project verified and made with USA grown soybeans. Earth Balance® Soymilk is vegan, free of lactose, cholesterol, dairy, gluten and is an excellent source of calcium, vitamin D and ALA omega 3s."

You can use in place of butter. Cook, bake etc. And it tastes good. Of course it's fat/oil so sitting down and eating a tub would be a poor choice. But when you need an oil/fat, this is a good choice. I linked their website above, there are lots of recipes hanging out there and I have favorited it as a nice resource.

As far as coconut butter, Xta. I have not tried it. I've also heard of coconut cream. So I need to look into that a little more. Coconut oil. Here's the best price for organic and great quality (look around a bit on Amazon. The free shipping at the 25.00 mark is great, but I've gotten a better deal before, I've noticed prices change almost daily on lots of items.) I use coconut oil as a lotion, as a facial moisturizer and as a butter replacement in recipes. It makes super delish popcorn. (The cook on the stove kind, and you won't need to add butter to it. Doesn't take much, just a coating in the pan.) But I'll look into the other coconut products and report back.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 20

So Xta asked a good question.

If we aren't animal activists then why avoid animal products? Why are we staying away from animal milk, yogurt, eggs, cheeses, butter?

After all. Organic means that the animals are treated well, fed well and aren't pumped full of hormones, genetically modified "food"stuff and are allowed to do things like move and feel sunshine. Organic is better. period.

But. Why are we avoiding those items? Mostly for the inflammation aspects. And because of possible underlying allergies to things we've always eaten but didn't know we didn't tolerate oh so well. 24 has a longer trial and error period. She has decided that she is definitely going to avoid dairy because when she has played her flexitarian card and eaten something containing dairy her head gets stuffy feeling. And when she eats several things that are non-Vegan she feels it energywise. Since Rob and I aren't at the flexitarian stage yet, I am interested to see if we notice differences in the way we feel if we eat dairy. As far as I'm concerned, this whole thing is a lifetime learning process. If there are alternatives to dairy products that leave us feeling satisfied then I feel like I'm going to lean towards those products.

These links go into all sorts of information. I even put a counter-point one in there. Casein is one that raised a few red flags in my mind. (The China Study) And there is a compelling enough reason to me to avoid it. But, there are other scientists who say "pshaw!"

But isn't that life? No matter what subject you chose to expound on, someone is going to be able to tear it apart....maybe only within their own mind....maybe to multitudes. Since I'm not a scientist, since I can't tear things apart on a molecular level and figure out the puzzle of life, since life is a journey...I guess I'm just going to keep on keeping on....doing my best to become more and more like the person I was created to be.

So. Share your thoughts. What do you think?



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/dairy-free-dairy-6-reason_b_558876.html
http://www.dldewey.com/columns/milk.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/025258_butter_calcium_cancer.html
http://crossfitmaximus.com/2010/08/the-adverse-effects-of-milk-loren-cordain-ph-d-and-pedro-bastos/
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=122585
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/07/nutrition-advice-from-the-china-study/
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=385

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 19

Delicious Eggplant Parmesan for dinner.

And some answers to a couple of questions.

EER asked about Rob's joints. I have been guessing that once he overcame the plague he'd start feeling some differences.

But last night I asked him. And this was his answer. "I am very pleased with this project. I feel good. I worked physically hard today. And I don't have a tweak or a twinge in the normal problem areas."

Losing the quotations...he went on to say that he has struggled with little intense flashes of pain in different joints almost every day. His hands, shoulders and arms especially. And he is currently not having any of those. Even though he was fighting the creeping crud for the first ten days of so of this adventure....he's been feeling okay. And now he is feeling good. He says this is a success as far as he's concerned. Though he won't claim rigid Vegan as a lifestyle, he is planning to be as conscientious as possible about what he puts into his body.

He also said that the small changes we've made over the past couple of years, going more toward organic and natural, one step at a time, have all been little steps that have made a difference.

Stopping the fueling of his body with chemicals, sugar, highly processed and total crap began the process of reclaiming his health. Animal-product-free-eating is one more tool in his health arsenal. The early steps kept him from having to add that injectible to his regimen. Will he ever be able to remove the prednisone and methotrexate? We can hope and keep trying. If not, the real food he eats will strengthen his body to maybe avoid some of the side effects of those big gun medications.

He did say he suggests that no one go completely cold turkey into something this extreme. 24 and I have been slowly learning, rethinking and restocking our pantry,freezer, and garden ... getting rid of the the stuff that is not fuel for our bodies and replacing those uber-processed and food-free items with things that really are fuel. Today has come about because of almost three years of rethinking and learning. But. Every step we have taken has been important on some level.

I will continue to share products, information and recipes with you because this trial month is the beginning of another lifestyle change. We may not end up 100% animal free, but those items are not necessary to eat things that taste good.

So stay tuned.

And now that I've gone on and on, I'm going to have to save the rest of my thoughts til later.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Thirty Day Vegan...Day 18

Lots of opportunity to eat not-so clean this weekend.

We had a tea party at church. Full of delectable sounding and smelling desserts and sandwiches.

However, I stuck with the four Vegan friendly items on the menu.

A cup of fruit. Check.

A cup of celery and carrots (and a whole lot of extra carrots as my table mate kept giving me hers.) Check.

Cucumber sandwiches. Classic seasoned cream cheese with a cucumber on top. One of my favorites. And we made the recipe with Vegan Cream Cheese (Soy). My table mate said it was hand's down the best sandwich. So that was all good. And the dang thing was tasty.

The Vegan cookies fooled lots of people and tasted just grand.

I created a dish Saturday night that was super good. I had some sauce leftover because I only cooked half the box of spirals so I adapted it for a casserole on Sunday, too. I was really excited that the sauce kept it's flavor. If you ever eat leftover alfredo or mac and cheese you know what I mean.

At the beginning of our journey I said I had made a Scalloped potato dish that needed tweaked. This sauce will do it. Seriously. The other one was good. But it was made with more Nutritional Yeast and cashews and lemon juice (among other ingredients). So it cost more, too.

This would be fabulous with sauteed mushrooms, too. Rob loved it. So did the girl...and her dogs.

Here is the recipe.

Spring Fling Greenfredo

5 Chopped Green Onions.
10 Chopped Asparagus Spears
1 Minced Clove of Garlic
4 TBSP Soy Free Earth Balance Spread
4 TBSP favorite flour (I used Spelt)
1/3 tsp salt
2 and 1/2 Cups unflavored Almond, oat or soy Milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder.
2 Handfuls of raw spinach leaves (approx 2 jam-packed cups)
1/4 heaping cup of Nutritional Yeast (this is sold in bulk at Whole Foods)(and probably at health food stores. I couldn't find it at my local store that has a healthy/organic food section)(It has a cheesy, almost parmesan-y flavor).
1 - 12 oz Package Eden Organic Kamut Spirals

Put water for pasta on to boil in a saucepan. When the water reaches boil. Add pasta and stir. Then cook for 7-8 minutes.

While pasta boils, in another saucepan melt the Earth Balance spread.

Toss in the minced garlic, the asparagus spears and the green onions. Saute until tender. Approx 2 minutes.

Add the flour and salt and garlic powder and stir. The mixture will become paste-like. Add the milk and stir. When blended toss in the spinach which will wither and cook down. Stir until mixture thickens into an alfredo type sauce. About 3 minutes.

Remove from heat.

Toss in nutritional yeast and stir.

Spoon pasta onto plates. Top with Greenfredo sauce.
Serves about 6.