~Vegan Enchilada's~

I have yet to make these enchiladas yet but heard they're really good....Maybe I can convince hubby to make since it's his night to cook (I like saving the really complicated meals for him ;)...

Enjoy beauties~



Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS:
1 package of tempeh

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained

1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can of beans of your choice (vegetarian refried beans are good)
Flour tortillas

Nutritional yeast to garnish (optional)

1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce



STEPS:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large sauté pan, sauté the onion and garlic with a little olive oil until translucent.

Add the can of tomatoes and crumble in the tempeh.

Mix in the taco seasoning and let it all incorporate for about 5-10 minutes.

In a separate sauce pan, let your beans heat up.

Once the beans are hot and the tempeh mixture is settled, start assembling your tortillas.

Spread out the beans first on the tortilla, and then add the tempeh mixture on top.

Roll it up, and place in a casserole dish.

Repeat.
Pour the tomato sauce over the enchiladas (you don’t need the whole jar, just enough to cover them evenly)
.
Put the dish in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.



Top w/ vegan cheese ("daiya" or "follow your heart") and/or sour cream ("tofutti") on top.



Free Range: A Very Short Documentary

Too short not to watch.



go there!

http://www.sunnydayfarms.com/

In the Spirit of Independence....

"Never counted in the "costs" of war are the dead birds, the charred animals, the murdered fish, incinerated insects, poisoned water sources, destroyed vegetation. Rarely mentioned is the arrogance of the human race towards other living things with which it shares this planet. All these are forgotten in the fight for markets and ideologies. This arrogance will probably be the ultimate undoing of the human species". 

~T.D. Allman, quoted in War Talk, by Arundhati Roy




This incredibly cool lady has done it for me, so I'm steering you to her :) She's got a little bit of ereything for a feast that won't rot in your colon. Happy day!
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/07/keeping-it-light-and-cool-on-fourth-of.html

Just because he's so damn cute.....

One of many stories I was sent from "Animal Acres", (an INCREDIBLE animal sanctuary in So. Cal., specifically for abused and neglected farm animals).

http://www.animalacres.org/

I just thought it was apropos since I keep posting these dairy free recipes:

"Meet the newest boy in our lives: Cowboy. We received a call that this little guy was in a tiny alley in West Hollywood, kept from running about by tipped over shopping carts making an impromptu fence. We believe he is about two weeks old, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that his health remains strong as he is such a little love!".

Vegan Pizza w/ Daiya Cheese!

Yeah, it's as good as it looks. I have yet to master this incredible pizza but thank goodness for Promise Pizza in Austin where we order this from. J goes crazy when I tell him Daddy's bringing home pizza! The "cheese" is made from: tapioca and/or arrowroot flours, non-GMO expeller pressed canola oil, non-GMO expeller pressed safflower oil, coconut oil, pea protein, salt, inactive yeast, vegan natural flavours, vegetable glycerin, xanthan gum, citric acid (for flavor). No stolen milk = Good stuff (click on cow with her baby at top left of page for more info on the nastiness and cruelty of cows milk).

Let me know what fab recipes you may come up with ;)

Peppers and Herbs

Look what popped up in the garden and J is fascinated with them! Serrano peppers; my FAV!





And this fennel bares mentioning since it's such an incredible herb, (plus I just love how feathery and delicate looking it is). I only planted it b/c a few of Tal Ronnen's recipes called for fennel, which I never ended up using. I had no idea how good for you it really was.



Internal use:
-has antispasmodic, diuretic, pain-and fever-reducer effects and antimicrobial properties.
- has a mild estrogenic effect and also exhibits a calming effect on the bronchial tubes.
-helps digestion and relieves indigestion, gas, dyspepsia, colic, as well as reducing intestinal spasms.
-is used to increase milk flow in breastfeeding mothers.
-also used for menstrual problems.
-(the root) is used for urinary disorders.
-(the leaves and leaf bases) are added to salads.

Aromatherapy and essential oil use:
-when you are feeling timid and in need of courage and strength, fennel essential oil may do the trick.
- detoxifies the body and is useful when suffering from a hangover.
-it act as tonic for the liver, kidneys and spleen, but also helps to reduce cellulite.
-has a cleansing and tonic action on the skin and also helps keep wrinkles at bay.
-it has antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, aperitif, carminative, detoxicant, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, insecticide, laxative, stimulant, stomachic and tonic properties.

Mint Limeade

As hot as it gets in this godforsaken town, you must drink. A lot. And after a while water just doesn't cut it..... sooo to use up some of the mint I started growing and the limes that were going bad I whipped up a batch of this goodness. Enjoy~

Ingredients:
6 cups water, divided
1 3/4 cups sugar (I used agave)
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1 cup fresh lime juice (about 12 limes: before you cut, roll them on the counter top to get more juice out of them)
10 mint sprigs (optional)
10 lime slices (optional)

Preparation:
Combine 2 cups water, sweetener of choice, and chopped mint in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Strain through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids.

Combine the remaining 4 cups water, and lime juice in a large pitcher, stirring well. Serve over ice; garnish with mint sprigs and lime slices, if desired (or trying to show off ;)

Avocado Shake (say what?)

I swear it's good! It's thought of as a fruit throughout most of Asia and they think we're bizarre for eating it as if it's a vegetable ;) So if you want to know how to get avocados into your baby (or yourself & you're tired of guacomole) try this little concoction. You'll probably want to thin it out a little if serving to a toddler, by adding more rice or soy milk (unless of course you're going the ice cream route). The hubby got the recipe out of the owner from THE BEST veggie asian restaurant we used to go to in L.A. (now closed :(

Pretta, pretta good if I say so myself.




Avocado Shake

16 oz Rice or soy milk (and I haven't tried yet but I bet almond milk would be just as good)
1 avocado
2 scoops (or to taste) of Soy dream vanilla
brown sugar or agave (to taste)

~Vegan Fig Spice Cake~

One of the first things I learned when I decided to give up all animal products was how loaded figs were in calcium, so I added a good amount of these freaky looking little fruits to my diet (esp. when pregnant). You can soak them and put in smoothies (really good), make jam, even put on salads. So like kale, I kinda fell in love with figs (don't get me started on dates!). This really is more like a bread but I guess if you put the sugar on top (I didn't) it would be more like the cake it's supposed to be. Enjoy~




Fig Spice Cake


Remove stems from figs, cut up, and soak for 1 hour:
1 cup cut-up figs
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9" x 9" pan.

Measure into bowl:
1/4 cup canola (or vegetable) oil
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup water from soaking figs

Add to the wet ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Finally, add the remaining water and (soaking) figs and stir.

Pour into the pan and bake 45-50 minutes, until cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool. Cut into nine squares. Dust with at sprinkle of confectioners sugar if desired.

Empathy is What Really Sets Vegetarians Apart (at least Neurologically Speaking)

May 31, 2010, Diet

Evolved Primate
Identity, decision making and human behavior from an integrated social science perspective.
by Daniel R. Hawes




Empathy is What Really Sets Vegetarians Apart (at least Neurologically Speaking)

An article appeared in PLoS one this May which describes brain differences between Vegetarians, Vegans and Omnivores in the way they process pictures of animal suffering.

I wasn't going to write about this until later this week, but since the always popular Scientific Fundamentalist has a related post out at the moment, I figure I should "jump on the bandwagon" with this right away. So here we go:

The study in question is a neuroimaging study intent on investigating whether

"the neural representation of conditions of abuse and suffering might be different among subjects who made different feeding choice due to ethical reasons, and thus result in the engagement of different components of the brain networks associated with empathy and social cognition"

The hypothesis behind this study is based on the observation that Vegetarians and Vegans tend to base their decision to avoid animal products on ethical grounds. Assuming that Vegetarians and Vegans - because of their underlying moral philosophies - show greater empathy towards animal suffering, it is very well possible that these differences in empathy extend beyond the animal domain and show up as general differences in the degree of empathy felt towards other humans also; even at a neurological level.
The study - in basic terms - investigates this hypothesis by placing subjects into a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) machine and looking at the "activation" of different brain areas as subjects view a randomized series of pictures. The pictures used for this study included neutral scenes and an even share of scenes depicting various kinds of animal and human suffering.



The first main finding of this study is that, compared to Omnivores, Vegans and Vegetarians show higher activation of empathy related brain areas (e.g. Anterior Cingular Cortex and left Inferior Frontal Gyrus) when observing scenes of suffering; whether it be animal or human suffering.

Further, pictures of animal suffering (in contrast to pictures human suffering) recruited specific brain regions in Vegans and Vegetarians that were not differentially recruited by Omnivores. These were areas which are thought to be associated with higher-order representations of the self and self values (e.g. medial Prefrontal Cortex).

In addition to generally higher activations in the above mentioned areas, a second main finding of this study is that there are certain brain areas which only Vegetarians and Vegans seem to activate when processing pictures of suffering. In particular, when viewing pictures of human suffering, Vegetarians in this study recruited additional brain areas thought to be associated with bodily representations that distinguish self from others. (Notably these areas were particularly active when mutilations were shown).
The study has - of course - its own shortcomings, and I am somewhat breaking one of my own rules here by presenting fMRI related research without a thorough discussion of the statistics involved, however I feel vindicated by the fact that the authors themselves remain moderate in their conclusions by stating that

"Our results converge with theories that consider empathy as accommodating a shared representation of emotions and sensations between individuals, allowing us to understand others. They also led us to speculate that the neuronal bases of empathy involve several distinct components including mirroring mechanisms, as well as emotion contagion and representations of connectedness with the self. In addition, brain areas similar to those showing different emotional responses between groups in our study have also been found to be modulated by religiosity, further supporting a key role of affect and empathy in moral reasoning and social values."




All things considered, the study suggests that Vegetarians are more empathetic to the suffering of others, but as I contemplate the well-documented health benefits of a Vegetarian diet, as well as the environmental and social hazards of current meat eating habits and production practices, I think it is obvious that reducing your meat consumption will first and foremost be an act of compassion towards yourself.

Brian Skerry reveals ocean's glory -- and horror

This is such great information! Fish was by far the hardest animal product for me to stop eating (I grew up in So. Cal!) but a friends eel story a few years ago, plus similar info that he provides here, stopped me from consuming those sweet water creatures for good. I'm so glad I did!

Feeding the french~

We're having a french couple over for dinner tonight we've made friends with and we've been cookin away in the kitchen to prepare. Of course we're going all out (you better for the french!) we're following the "Spring dinner" from Tal Ronnen's book. So complicated but we can handle it ( I think).

The menu:

~Cream of Asparagus Soup
~Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Pan Roasted Summer Vegetables
~Tropical Tapioca Pudding

We've made the soup and tapioca pudding already. I've sampled both and they're delich. I especially love the pudding.




Tropical Tapioca Pudding

2 (13 ½-ounce) cans coconut milk (not light)
½ cup small pearl tapioca (not instant)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup granulated organic sugar or ¼ cup light agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Tropical Fruit (choose one or combine) *****We chose strawberries and bananas b/c that's what we had. Goooood.
2 large ripe bananas, diced
1 ripe mango, diced
1 to ½ cups drained canned crushed pineapple or pineapple chunks
1 to ½ cups pomegranate seeds
1 large persimmon, diced
3 or 4 kiwis, peeled and diced or sliced

1. Combine the coconut milk (be sure to scrape the thick cream from the cans), 1 full can of water, the tapioca, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
2. Stir in the sugar, then reduce the heat to medium-low and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pudding has thickened and the tapioca pearls are completely translucent, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste. Gently fold in the fruit and let cool for 15 minutes. Spoon into serving bowls and serve warm or chill, covered, in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving. Garnish with your favorite fresh fruit.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.
(The Conscious Cook Copyright 2009)
______________________

EaRthDaY.....(is everyday)

Tal Ronnen' book, "The Conscious Cook"

I borrowed Tal Ronnen's book, "The Conscious Cook" (http://www.talronnen.com/cookbook/) from the library and we just tried this recipe the other night and had it again w/ Tofurky sausage last night. We're in love and know the other recipes are going to be to die for! It's better the next day after it's been marinating in the frig. We had it both w/ and w/out the veggie sausages and I prefered it with, (gives more flavor and substance). The banana pepper was no where to be found so yellow pepper was used and it was still delich. Tal's cookbook is so beautiful and the recipes so unbelievable looking that I actually teared up while thumbing through ;) He's nothing short of an artist, creating such beauty and spreading much needed peace to our plates. He's all about gourmet...(my Dad would be proud;) Enjoy~



~MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA WRAP~

2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
½ cup banana peppers, finely chopped (or red, yellow or green pepper; whichever you like best)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp cayenne (or more to taste)
Fresh ground black pepper
1 can chickpeas, with liquid
1 cup water (I actually used a bit less, eye it- as it becomes too watery if you follow the one cup advice).
1 cups white potato, diced
5 whole sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil) coarsley chopped
2 links of Tofurky sausages, or more (we used the Italian style)
whole wheat vegan tortilla's or naan bread (check ingredients for cows milk, some naan has it, some doesn't).

Place a large asute pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bottom with a pinch of salt and heat for 1 minute. Add the oil and heat for 1 minute.
Add the carrot, onion, pepper, and garlic to the pan and saute, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to soften. Add the cumin, red pepper, cayenne and black pepper to taste.
Saute for 1 minute.
Add the chickpeas and their liquid and 1/2- 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add the potato and sun dried tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Serve wrapped in the naan bread or tortillas.

(The Conscious Cook Copyright 2009)

Our Veggie Garden

We planted this beauty about a month ago and it isn't all dead yet (like our last garden) :( so we're doing something right :) Our fam goes through a ton of leafy greens so I'm going to be really curious how these collards do. This is about the only space in our yard (and we have a big one) that gets constant sun.... So far, so good.....


buddha guard


collard greens


basil


arugula





better stay out serpico!


onions


parsley


friend!

~Pecan Crusted Vegan French Toast~

Oh my lord! I made these this weekend and we all loved them! I would've made them like the book ("Skinny Bitch") recommends and chopped the pecans so they would've been nice and chunky, but I babyized the recipe by food processing them into a fine powder so our little one could enjoy (pecans are such good fats and super high in antioxidants). J loved them!! And his dad and I are totally hooked. Next time I'll do 1/2 and 1/2 to see how it turns out. I think the coconut oil for frying is perfect for the lightness and flavor it brings....yummm, so good!



Serves 6

1-1/2 cups soy or rice milk
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons chickpea flour or brown rice flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tablespoons refined coconut oil, or more as needed for cooking
6 to 8 slices vegan whole wheat or whole wheat raisin bread
Maple syrup for topping

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy or rice milk, corn starch and cinnamon. Whisk in the chickpea or brown rice flour. Transfer the mixture to a shallow bowl. Place the pecans in another shallow bowl.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Once slice at a time, dip the bread in the milk mixture, turning to soak both sides. Dip ONE side in the pecans, pressing to coat (I found after I did the first one I had to really sprinkle and press the pecans into the following pieces). Arrange the bread in the skillet (you might have to do more than one batch), pecan side down. Cook 2-3 minutes, until the pecans are well-browned. Carefully turn the bread, and continue cooking until the second side is browned, 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with maple syrup. Enjoy!


toddlers: the toughest food critics

New Friends & New Recipe

J pointed these sweet cows out to me the other day when we were at the store (at first I didn't even know what he was pointing to and freaking out about). He has taken to them quite strongly. He is FASCINATED and loves watching how in love they are (and they are very in love ;)






The black one took a while to warm up to us and was quite protective of his lady who was so curious and gentle.



We came home and got in the pool and later made the best vegan mac and cheese. All the while thinking of our new buddies and how happy we were they aren't in a factory farm right now (these cows might be the RARE FEW who are just a part of someone's family, like dogs :)

Throughout the week J would say, "cows!" very enthusiastically to let me know he remembers.



The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese

Because this isn't packaged (ie: nasty, powdered formula) it obviously takes a little bit longer to prepare, but if you make the entire recipe it lasts for a good 4-5 days (for two adults and a baby anyway). I always want to freeze it but never end up doing so b/c we eat it all. Mac and cheese is always good served w/ leafy greens (see my older post for a good/simple collard green recipe)! Enjoy~




Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of plain soy milk
1 cup of water
1/3 cup of tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp. salt (depending on how salty you like it)
1/4 of a block of firm (not silken) tofu
1 cup of canola or vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs of pasta of your choice preferably macaroni
a relatively large baking pan (like a brownie pan)
1 dollop of mustard (optional)

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil water in a big pot for the pasta.

All of the ingredients sans pasta can easily go in a blender (this is by far the easiest way).

Once pasta is cooked, drain, and pour into the baking pan. Then pour the "cheese" sauce over the pasta.

Bake until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy about 25-30 minutes. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't turn too crispy on the top.

Best lasagna ever!

Vegan Lasagna



Ingredients:

You'll need a food processor for the blending. This lasagna is incredible! J ate a whole big slice one day and was saying, "ummm" the whole time. He's my biggest fan in the kitchen ;) Enjoy!



8-12 lasagna noodles (depending on how many layers you want
1 jar of organic spaghetti sauce
1 tub firm tofu
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic
fresh basil (1 whole container)
1/8 cup of pine nuts (they are expensive, I used cashews and it was great)
olive oil
vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast (I used nutritional yeast and it was deliciously "cheesy"!)
vegan mozzarella (optional)
2 TBL tahini (arrowhead mills works great)
1 Pckg of frozen spinach (or two c. or so of fresh)
2-3 portabellas

Directions:

1. Drain tofu.. get as much water out as you can.
2. Dice 1/2 onion, press garlic cloves, cut mushrooms, and sauté in olive oil until soft.
3. Add tahini and stir.
4. Crumble up tofu and add to mixture.
5. While that's cooking, make the pesto. Put basil, nuts, olive oil, and some vegan “parmesan” OR NUTRITIONAL YEAST) into the food processor, blend until smooth. (btw, this turns out to be an awesome pesto on it's own).
6. Add mixture to tofu.
7. Thaw out the spinach in the microwave, and get as much water out of it as you can.
8. In a 9x13 baking pan, lay four noodles across. Spread 1/2 of tofu/mushroom mixture and 1/2 of spinach in layers. Coat the with generous helping of sauce.
9. Repeat.
10. End with layer of noodles, topped with sauce, shredded "cheese" or, top layer can be sauce and nutritional yeast.
11. Bake for 45 minutes at 400F
12. Let it cool for a while before serving.

sugar-free cookies

the son loooooves these (enthusiastically calls them "cooks") and they're actually healthy. they went fast (the nerdy parents dipped into them as well). next time i'll double these recipes and freeze (they freeze well). the blackstrap ones have a ton of calcium (great for veg kids). the p.b. cookies are made with olive oil and you totally can't tell.




Ginger Biters




Ingredients (use vegan versions):

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon cloves powder
1/4 cup margarine (earth balance is best. i love the sticks for baking!).
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
2 tablespoon maple syrup (optional) * i didn't use but would if they would've been cookies exclusively for adults ;)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix dry and wet ingredients first separately then together to form a nice soft dough. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (I only did for 10, came out fine). After the 20 minutes have elapsed take out of fridge and shape into 2 balls. Place balls on either a surface sprinkled w/ flour and flatten to 1/4 thickness. Use cookie cutter or a knife to create whatever shape you want ( I made little men and hearts with a cutter). Bake for 10-15 minutes. Cool on rack.

Enjoy!
Serves: 12-20






Peanut Butter Cookies



Spelt flour bakes into a slightly darker cookie, whole wheat pastry flour is slightly blonder - more traditional in appearance in the end. I used regular old unbleached all purpose

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup organic natural (nothing added) peanut butter
1 cup maple syrup or agave ( i used agave)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place racks in the top third.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. in a separate larger bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup or agave, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and stir until barely combined - still a bit dusty looking. Let sit for five minutes, give one more quick stir, just a stroke or two. Now drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets. Press down on each one gently with the back of a fork. It's a loose batter, so if you're set on doing criss-crosses, go ahead and chill the batter for an hour or so before this step. Bake for 10, maybe 11 minutes - but don't over bake or they will be dry. Let cool five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Make 2 - 3 dozen cookies.

Breakfast Burrito

the family enjoys this at least once a month on sunday mornings. we got the recipe from whole foods and altered it a bit. i think the spelt tortillas really make this burrito, but you can really use any tortilla that floats your boat. this recipe is really easy! you can also add soy sausage or soyrizo as well which really spices things up.


Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium organic potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp-tbsp crushed garlic
a pinch of dried parsley
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 (12-ounce) block firm tofu, grated
2 tablespoons salsa
2 tablespoons grated "Follow Your Heart" (or Daiya) "cheese"
2 to 3 (9-inch) tortillas (Spelt are really good for these)
1/2 avocado, sliced

Directions:

1. In a pan, heat vegetable oil. Add potatoes and cook until golden brown.

2. In a bowl, mix garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper together.

3. When the potatoes are golden brown, mix in tofu and cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Add salsa and cheese and remove from heat Mix in garlic-parsley mixture.

5. On a plate, lay out tortillas Divide pan ingredients equally between tortillas, top with avocado, and roll tortilla into burrito.

Enjoy~

Makes: makes about 2 to 3 burritos depending on the size of tortilla,

Pecan Crusted Seitan w/ Brown Rice & Red pepper Green Beans

I just made this last night and it was a big hit! Very good. I didn't have some of the ingredients (the pecans are a must though), it still came out great! I served with rice and green beans.

Pecan Crusted Seitan
INGREDIENTS

Marinade:
3/4 C tomato paste (1 small can)
1/4 C umeboshi vinegar (Asian section of most health food stores. I didn't have, so i used regular red vinegar...)
1/4 C dry red wine
1/2 C orange juice
1/4 C shoyu (soy sauce)
1/4 C minced garlic (several garlic cloves)
1/4C chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs minced fresh tarragon or 1 Tbs dried
2 Tbs minced fresh rosemary

The rest:
8-10 pieces of (unflavored) seitan-about a pound (I used 2 packages)
2 C flour (I would use just 1 to 1 1/2 cups--2 is a bit too much)
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 C ground pecans (a must)!
2 Tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4C olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the tomato paste, vinegar, wine, orange juice, shoyu, garlic, parsley, tarragon and rosemary in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the marinade to a shallow dish add the seitan and turn to coat on all sides. Cover the dish and marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours to overnight. When ready to serve, mix together flour, salt, pepper, pecans and rosemary in a shallow bowl. Dredge the marinaded seitan in the flour mixture. Heat the oil (enough for frying) and add the seitan to the pan. Saute until golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Red Pepper Green Beans
Steam green beans then add olive oil, braggs, red pepper, salt and nutritional yesat (all to taste)....

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

I made this the other day. Super easy and ridiculously good. I didn't add vanilla this time, came out the same to me.

Ingredients:
1 package of silken tofu (~12 oz) I usually use firm.
10 oz vegan dark chocolate chips, about one small package. (Many dark chocolate chips are vegan; check the ingredients).
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Blend tofu (preferably at room temperature) in food processor, blender, or with hand mixer until just smooth.
In a double boiler, melt chocolate chips with a Tbsp. (or two) of water over low heat. Stir constantly.
Add maple syrup and vanilla to melted chocolate and combine.
Then mix with tofu in food processor until creamy.
Pour into very small serving dishes or glasses, (OR put into a pie crust-Arrowhead Mills makes a good vegan one) and turn it into a pie) cover and chill in fridge- this stuff is rich!!

Additions: Nice with any fresh fruit. Can also use as a frosting for a cake