African Groundnut Stew

Recipe from What Would Cathy Eat, and pictures have been taken from there.

Many moons ago, I learned that for me "soul food" needed to be redefined. Even as an omnivore child, there was something about overcooked veggies, greasy and/or overly sweet carbs, and deep fried and smothered meat that did not move my soul in such a way that it felt fed. If anything, it made my soul need a nap, and souls shouldn't nap. That just seems like a bad idea. If anything, soul food should be something that warms and comforts your inner most being, while providing it the fuel to accomplish the things that are most vital to its existence.

Enter this dish. It has quickly become one of my favorite dishes of all time. If I had a week of last meals, this would be one. It has many of the traditional elements of soul food such as sweet potatoes, collard greens, and black eye peas, but the flavors come together in such a unique way. Side bar: I actually have a relative dislike for collard green and black eyed peas when they are cooked alone, but when added together in this dish they are just the perfect blend. The peanut butter might come as a surprise to some who haven't experience some African foods, but if you try it, you will not be disappointed or overwhelmed by it. Be adventurous!

To alter this dish, I have done nothing more than upped a few of the major flavor players. I also served it over the brown rice instead of adjacent to it. I would even recommend a brown jasmine for this. It just adds another layer. I have also found that instead of regular diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with roasted garlic. The brand I use is an HEB store brand. Go with your favorite diced tomatoes here.

Shopping List by Department


Produce:

• 1 large onion
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2 serrano peppers
• 1 jalepeno pepper
• fresh ginger root
• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes
• 1 bunch of collard greens
• cilantro
• lime

Dry/Canned/Boxed Foods:

• 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
• vegetable broth
• natural peanut butter
• 15 oz. canned black eyed peas
• dry roasted peanuts

Spices/Oils

• canola oil
• cumin
• cayenne pepper
• salt

Recipe:

• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 serrano or jalapeno peppers, minced
• 2-3 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 28-ounce canned diced tomatoes in juice (reserve the juice)
• 1 c. vegetable broth 
• 2 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 bunch collard greens, stems removed, leaves well chopped
• ½ c natural peanut butter
• 1 15-ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3 c. chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste
• ½ c. chopped dry roasted peanuts 
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Saute the onion, garlic, peppers and ginger over medium heat for 7-8 minutes. 
2. Add the cumin and cayenne, and cook one minute more. 
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice, broth, sweet potatoes and greens. 
4. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 35 minutes.
5. Add peanut butter and black eyed peas and gently simmer 10 minutes longer, uncovered. 
6. Add the cilantro and season to taste. 
7. Garnish with peanuts and a squeeze of lime.

Flax Egg

(photo credit: veganbaking.net)

Flax eggs are my go to egg replacer because they are super cheap and easy to do. I always say to buy the flax seeds whole and grind them yourself to ensure that the oils that are released to not have time to go rancid. This is simple to do either in a coffee grounder or a high power blender. I use the smaller cup blending attachment for my Ninja, and the powder comes out super fine. I do them in batches of about a half a cup at a time, and then place them in a snack size ziplock bag and store them in the freezer.

There are multiple ways of doing this. I will go over 3 of my favorite methods. They all use the same ratio of 1 Tbsp. of ground flax seed to 3 Tbsp. of water for one flax egg. Multiply to fit your recipe. There's no need to separate them out, so make all that you need at once.

The Fast Sure Fire:

• Bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan.
• Add ground flax, and stir until mixture thickens. This should take 1-2 minutes.

The Long Fool Proof:

• Whisk together the water and the ground flax. Let sit in the refrigerator until the egg settles. 15 minutes minimum, but it will sit better at an hour.

The Tricky Quicky:

• Use warm water and combine it with the ground flax. Let sit for five minutes. This works for things that are quick cooking, such as anything you throw in the microwave. 

The result of the first two are an extremely goopy substance, akin to that of egg whites. The third one produces at thicker sort of liquid. I hope this helps. Happy baking!

Bean and Cornbread Casserole

This recipe comes from That Was Vegan, and all pictures have been taken from there.

Ok guys, this is recipe comes to you straight from the crock pot. I literally still have some on warm right now. This is now one of our new favorite comfort foods. It's warm and spicy and is like a flavor circus! I cannot say enough good things about this recipe. And the crazy part is the simplicity of the recipe. You have to try this one.

If you don't own a crock pot (come take one of mine that I rarely use), I'm pretty sure that you can make this in a large pot on top of the stove, just use low heat. The major thing that I changed in this recipe was that I removed the pinto beans and replaced them with another can of black beans. I don't really have a good reason for this aside from the fact that I really dislike pinto beans. Add them back if they don't bother you. I also kicked up the spice factor by adding a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and I replaced one of the teaspoons of chili powder with chipotle chili powder which ups the spice and the flavor. I have included the chipotle chili powder in the recipe below, but not the cayenne. Do that at your own risk.

One other thing. In the original recipe it states that the cook time after putting the cornbread mixture on top is  1.5 hours with a possible 30 minutes extra. After I cooked it on high for the 2 hours, only the edges were done. I would say a more complete time for my slow cooker was 2.5 hours. Just be aware of that when you're cooking.

Shopping List by Department


Produce

• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 sweet yellow onion
• 1 bulb of garlic

Dry

• 1 14.75 can of cream style corn
• 2 15 oz. cans of black beans (substitute one of these for the pinto if you'd like)
• 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans
• 1 8-10 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chilies 
• hot sauce
• yellow corn meal
• all purpose flour
• baking powder
• sugar (I use turbinado)
• canola oil
• flax seed or meal (as an egg replacer)

Spices

• salt
• pepper
• chili powder
• chipotle chili powder

"Dairy"

• non dairy milk

Recipe

Bean Base

• 1 green pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 large sweet onion
• 3-5 cloves garlic
• 1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 8-10 oz tomato sauce
• 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1/2 can cream corn
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1 t pepper
• 2 t salt
• 1 t hot sauce

Cornbread Topping

• 1/2 cup yellow corn meal
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 cups non-dairy milk
• 1 egg replacer mix of choice (I use the flax egg)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1/2 can cream corn

1. Spray inside of slow-cooker with non-stick spray. 
2. Chop onions and bell peppers, and mince garlic cloves.
3. Sautee onions, peppers and garlic in a pan until tender, then add to the slow-cooker.
4. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1/2 can of corn, spices and hot sauce.
5. Cover, and cook on high for about 1 hour.
6. In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then stir in the milk, egg replacement, oil and the rest of the corn.
7. Ladle over the bean mixture in the slow-cooker, making it nice and smooth.
8. Cover again, and cook for about another 1.5 hours. As noted above, it might take longer for your slow cooker. I advise that add the 30 minutes, and then do 20 minute increments until the cornbread is done.

Vegan Taco Pizza

This recipe comes from Cadry's Kitchen and all pictures have been taken from there.

I LOVE PIZZA!!! What kind, you ask? All pizza...well meatless pizza. This has been by far the hardest thing to forgo since giving up my beloved cheese. There's something about the warm crust and gooey cheese with all the delicious toppings that calls my name: "Whitney, eat me. Gain pounds. Pounds of joy."

Let me tell you that I was tickled pink to find this vegan taco pizza. The flavor is amazing, and it is beyond easy to throw together. I knew this was definitely a recipe I wanted to share with you all. Cadry's brilliance must be enjoyed by all! I make two pizzas at one time so the hubby and I can have left overs. Most pizzas come two to a pack, so that is totally a viable option for anyone. Once while making this I ran out of tomato sauce, so I blended together a can of tomatoes with green chilies, and it came out pretty wonderful and had a bit of extra zest. One can was enough for about 4 pizzas, and is a bit more cost effective if that is a concern of yours. While the pizza is mostly build to your own taste, there are just a few basics things that I recommend you do to have a wonderful pizza experience, so I have included them in the recipe.

Shopping List by Department


Produce (choose these based on what you do and don't like. I used them all. Yum!)

• 1 tomato 
• 1 onion 
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 avocado
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green bell pepper
• baby bella or cremini mushrooms (They're not particularly Mexican, but I can't envision life or a pizza without them.)
• 1 lime

Dry Foods 

• black beans
• can/jar of olives (black or green is up to you. I prefer black)
• marinara (or the tomatoes with chilies blended as discussed above)
• Vicolo cornmeal crust, or any vegan pizza crust or dough you get your hands on.
• Garden of Eatin Pico de Gallo or Nacho chips (this is a great brand!)

Spices

• garlic powder
• chili powder
• ground cumin
• cayenne

Recipe

• 1/2 can black beans, rinse and drained
• 1 Vicolo cornmeal crust
• A few spoonfuls of marinara 
• Garden of Eatin chips, crumbled (About 4 or 5 chips will do)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/2 c. onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped (I love cilantro, so I use much more)
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/4 c. red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c. green bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 c. sliced baby bella or cremini mushrooms
• 1/4 c. sliced olives
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne (add more if you like it hot)
• juice of 1 lime

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Top the cornmeal crust with marinara and black beans.
3. Sprinkle the spices over the black beans.
4. Add chopped onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and olives. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Remove the pizza from oven and add cilantro, tomato, and avocado.
6. Squeeze lime juice over pizza making sure to hit the chunks of avocado (this helps preserve the color)
7. Add chip crumbs, and enjoy. If you like add your favorite Mexican hot sauce to top it off. I always add a few splashes of Valentina.

Tip:  If you're going to be saving leftovers, only add the avocado and the chips to what you will be eating right away. The avocado may turn brown and the chips will get soggy if left overnight. 

Avocado Mango Magic

Todays recipe comes from http://www.floridacoastalcooking.com/2011/04/avocado-mango-and-caribbean-black-bean.html. All pictures have been taken from there.

Do you ever have those days where you're just not feeling up to cooking. Those days are more common for me than I'd like to admit, but being mostly vegan the options are typically to cook or spend way too much eating out. Not to mention you can't control what restaurants put in your food, even at the best ones.

This recipe is one of my personal solutions to that problem. It's quick, very simple to make, but packs a lot of flavor. It also has beautiful coloring. The upside to this dish is that if you're trying to avoid breads you can leave out the pita, and eat it over a bed of mixed greens. One thing that any traditional vegan might find troubling is my use of honey in this recipe, but that can easily be substituted for agave nectar.

Shopping List by Department:


Produce

• 1 avocado
• 1 large mango or 2 champagne mangoes
• 1 sweet onion
• 1 jalapeno
• 1 lime
• bunch of cilantro
• fresh mint (I used spearmint)
• spring mix lettuce (I used an herb mix variety)

Dry/Packaged

• 15 oz. can of Eden Organic Caribbean Black Beans or 15 oz. can of black beans with added spices*
• extra virgin olive oil
• honey or agave
• whole wheat pita bread

*Spices (Use in place of the Caribbean black beans)

• onion powder
• garlic powder
• smoked paprika
• cumin
• cayenne
• cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 ripe but firm avocados, halved, peeled and cubed 
• 2 ripe champagne mangoes, peeled and cubed 
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, chopped
• 1 15oz can Eden Organic Caribbean Black Beans, or regular black beans*
• 1 small jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (leave off if you prefer less spice)
• 1 lime zested and juiced
• 3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped 
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (add more to taste)
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp agave or honey
• 3 cups spring mix lettuce, chopped or torn
• 3 small whole wheat pitas, split open, sprayed with olive oil and seasoned with salt (opt. leave pita in its original form and fold ingredients inside.)
• *Spices for can of regular black beans (adjust to your preferred taste)
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

(*optional 1). If using regular black beans, place your rinsed and drained beans in a medium bowl, and add your spices.
1. Add mango, avocado,onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and mint to the bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, olive oil, lime juice, lime zest. Add to mixture.
3. Salt to taste.

4. Toast whole wheat pitas until just browned and crisp.
5. Top each half with 1/4 cup chopped lettuce and 1/4 cup mango mixture.

Transitioning to Meatless: My Story and Helpful Tips

A friend recently asked me about transitioning to a meatless diet, and to be honest, I hadn't ever really thought about the process enough to put it into words. I knew I had experienced different stages, but it never came together enough for me to give step by step until she asked. After answering her, I knew I had to make it a blog post because there are probably others out there who would like some help as well.

My personal journey may be different than some of yours. I grew up in Houston, TX where meat reigns supreme. Not only meat, but butter, sugar, and more or less everything that creates disease in your body. I still struggle with some of these foods today. (Yeah sugar and bread, you're going down!) This is the only way that I learned to eat. As a child, I was able to make small stands like saying no to pork chops, but I didn't know to say no to so many things. I was always sick as a kid. I never won a perfect attendance award because I was always at the doctor with either my allergies or my stomach. I was also severely anemic, but short of taking pills (which I have never been a proponent of) we did nothing to adjust my iron intake.

Then the diseases began to roll into my family. Everything from diabetes to hypertension. The thing that began my awakening was my very near and dear grandmother passing of cancer in 2002. I began searching for answers. I was always lead back to her meat and bread based diet. Not that meat and bread is a guarantee for cancer, but once you have it, that diet gives your body no ammunition to heal itself. As a result of that and then moving to Austin (which is the health beacon of Texas) for school, I began to adopt  a "do not die by your own hand" mentality, and that meant making some lifestyle changes.

Going vegetarian not immediate, and of course I sabotaged myself so many times. The only jobs I have had as an adult have required me to travel, and that can be detriment to making healthy eating decisions. Once I decided to give up meat, I went for one last hoorah: a burger from my grandmother's favorite fast food place. (I told you I was a nostalgic eater.) What I received in addition to my burger is what sealed the deal: food poisoning. Not fun. At all. That was in 2009, and I haven't eaten any meat since.

Initially, I was what I call a carbitarian. I ate bread, pasta, and more bread. That in combination with my cheese addiction (I'm in recovery. We need Cheeseholics Anonymous. CA.) lead to me being a pretty unhealthy vegetarian. I honestly wasn't sure what I should be eating. Once I finally did some research, I found recipes that included more veggies and had more flavor than anything I had ever eaten. As of now, I am still on my health journey, but I did want to share with you what I have learned so far.

Tips for Transitioning


1. Start Slowly. Meatless Mondays is a trend for a reason. It starts you with one day of not eating meat, and use that to build and add on more days. If you take it slow, you will have time to build a strong meatless foundation. Don't get stuck on Monday. Choose a day that is most convenient for you to go meatless.

2. Be patient with yourself. You are human, and that means you are imperfectly perfect. Sometimes you will give into temptation. Be kind to yourself, and pick up where you left off. Don't let the little hiccups in your plan detour you, and don't beat yourself up.

3. Go into the battle armed. Whenever entering battle, you always have ammunition. In this case that is your recipes. Use the meatless days of your transition to build up an arsenal of delicious recipes you know you like. Also, pay attention to the ingredients you use as they will help you decide which new recipes to try.

4. Find a source of encouragement or inspiration. It is always easier to something when you feel supported. Many times it's hard to find that in your actual community, but online vegetarian and vegan communities can serve as an amazing proxy. I have learned almost everything I know from online communities and in exploration with my best friend. Know that I am always here for you. Feel free to contact me using the contact page, which is linked at the top, or leave a comment on posts. I'm super friendly! I promise.

5. Have an open mind. Try new foods. You will be surprised at the things you like. If you don't like something the first time, try cooking it differently the next time. Don't give up so quickly on a food because it looks or tastes weird. Some things you just don't like (for me, eggplant), but some things you will learn to love (peas). Also be open to trying different food combinations. Certain foods set each other off just right and create a symphony in your mouth.

6. Expect change to happen. When your eating habits change, your taste buds will too. You will find yourself craving things you didn't before. Be open to this. This is good.

7. Remember it is a process. A transition is moving from one thing to the other. Don't neglect your time in the middle. Use it to learn as much as you can about food, and about yourself.

I hope all of this helps.

Sweet Vegan Cornbread

Today's recipe can be found in its original form at: http://www.kosherblog.net/2005/03/09/blue_ribbon_vegan_cornbread/. (Please excuse the picture. I'm not by any stretch a photographer. I only had my phone on me and I took it at night. Enough excuses; on to the food!)

I promised you guys that I would share a vegan cornbread recipe that I found with you guys, and today is the day that I do just that. Now anyone who has ever eaten cornbread can tell you that there are so many different kinds, and some people only swear by their favorite type. I am of the thought that great cornbread is great cornbread, no matter its sweetness or region of origin.

This particular recipe makes a delicious light, fluffy, and sweet cornbread. It actually pretty hard to tell that it is vegan. The trick to this recipe is the boiling of the ground flaxseed until it thickens. This, along with the baking powder, ensure that it rises properly.

I prefer a sweeter cornbread, so I used a half a cup of turbinado sugar instead of a quarter cup of granulated sugar. It turned out with the perfect amount of sweetness. I ground up the turbinado sugar (right after I ground up my flax seeds) in my Ninja just to take away that grainy quality that it can sometimes have. Also, instead of soy milk that is used in the original recipe, I swapped it out for hemp milk. You can use whatever non-dairy milk you have on hand. Take into account whether your milk is sweetened or unsweetened when adjusting your sugar. My hemp milk was lightly sweetened, and my adjustment worked well for us.

Due to the fact that most of the ingredients you probably already have in your house, and most of them are found on the same aisle, I won't include the shopping list by department.

Recipe

• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 6 Tbsp. water
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1/2 c. sugar, granulated or turbinado
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. table salt
• 1 c. non dairy milk
• 1/4 c. canola oil

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. I used a 7"x11" brownie pan, but you could use an 8"x8" square pan.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the ground flax seed, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the ground flax seed in the water for 3 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well-combined.
4. Add the ground flax seed mixture, non dairy milk, and canola oil to the flour mixture. Beat just until smooth (do not overbeat.) *Because I added an extra 1/4 of sugar, I had to add another splash of milk to make the mixture smooth. If you find yourself in a similar situation, just add the milk a teaspoon at a time until the texture is just right.
5. Turn into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
6. Cool on wire rack 10 minutes; invert cornbread onto wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as we did. I am contemplating doing a southern cast iron skillet version. I'll let you know how it turns out.