Totally Stuffed Mushrooms!

Last night I made these Totally Stuffed Mushrooms, they were pretty darn good! I think when it comes to vegan foods, stuffed seems to be my favorite way to go. Because you're loading whatever it is with all different ingredients and tons of flavors, they are so good for you (if you make them right) since the nutrients from every ingredient is included! Love it! The mushrooms are full of nutrients such as copper, folate, niacin, and as much potassium as a banana. They are packed with calcium and have very little sodium and no cholesterol. The onion has 14.9g of GOOD carbs, 2.7g of fiber, and like the mushroom they are a great source of calcium and potassium oh and phosphorus. Don't even get me started on how much good stuff is in the rest of the ingredients, I'll just get to the actual recipe!

Ingredients:

• 12 large mushrooms.


• 1 small yellow onion.


• 3 cloves of garlic, minced.


• 1 tbsp thyme.


• 2 tbsp red of white wine.


• 3 tbsp water.


• 1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped.


• 1/4 cup almonds, toasted and ground.


• salt and pepper to taste.
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


2. Wash the mushrooms. Pull the stems off the mushrooms, chop them, and set them aside.


3. Ina large pan, saute the chopped onions in olive oil until translucent, then add the garlic, chopped mushroom stems, and thyme.


4. Once the stems are soft, deglaze the pan with wine (red or white, both add very different flavors) and water.


5. Put the mushroom tops in pan, top down, and spoon a bit of the juice over them. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
   
6. While they are simmering, grind the toasted almonds. Mix the ground almonds with pepper (to taste).
   
7. Take the mushroom tops out of the pan, and add the spinach to the pan along with salt (to taste), allow the spinach to wilt.

8. Take the pan off the heat, and stir in the almond mixture.

9.Fill the mushroom caps with the filling, then put in a single layer on a baking dish and bake for 15- 20 minutes. The mushrooms should start to turn golden and the stuffing will brown.

10.Enjoy!

I had to replace the mushroom caps with baby bell mushrooms, because I simply did not have the mushroom caps. (It tasted just as great). Also, sorry I forgot to take a photo of the finishing product, but I do have photos of the process.

Tea Time Is The Best Time.

I find tea to be so wonderful, it really ties together the great flavors of the earth. It does amazing things for your body, along with tasting great and being a fabulous relaxer. Tea can boost your metabolic rate, increases your mental alertness, boosts your immune system, lowers stress hormones (which is why it's so great for when you want to relax!), can reduce your risk of stroke and cancer, and helps you loose or maintain your body weight! Tea is amazing and I suggest everyone to try it at some point; there are so many different flavors, I'm sure you'll find one that you love or at least like!

Oh, I almost forgot! Happy Valentine's Day!

The "Beefy" Pot Pie!

A few days ago, I was feeling pretty creative and decided that I wanted to combine a ton of different veggies and spices. Originally I planned on making a version of this vegan pot pie that I had at a nice restaurant this past January, however, if you know me you know that my plans, never really go as planned. It turned into this citrus fusion of a pot pie! Believe it or not, the flavors blended well together, I was happily surprised to say the least!

Alright, I know that's probably enough from me, so here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

-1/2 large red onion chopped.

-1 large golden potato (sweet potatoes are even better!).

-1 1/2 cups green peas.

-1 1/2 cups baby (or matchstick) carrots.

-1/2 cup seeded tomato.

-1 tbsp parsley.

-1 tsp chili powder.

-1 tsp red pepper.

-1 tsp onion powder.

-1 tsp rosemary.

-Splash of apple cider vinegar.

-Orange zest.

-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.

Prep:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


2. Slice the potato into 1 inch sized chunks.


3. Place the potatoes in a medium sized sauce pan (with enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan).


4. Chop the red onion into bite size pieces.


5. Chop the carrots (if using baby carrots) into bite size pieces.


6. Add the carrots (if matchstick carrots are used, skip this step) to the sauce pan with the potatoes.


7. Let the potatoes and carrots simmer for about 10 - 15 on medium heat, covered.


8. Combine all the ingredients (except the potatoes and the carrots) in a large mixing bowl.


9. Once potatoes and carrots are ready, combine all ingredients in sauce pan.


10. Move the ingredients into a baking pan (a little more extra virgin olive oil can be added to the mixture if you feel it is necessary).


11. Place pan on middle rack in oven.


12. Cook for 25 minutes.


13. Once done, let stand for 5 minutes.


14. Enjoy!

My Favorite Restaurant!

So sorry I have not posted anything in a while, it has been a very busy time for all of us! However, I wanted to share an exciting experience I have recently had, with you. Last Thursday evening, My friend 'M' and I went out to dinner at this quaint restaurant called The Wholesome Cafe. This restaurant/ book store is my new favorite place to eat (not only because they cater to everyone, including vegans and vegetarians), the food and beverages were impressive. Not only was the food great, but the people were so nice and welcoming! I have always imagined myself creating culinary masterpieces at a place like this one, and after having a brief conversation with the owner, my dream doesn't see too far off. She said that the idea of an internship is definitely possible. I am super excited and I hope that this internship will happen, If it does, I would be the happiest girl on Earth!

Say Cheese? How About No, Please!

I think the hardest part about being a vegan is not the lack of meat or even the lack of butter, but the lack of dairy! If I'm in the grocery store, looking at the ingredients of an item, if I cannot eat it, it is usually because there is some sort of dairy product involved. This could potentially be the most aggravating thing when it comes to finding products you can trust to be truly vegan! But don't worry, I have been doing a ton of research on this and I have found some awesome products, that I happen to love and I think you will too! Also, I made these cool Pizza bagels today, they were super good and one pizza bagel is only about 75 calories or so, not bad for pizza, right?!
As the pizza bagels go, why can't we splurge a little? I mean, non-vegans probably do more often, I think we have the right to as well! Bellow is the list of ingredients I used and the directions.

1 bagel thin, sliced in half (so you get two pizzas).
2 tablespoons of marinara sauce (1 tablespoon per slice).
1 tablespoon or less of finely chopped onion.
1 tablespoon or less of finely chopped mushrooms.
2 tablespoons of fresh basil, sliced.
1 slice of Tofutti mozzarella soy cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice the bagel in half and place on a cookie sheet.
Add 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce to each slice, spread evenly.
Add 1 tablespoon of fresh sliced basil on top of the marinara sauce.
Cut the Tofutti mozzarella soy cheese in pieces and place on top of each bagel slice. (optional).
Top with the chopped onions and mushrooms (all ingredients are optional of course, if you do not like one, swap it for another, or just get rid of it all together!).
Place cookie sheet on middle rack of oven.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes. The cheese should look soft, but not melted (soy cheese very rarely melts, because of the lack of dairy).

And now back to my favorite non-dairy products!
The brand Tofutti is one that you may see me refer to a bundle! That's because I love it so much, they make so many great dairy-free products! Like multiple types of cheeses (as used above), some pretty fabulous ice cream, chocolate, vanilla, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry cheesecake! They make Tofutti Cuties which are the equivalent to ice cream bars. Better Than Cream Cheese, which if you couldn't tell is the vegan version of cream cheese. Sour Supreme, their version of dairy-free sour cream! Pizza! So many more frozen food items! And can you believe it, chocolate fudge treats! The list goes on and on, It's like heaven for a vegan!
Amy's Products are probably one of my favorite companies ever, think about anything you could eat (non-vegan) and they make it, vegan! It's super awesome! They make more prepared foods than foods you would put together, such as the pizza I created above. Speaking of which, my personal favorites by Amy's has to be the Roasted Vegetable Pizza, and the Light in Sodium- Lentil Vegetable Soup (it may be low in sodium, but its high in flavor!). Try her products, I recommend them!
Another option is to buy your foods online and have them shipped, check out the Vegan Essentials website, this is exactly what it's for! Also, they have more than just food items! Everything on the website is vegan, including supplements, which can be extremely hard to find, due to the animal and fish oils used to make some supplements.

Hope my suggestions are useful! Also hope you like the pizza!

It's a Blustery Day In the Hundred Acre Woods!

Since it has been super chilly out the past few days, I felt that a nice hot meal would serve well for the first ever recipe of the week!
Pot-Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cumin!

List of ingredients:
1 large eggplant.
4 cloves garlic, minced.
Kosher salt.
1 cup drained, canned diced tomatoes.
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
3 tablespoons chopped parsley.
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves.
2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika.
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin.
A pinch of cayenne pepper.
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice .
Freshly ground black pepper.

Directions:
1. Heat a large cast-iron pan. Then, using a fork, prick the eggplant in a few places. Add the eggplant to the pan, cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning over once, until charred on the outside and soft on the inside. This should take about 40 minutes.
2. Transfer the eggplant to a colander set in the sink. Using a sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit in the eggplant; let it drain for 10 minutes. Scrape the flesh into a bowl, discarding the skin and any hard seeds; mash to a puree and transfer to a large skillet.
3. Using the side of a large knife, mash the garlic to a coarse paste with 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the paste to the skillet along with the tomatoes, olive oil, parsley, cilantro, paprika, cumin and cayenne. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

I also suggest eating it with some pita bread, the two compliment one another very well!
Now, eat it all up! Hope you enjoy it!

How will you ever get enough protein without eating meat?!

This is one aspect of living a vegan life style that has always pushed my buttons; when people say that without meat, you could never have enough protein! I've heard this over and over again, finally I have had enough. You do NOT, I repeat, do NOT need meat to have enough protein in your diet! In fact, most people in the United States who eat a "traditional American diet" consume way too MUCH protein; let me share with you why I disagree with all the new "protein" fad diets...

Believe it or not, the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein is a little less than 1/2 gram per pound you weigh. However, most Americans consume four to eight times their daily requirement! So a 140 pound person should consume a little less then 70 grams per day. Where most Americans eat 280 to 560 grams per day! Think about that!

The average non-vegan consumes 15-20% of their caloric intake from protein alone. A vegan averages about 10-12% of their caloric intake from protein.

Diets such as the Atkins, South Beach, Zone, and other low-carb diets requires you to eat absurd amounts of protien and wipe out carbohydrates all together. Let me give you a perfect example of why these diets do terrible things. Take Dr.Atkins, he followed his own diet for 39 years up till his death in 2003, he died at age 72. At the time of his death, Dr.Atkins stood at 6' tall and weighed 258 pouds, which is considered obese by any standard. I kid you not, this just makes me mad! (If you would like to know why these low-carb diets work for a very short period of time, leave me a comment asking why and I'll be sure to let you in on the secret!).

Too much protein is a terrible thing. By consuming too much protein, your absorption of calcium goes wacko, which increases your risk of kidney disease and osteoporosis! Crazy, right? Who would have thought that too much protein (along with too much calcium) could be a bad thing?! Along with this, too much protein can cause heart disease and various forms of cancer.

"But without meat you won't have enough protein!" WRONG.

Here is a list of plenty of other sources of protein that are vegan friendly:
-black beans (15g) -chickpeas (14.5g) -lentils (18g) -navy beans (16g) -fresh peas (9g) -soybeans (28.5g!) -split peas (16.5g) -two slices of whole grain bread (4 to 8g) -1 cup cooked grains (4 to 8g) -2 ounces cooked pasta (10g) -3 to 4 cups raw spinach, kale or lettuce, or 1 cup cooked collards, cabbage, or spinach (3 to 4g) -84g of firm tofu (6g).

Believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg!

See what I mean? Who says you need meat, I certainly don't. I dare you to try some of these options in replace of meat products! They have great flavors, and are awesome to cook with! Really, try it!