Cream Sauce!

I know what you're thinking....vegans can't have cream.  And all of the substitutions are YUCK!  Well, I have created a delicious substitute this afternoon!  I wanted something fun and kinda naughty for the New Year's Eve dinner.  Well this takes the cake....and it's not so naughty!

Cream Sauce

1/2 Cup Vegan Butter ( I use Earth Balance)
1 Small Clove of Garlic
1/4 Cup White Rice Flour
1 1/2 Cup Almond Milk
Salt to taste
Dash or Two of Smoked Paprika

Melt Butter and cook in garlic.  Add the Rice Flour.  Whisk until smooth.  Add Almond milk.  Keep whisking on high heat.  Add Salt and Paprika.  If its too thin, add a little more rice flour at a time until desired thickness.  If it's too thick, add more almond milk.

Pour over veggies, vegetable pasta, or both!

Where have I been?

In a word....sleeping!  It turns out, we discovered that God has blessed us with a pregnancy!  Although, pregnancy at 32 is much different than at 19.  Whew!  I have been exhausted!  Anyways, I'll be back at the blogging soon enough, but for now...I'm going to take advantage of this vacation time to REST!  Pray for me!

The Amazing Avocado!

This chart is basically here in this blog to show you why my guacamole has one ingredient.  Why mess with this beautiful creation?  Find yourself a nice ripe one...or buy some green ones and wait for them to ripen.  It doesn't take long.  You'll want it to be an greenish/brownish/blackish color.  Slice it through the middle..either long or side ways.  I usually stab the giant seed and pull it out.  BE CAREFUL!  Then carefully scrape out everything else...yes, everything.  Especially the bright green colored stuff close to the skin (that has the MOST nutrients)!  Smash it all up until it's creamy and a little chunky...and eat it with crackers or blue corn chips.  Seriously...try it with nothing in it!  Look into all of the health benefits....and trust me, you'll be eating one of these bad boys everyday like my husband and I.

Homemade Crackers

Ok, now I know you are thinking...WHY make crackers when you can just buy them?  But trust me...these crackers + hummus = AWESOMENESS!  So without further ado:

1/2 Cup Rye Flour
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt (I used himilayan sea salt)
1 Tablespoon Raw Honey
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 teaspoons Caraway Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Almond Milk (or any favorite milk)

Mix together dry ingredients, then add the liquids.  Roll into balls.  Flatten on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Poke holes with a fork to make sure they cook evenly and don't get bubbles in them.  Dust with sea salt.  Cook at 400 for about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness.  I like mine thick!  Just pull them out when they start to brown on the outsides.
Enjoy with hummus, guacamole, or plain!

Going Out To Dinner

This is usually (in the past) where I have faltered.  There are simply no foods on the menu that are vegan.  Well, first..it's been a while since I've been out to eat, and second..it pays to look at a restaurants menu BEFORE you even go there with a game plan.  The last thing you want to do is order off the menu without knowing what sort of options you have.  And trust me, people don't like when you get all vegan on the waitress.  That's really one pet peve of mine that I've discovered...it's not like you think you're special or something...we are just concerned with our health.  Not trying to hold up the show here people!
More often than not, you will find vegetable sides...make sure they are steamed and cooked without butter!  And today, we will be going out to a place that primarily serves meat.  In fact, that's their claim to fame...best seafood in the city.  Whatever.  So, I perused the menu to find that there was a portabello burger.  I don't care if they fry that sucker in oil....as long as they can hold the butter.  It comes with onions and peppers on top.  Sounds great to me!  Most restaurants are trying to be more accommodating to the health conscience customer nowadays.  Thankfully, many places have more to offer than a portabello burger, but it'll do in a pinch.  For my side, broccoli!  This is probably a good time to interject that even though potatoes are technically a vegetable....french fries are p r o b a b l y  N O T  the best choice for your veggie. 
One more tip, and then I must get ready for church! 

*MAKE SURE YOU SIT ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE TABLE WHERE YOUR CONVERSATION WITH THE WAITRESS COULD POSSIBLY GO UN-NOTICED!  DO NOT SHOUT FROM THE ROOFTOPS THAT YOU ARE ON A SPECIAL DIET!*

Banana Cake

Ok, I make lots of candy and desserts for people around Christmas time.  It's my favorite time of year!  But how frustrating is it that almost every cake or dessert calls for some sort of milk or egg.  Milk is an easy fix.  There are plenty of options to choose from.  My favorite is almond milk.  Now, granted...I have never just poured a tall glass of almond milk and drank it right up, but I do use it in my cereal and recipes.  For cooking, I use canned coconut milk.  Such a rich and thick milk substitute.  Anyhow, the egg factor is a tough hurdle to jump over.  I'm really not a fan of fake things...I don't do fake meats...and I just feel like there has to be a natural solution to these problems.  Thankfully, with a daughter allergic to milk, I have had plenty of years of research for almost vegan recipes.  I remembered the apple cider vinegar method!  And the Banana Cake was born!  Hallelu! 

Banana Cake

1/2 Cup Almond Milk
2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Wheat Flour
1 Cup Coconut Flour
1 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1 Cup White Flour -> neccessary
*You may use any combination of flours, but I suggest at least using wheat flour (or any one of the thicker flours 3cups to 1cup of white flour...white flour is the most refined and unhealthy but needed in cakes for the most part).
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 HEAPING teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1 Cup Applesauce
1 Cup Agave or Raw Honey
6 Ripe Bananas
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 13 X 9 pan with oil. (I use cocnut oil).  Mix Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cinnamon, and Allspice.  Set aside.

Mix almond milk with vinegar.  Let sit for a few minutes.

Mix Applesauce, agave or honey, and vanilla.  Add bananas (mash them first!)  Then, add milk/vinegar mixture.  Then stir in Flour mixture.

Bake for an hour or until toothpick comes out clean. 

NOW DOESN'T THIS LOOK AMAZING?

IT TASTES AWESOME!

ENJOY!

Isn't it hard to go vegan?

 It can be, especially if you hold yourself to too high a standard at first. The important thing is to make changes you feel comfortable with, at your own pace. While reducing your consumption of animal products completely may be ideal, any reduction is a step in the right direction. Here's what Matt Ball, a long-time vegan advocate has written:

"The vegan lifestyle is an ongoing progression. Everyone should go at their own pace and remember that all steps towards veganism are positive. It is most important to focus on avoiding the products for which animals are bred and slaughtered. Animal by-products will exist as long as there is a demand for primary meat and dairy products. When it comes to avoiding items that contain small amounts of byproducts, vegans must decide for themselves where to draw the line. Some vegans will adjust their level of abstinence according to the circumstances. For example, as a consumer, you might make sure the bread you buy is not made with whey; but as a dinner guest, you may accept bread without asking to see the ingredients. These types of compromises can actually hasten the spread of veganism, in that they help counter the attitude that it's very hard to be vegan."

Must Haves in the Kitchen

I quickly discovered that vegetables can be a little redundant.  To add flavor, or should I say to bring out foods natural flavor....you will need to keep some things around the kitchen.  For starters, OILS are a great way to enhance the flavors in yourt food.  Some of my favorites are coconut oil, sesame oil, grapeseed oil, and olive oil.  You can, of course use any of your favorites. 

Another awesome AND natural way to spice up your dishes is....well, SPICES.  I love expirimenting with spices.  If you feel like getting frisky, try mixing spices!  You never know what you'll come up with.  Some of my favorite dishes are invented completely by surprize!
As I stated previously...I LOVED cheese!  So, I am not a fan of "vegan cheese".  And you will also notice that there is still a small amount of dairy in them.  So, for me -> No Thank you very much.  I do, however use nutritional yeast as a substitute in a few recipes.  Now, it's not a cure all...trust me, but it does satisfy your cheese needs for casseroles and kale chips. (Which I willl be sharing recipes for soon).
Another must have...and this will be my last for this post....is dry legumes and whole grains.  I'll get into all of that another time, but for now just know that you need to have options on hand to work with so you don't give in to eating a junky meal.  I like to keep quick cooking ones like lentils, and ones that take the overnight soak method and then a full day of crock potting.  (I keep mine in mason jars.)  But most importantly, WHOLE GRAINS are your second best friend.  Your first of course being vegetables and fruit.

A N Y W A Y S . . . . . stock up your cupboards and meet me back here tomorrow!

Helpful Hints I've picked up...

For my first post, I would just like to say first and foremost that this journey would be IMPOSSIBLE for ME  if it weren't for the help of the Lord.  Notice I said ME.  Many people have plenty of will power to muster up...me, not so much.  I've never been very disciplined with food.  And I never had to be until this past year.  I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and never had any issues with my weight or health.  I recently had many health issues come up where the common solution to each on was a change in my diet.  Now, I completely understand that NOT everyone needs to become a vegan.  I understand that not everyone chooses to eat organic.  But this is, like I said, MY expirience.  All that being said, I hope you enjoy reading this blog, and I pray that you can glean something good from it to help you in your life.  

Now that all of that is out of the way...I would like to share a tid bit that I've learned.  That would be the fact that this is not a diet, but a lifestyle change.  It takes a total commitment.  No cheating...no matter who's looking, and by all means, if cheating occurs, get back on the wagon!  Fast!  I think when it's "time" to make this change, you will be totally commited.  I think a lot of people try this as a fad diet and get sick of it...ummm, people like me AT FIRST!  I was in LOVE with cheese.  I felt pretty sorry for myself that I couldn't have any.  But as the hormones used to keep the cow lactating stayed in my system, the sicker I got.  Now, I am absolutely disgusted by dairy products!  They make me sick.  Literally.  So, jump in with both feet.  Don't be scared.  Look at all of the wonderful veggies you CAN have!  Enjoy!