Eggplant rolls with Tapenade

It has often been said that a meal without an eggplant is like a chainsaw without a rainbow, and I couldn't agree more. Eggplant is not for everyone, and it seems to fall into the category of foods that people either love or hate. If you love it, you know there's a lot to love, if you hate it, who asked you anyway?

Eggplant was invented by Lord Alfred Eggplant in 2003, and was, like all fashionable vegetables, only available to those with an Overblown sense of entitlement. . In this enlightened modern age, however, we have transcended such oppression, and eggplant is freely available to the masses.

Traditionally, my favorite thing to do with eggplant was bread it, fry it, smother it with ricotta cheese, homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella. Often I find myself involved in verbose detail describing what turn out to be very simple recipes on this blog. Rest assured this is exactly the opposite. Making eggplant Parmesan is a full day process, if not a two day process. That is why when I would make it, I would make enough to share with everyone I know, and set aside about a weeks worth of meals for myself.

To those of you gasping for air at the mention of real cheese, this entry is not, I repeat NOT, about Eggplant Parmesan. I was just going off on a tangent, as I tend to do, it's part of my charm. Deal with it. Although, speaking of tangents, I did buy a very tasty vegan mozzarella cheese at Whole Foods last week, just to try. It wasn't quite the real thing, but it was a totally satisfactory facsimile. It even melts. Who knew?

Some of you have probably guessed at what I want to talk about today is "Eggplant Rolls with Tapenade," and if you we're one of those people, good eye! The long introduction will be more than made of for by the brevity of the actual details. Ready?

Biz:
3 largish eggplants
Olive oil for brushing

For the tapenade:
8 oz green olives (I used green olives, you could use kalamata olives instead, honestly, the only thing I would seriously avoid would be black olives from a can.)
3 tbsp of capers, drained
2-3 cloves of garlic
A few pigs of fresh parsley, stems removed (in truth, parsley stems are not really very woody or substantial, and I don't see why you wouldn't just throw them in as well. In fact, that's exactly what I did. One of the big joys in life comes from the having the confidence to say "balls!" to the little things that don't make sense to you. I you're right, it can be strangely validating, and if you're wrong, eh, you learned the hard way, but the worst of it was a crunchy stem in the tapenade. I do not suggest taking this approach to the operation of heavy machinery, blowtorches, motor vehicles, karaoke, congressional appointment, gymnastics, or online shopping. However, indirect observation seems to indicate its a perfectly acceptable way to parent a child.)
3 tbsp olive oil
Lemon juice to taste
A splash of tabasco if you're feeling frisky

Cut the ends off the eggplant and slice it longways into 1/4" slices. If you have a kickass mandolin, that might work. If you have a mediocre one, such as I do, you will just end up with a mangled eggplant and you're better off with a steady hand and a sharp knife. If you don't have any of the above, simply ask one of your servants to do it for you and I'm sure they'll oblige. No servants? I'm out of ideas.

Brush the slices on both sides with olive oil, lightly, or else the result will be quite oily. Broil them for a few minutes on aside. The recipe, which incidentally came from Elliot's New Complete Vegetarian, suggests five minutes on a side. I am here to tell you that my broiler disagrees, and they were quite ready to be flipped around 2-3 minutes. Leave them in to long and they become too soft to work with.

To make the tapenade, get out your food processor, and either blend the olives capers and garlic, then add the rest and blend some more, or just throw caution irreverently to the wind and dump it all in there at the outset! I'm a bit of a trivial daredevil, you see.

Spread the tapenade thinly on the eggplant slices, roll them up and they're good to go. I actually made these to share with my friends at Bodymind Thai Massage, as a well-deserved snack after an afternoon of fundraising for the Polaris Project.. I can tell you this transports quite nicely in the car as well!







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Location:Madison, CT

Celery-cashew Ragout!

Hello world! It's a beautiful day in New England, and my herb garden is surely soaking up the sun. I've taken to spending some time with my herbs and a cup of coffee each morning, and even lighting a stick of incense or two out on the deck. I'm sure my herbs like to smell nice as much as I do. I've come to look forward to these peaceful moments as some of the loveliest of each day, the act of cultivating these young seedlings into more full fledged plants has been an exercise in the appreciation of patience.

As many of you are well aware, Mother's Day was this past Sunday, a day for the purchasing of greeting cards, chocolates, a day for Brunching, a day essentially created for the financial gain of a privileged few who tirelessly peddle this stuff to us throughout the year. But more importantly, a reminder to let our loved ones know we care about them one day a year, so we don't have to be bothered with it when it's really important. Let it be said, I am not big on "Hallmark Holidays.". That said, I did make a lovely dinner for those adventurous enough to try it. Celery-cashew ragout, served over polenta squares (which I made using the same recipe as last weeks "polenta pizzas.")

This one was made with relative ease, which is especially nice as my corner of the world warms, and I become less and less inclined to stand over a hot oven. A little bit is also quite filling, another p,us for those of us who have portion control issues, though it is of little comfort to those who just have control issues in general. Sorry guys, you know who you are.

The recipe comes from Rose Elliot's epic tome, New Complete Vegetarian, which is just insanely crammed with delicious deliciousness. It's scope is frankly broad enough to compare to Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," but I must caution the hardcore vegans out there, it is by no means a vegan cookbook. Recipes frequently include the use of dairy products and eggs. This isn't a discouragement against picking up a copy, just a forewarning that you may need to do some creative editing and/or modifications to suit the gravity of your personal orbit.

Here's the biz:

1 onion, chopped insidiously
1 bay leaf
1/2 stick butter (I use a vegan equivalent, but do not judge.)
1 head of celery, chopped and boiled until tender
1 tbsp flour
24 oz tomato purée (I am going to digress here, as often I do, to mention that one thing. Elliot frequently switches from measurements of volume to measurements of weight. I don't keep a scale in my kitchen, so I end up guessing when she suddenly switches from cups to ounces, for example.)
Juice and rind of 1 1/2 lemons
6 oz cashew nuts, grated
1 tbsp parsley
1 pinch of nutmeg
Salt and pepper

Elliot suggests hot toast or crostini, I chose to make polenta squares and make this more of a meal.

Sauté the onion with bay leaf, in the butter,or "butter" with the lid on, until translucent. Elliot frequently makes a point of emphasizing the words "tender but not browned." Do with that information what you will, but know that in my mind, there is no real limit to which one may subdue an onion.

Drain your celery, which, if you were smart,you chopped before you boiled and add it to the mix. Add your flour and tomato purée, let thicken, and add the remaining ingredients. I would give them a little happy hour to mingle and get to know one another before introducing them to the polenta and/or your dinner guests. Not an actual hour, but another 5 minutes or so.

This was delicious spooned over the polenta with a parsley garnish and some lime wedges for a little splash of springy color. :-)



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Location:Madison, Ct

Mediterranean Lima Beans!

Hello! I know its been almost a week since I updated the blog, my apologies, life, as you know, has a way of intervening occasionally. If you follow @orbitingvegan on twitter, or you "like" Orbiting Vegan on Facebook, I have been posting a snippet or a picture here and there. Hopefully if you aren't already doing so, you will think about it, I tend to share links and articles via tweet or status update that don't generally make it onto the blog, so there are some great resources coming your way if you start following my tweets and Facebook posts.

Of course, since I've been out of the blogosphere for a few days, I have a backlog of things to share, but I want to begin with the Mediterranean Lima Beans, as promised, that I served with the tomato caper couscous last week. So let's just jump straight in shall we?

This tasty gem comes to us from where else, but the Veganomicon. I'm sure you've noticed I turn to the same cookbooks time and time again, and hope you're encouraged to invest in one or two of them. They really are tremendous resources, and generally sit magnificently on any adequate counter or shelf space designated for cookbooks.

Here's the biz:
1 pound dried Lima beans, soaked 8 hours (I couldn't for the life of me find dried Lima beans anywhere, not even at the great and powerful Whole Foods. As a result, I used frozen beans, so there was no need to rehydrate them.)
2 quarts organic, filtered, organic cooking water :-)
2 bay leaves

Sauce biz:
1 veggie bouillon cube
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, thoroughly smashed to little bits
1 medium yellow onion, chopped without pleasantries
1 small carrot, shredded
28 oz diced tomatoes
2 tbsp wine vinegar
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley
3 tbsp fresh mint

Bring the Lima beans to a boil with the bay leaves, in the organic, filtered, rag nic cooking water (preferably fat-free extra virgin organic cooking water, but let's not be picky). Then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, during which time you can prepare the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375. Be certain that you have the oven switched to "vegan" mode, you might have to consult the instructions on how to do this, or ask your Clome. If you don't have a Clome... [see picture below]



Use a large Dutch Oven to prepare the sauce, this way you can simply add the drained beans and bake them all in one fell swoop. Over medium heat, cook the garlic in the olive oil until it begins to sizzle, add onions, and cook until they are tender and translucent. Then add the carrot.

A note about the bouillon, the book says to fully cook your Lima beans, then at the end make the bouillon using a cup of reserved liquid from the boiling water. This will really prolong the process, and truthfully, I consider myself very lucky to have the time to come home and prepare a nice meal everyday, but I realize it's a privilege, and many of us simply don't have that kind of time. If this is you, just spoon out a cup of water and dissolve the bouillon in it when the time comes. As long as your oven is in vegan mode, it won't make a difference.

So at this point add the bouillon, tomatoes, vinegar, syrup, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste. Bring it to a boil, then simmer 10-12 minutes.

Add the beans, parsley, and mint, cover, and pop that sucker in the oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. As soon as its cool enough to eat, have at it.




For those of you who may feel strongly that you don't care for Lima beans, I especially urge you to give this a go. Or possibly a-go-go. The flavor of the beans is very subtle compared to the other favors in the dish, but their creamy texture is a big part of what makes this meal so delicious!






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Location:Lima Bean City, Arkansas

Duck-duck cous-cous!!

Spoiler Alert: There is no duck in this couscous. I know this is "orbiting" vegan, and I even bought some real, aged Gouda cheese at whole foods this week, to sprinkle of a dish I'll be making later in the week, but rest assured, you are not likely to see duck on this blog anytime soon, unless it's for clever rhyming purposes.

I love tomatoes, in essentially all their forms. Sauce, purée, paste, raw, broiled, grilled, sun-dried, juiced, blended, heated up, cooled down,gazpacho'd, you name it. Some might argue that my indiscriminate love of the tomato makes me a bit of a whore, but I prefer to think of myself as a connoisseur who just happens to like everything that a tomato touches.

Tomatoes are, after all, half of life. That's right, a full 50%. And as much as I have used this phrase over the years, I must attribute it to my dear friend, Beth Woodall, artistic genius, wife and mother extraordinaire, and fellow tomato-lover. Beth, if you're out there, I miss you and it's been too long by an extreme long shot.

Last night I made two delicious tomato-inspired dishes from the Veganomicon , but for the purpose of simplicity, I'm going to write me in two separate blogs. The Tomato Couscous with capers is a nice starter, and would be lovely hot or cold, and for a main course, a Mediterranean baked Lima bean casserole, rich, creamy, and satisfying.

I know I frequently return to the idea of satisfaction, partially because I think it's important to let people who are on the fence about healthy eating know that eating well does not mean going hungry. A healthy serving of either of these dishes will leave you convinced, promise.

Let's begin with the couscous shall we?
Heres the biz:
One 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (there is some debate over whether or not it's a good idea to use tomatoes from a can, although I am not particularly well-educated on the topic. In any event, if you so choose, you can buy the boxed Pomi brand tomatoes, or cook and dice your own tomatoes, or use fresh. In this case, I think that cooked tomatoes add a richness and full-bodied flavor that would not be present with raw.)
1 1/2 cups of couscous (I found brown rice couscous at Ocean State! Score!)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional, but totally worth it.)
A generous pinch of cayenne ( I chose to define a generous pinch as about an eighth of a teaspoon, present, but not overpowering. Cayenne can be a domineering mistress, or mister, be careful.)
2 tbsp of capers, drained.

Ok, several steps here but it's like a cha-cha, it all happens fast. Strain the liquid from the tomatoes, reserve 1 1/2 cups. If you don't have enough liquid, please consult this useful Instructional Video for alternatives.

Bring the liquid, oregano, and olive oil to a boil. Once boiling, slowly add the couscous while continuously stirring. Its kind of like tapping your head and running your belly at the same time, but, if your the sort of person who's proficient at tasks like walking and chewing gum, or talking on your cell phone while driving, you'll have it down in no time, which is good, because that's about how much time it will take. Stir in the salt, cayenne, and cloves, then, with a subtle flourish, cover the pan, remove it from the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes or so. If you let it sit for 6 minutes, or even 10, rest assured the universe will not collapse. We're all busy people, and given the rapid pace of our modern lives, there's no predicting whether or not we will become preoccupied with other important tasks, such as texting, during those precious five minutes. I cannot vouch for the consequences of fifteen or twenty minutes, please consult your stovetop's instructional manual under the heading "armageddon-inducing culinary catastrophes, frequently asked questions, and warranty information.". If you don't find this section, it is more than likely only included in the Spanish version. I have this information in good confidence from a qualified spaniard.

At this point you may fold in the strained tomatoes and capers, then cover and let sit a few more minutes. Please see previous paragraph for serious warnings concerning couscous neglect, as they are often augmented exponentially by the addition of capers.

Then you can eat it.




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Location:Madison, CT

Polenta Pizza with Kale and Maitake Mushrooms! Go Terry!

I went to Barnes and Noble the other day and picked up Terry Walter's second book, Clean Start, and I just couldn't wait to crack it open! Walters has really become one of my favorite authors, and I just can't wait for her next cookbook to be released. I noticed today a revised edition of "Clean Food" is available for pre-order, which leads me to wonder, like a child staring at clouds in the sky, making shapes out of the cottony folds, what on earth could be in the original that needs improvement? Oh Terry, you saucy vixen, what are you up to?

Perusing "Clean Start" for the first time, I noticed it is also organized by season, which I think is just an incredibly smart way to organize a cookbook. Also, at each page turn, I found myself thinking wanting to put each new recipe on the menu for the upcoming week. Then I would turn the page and rethink that decision.

My first foray into this new time was Polenta Pizza. Walters mentions that many gluten-free folks she knows cite pizza as one of the things they miss the most. I'm not gluten-free folk myself, but I know at least one person regularly checking in here is, and presumably many more of my fellow orbiting vegans as well. Even if you are gluten-friendly, try this one because it's yummtasmic.

Polenta crust:
3 cups veggie stock or broth ( I tend not to keep big cans or containers of veggie stock around for "real estate" reasons, ie I can't spare the space, and instead keep a tiny little box of Rapunzel bouillon cubes handy, so I can make up as many cups as I need in a jiffy.)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano, and parsley
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 cups polenta
Cornmeal to "flour" baking sheet

Bring your broth to a boil, reduce heat to medium and stir in the salt, herbs, and oil. Whisk in your polenta gradually, whisking as you go, and keep on whisking. The continuous whisking gets old after a minute or two, but soldier on, and don't stop until your mixture has the thick consistency of hot cereal, like grits or cream of wheat. At this point, pour, or more likely spoon, the polenta into a tart pan, or a pizza pan with at least a 1/4" to help inch depth, and evenly distribute the polenta, being careful not to leave any holes or thin areas. Walters says you can fill two 11" pans , I was only able to fill one. I do suspect that maybe I let the mixture get a little bit too thick, and perhaps if I'd giving my whisking arm a reprieve a minute or two earlier, I could have spread the batter out to make a thinner crust, and thereby doubled the surface area.

As it was, I certainly didn't mind the thick crust. Put your pan, or pans, into the fridge to cool and firm up, 30 minutes or so. Then overturn the pans(s) onto a baking sheet floured with cornmeal.

As you will see, my crust didn't crumble in the process, however it did stick to the pan a little, and I was left with a few separate pieces, but I did a reasonable job of smoothing it back together. It re-separated in the oven though, so be warned, maintaining the structural integrity of the dough is crucial if you're overly concerned with a "pretty" result. When it comes out pretty, I'm generally stupefied, but as long as it comes out tasty, I'm pleased.

For the topping, I chose to use TW's suggestion of kale and Maitake mushrooms, but really, you could do just about anything you would put on a "conventional" pizza.

To make the Kale topping:
1 leek, sliced
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp Mirin (a sweet rice cooking wine, Whole Foods has gotcha covered.)
2 Maitake mushrooms (they're sizable, and you'll real them up in the process, one 4 oz package will be just a little more than you need.)
1 bunch of chopped kale (save yourself the trouble, and buy a pre-chopped bag, unless for some reason you need the leaves intact.)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4 cup tomato sauce (you could easily purée one tomato, a little olive oil, and perhaps a spice or two in the vitamix to make a small batch, or buy a jar of something, just be wary of too many ingredients on the label.)

To make the topping, your going to sautée your leeks in the oil until they're nice and tender, you'll eventually get a handle on when they're how you like them, then youll add the next few ingredients one by one, giving them a minute or two each to meld, soften, and otherwise commingle with the other swingers at the party. Crumble the mushrooms, with your hands, before you add them to the pan. You can buy an expensive mushroom crumbler at Williams Sonoma, but it won't save you any time, and it's a bitch and a half to clean. Some say two bitches.

Once you add the kale, drizzle another tbsp or so of olive oil and give it an emphatic pinch of salt. That is to say, use very little, but really throw your wrist into it. It's always more fun to put your body into it. I'd give it another few minutes to wilt a bit, then you're ready to put it all together.

First, congratulate yourself on bearing with me thus far, then spread the sauce on the crust, and bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Then smother lovingly--being careful to allow your fledgling pizza some personal liberty, otherwise it will just rebel--with the kale topping, and bake another 15 minutes.

You will love this! Wonderful things happen to kale when you introduce it to a saucepan, and a little threesome with the mushrooms adds a nice savory touch that you'll still respect in the morning.






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Location:Madison, CT

Tempeh Reubens!

In the folly of my youth, I spent large quantities of time hanging out in a 24-hour diner with my friends, smoking cigarettes, drinking cup after cup of coffee, and eating some seriously delicious if not nutrient-bereft foods. Cheese Blintzes were a personal favorite, and coming in just second was a delicious corned beef Reuben sandwich, smothered with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing. All on a clue slices of heavily buttered, pan-fried, Jewish Rye. In retrospect, it sometimes shocks me that I didn't have a coronary at 20, considering the amounts of nicotine, caffeine, sugar, and saturated fats (probably all trans-fats at the time) that I was pumping into my port little body. The real irony is, of course, I was skinny as a rail. Go figure.

Flash forward several years, and I'm sitting here writing a wellness blog, having basically given up on animal, exercising regularly, and diner-free for months if not years. One of the staples on many vegetarian/vegan menus these days is a tempeh Reuben, A slice or two of marinated tempeh (a fermented soy product with a meaty texture) topped with sauerkraut, vegan thousand island dressing, and some rice-based "cheddar cheese."

I consulted a few different recipes on the net, but this was essentially the product of just winging it, as it were. Marinate the tempeh in soy sauce, worcestershire, Bragg's, balsamic vinegar, or any conglomeration of the above to give it a nice flavor. Tempeh, like tofu or quinoa, is going to take on the flavor of what you cook it in. I used some Bragg's and Worcestershire sauce, cut the tempeh into thin slices, and brought it to a simmer for a few minutes in a sauce pan. You could throw in some ground cumin to give the amrinade an especially meaty flavor, but as you know, meatnessosity is not a quality to which i feel other types of foods need to aspire. Then I reserved the marinade, added some oil to the pan, and cooked the slices until they were nice and golden brown on both sides. I did this with a pan full of tempeh and it took forever, next time I'll just brown one or two pieces at a time, in the center of the pan. I also se an electric range, which gas-stovetop people tell me is just inferior in most respects. It is my suspicion that evenly heating the surface area of a saucepan might well be one of the bigger flaws.

The dressing was a quick easy mixture of veganaise, organic ketchup, and about a teaspoon each of capers, dill relish, and something else. Can't remember. Old age.

I then added sliced Jewish rye to the pan, spread dressing on the "top" slices, added the cheese, and some well drained sauerkraut, putting the sliced tempeh on the bottom slices. Give it a few more minutes to toast in the pan, and when the cheese starts to melt, you can put the sandwich together and enjoy.

If you don't want to mess around with tempeh, just toast the bread, and substitute some fresh avocado, and/or some mixed greens with a light vinaigrette. If you don't want to mess around with avocados, (shrugs) I feel sorry for you. And as The Immortal Erykah Badu says, if you don't wanna be down with me, you just don't wanna be down.

It's all about attitude, my little vegan chickens.


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Location:Madison, CT

House calls?

I had a wonderful day with my great friend Jennifer on Sunday, who, like me, has recently decided its time to step up her wellness game, especially in the diet department. What she does have is an apartment in close proximity to Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's. What she also has are two adorable cats, two jobs, and no time. So we decided to start small, and make up a batch of something that could last her through several meals throughout the week. That ended up being pinapple cashew quinoa stir fry from none other than the Veganomicon.

The good news is we made a delicious meal together, Jenn loved it, and some of her coworkers liked it too ( though who can blame them, the stuff is awesome!)

I'm looking forward to out next culinary adventure together!



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Location:Blinnshed Rd,Madison,United States

Yamarama!

Another rainy morning in my part of the world, but after such a dry Winter, we need it for sure. I'm just chomping at the bit waiting to take all my herb seedlings and plant them in the big terra cotta pots on my deck. Soon enough, however, the temperature dropped down to 27.5 the other night (to those of you not accustomed to a Fahrenheit scale, this is about 5 degrees below freezing.) it seems prudent to wait a little longer, in the meantime, I'm hardening them off by putting them outside during the day, and I can tell by the growth I'm seeing that they're happy about it.

I also have a beautiful new jade plant to hang in my bedroom, which, like my avocado sprout, is in need of a name. For some reason I feel inclined to name it Fern. What do you think? So far the only suggestion for the avocado is Demitri, which I rather like. Barring any other suggestions, I think Demitri wins.

Last nights dinner was leftover Asparagus soup from Tuesday, and a brilliant sautéed yams dish with limes and ginger. I realize at this pointi have neglected to post the soup recipe so here come both!

Asparagus Soup (from Terry Walter's Clean Food)

2-3 bunches fresh asparagus
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
3 leeks, white parts, chopped
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 cups "milk" (I used coconut)
1/2 tsp dried dill
Salt'n'Pepa
Fresh Parsley
White Miso

Like most recipes I choose, this was pretty easy, and just takes a little bit of time. Break your asparagus at its natural breaking point. If you're unfamiliar with this concept, it's best to make snide personal criticisms about its physical appearance. Alternatively, if you're asparagus doesn't have particularly low self-esteem, simply take hold of it by both ends and snap, it will break toward the thicker end of the stem. Then chop it into smallish chunks.

Sautée your leeks and garlic in olive oil until tender, in a large pot. Add everything but the last three ingredients, and enough water to cover the asparagus, (maybe an additional cup or two.) Bring it to a boil, and simmer until its soft.

Once the asparagus is nice and soft, turn off the heat, and purée with a handheld blender. When you're ready to serve, add a healthy spoonful of miso, some salt and white pepper, parsley, or any other garnish you wish. We don't add the miso directly to the cooking soup because we want it to retain some of its healthy raw benefit, and I think the flavor is a bit stronger when you do it this way.

Despite the presence of real dairy, this is a very thick and creamy soup, and could very well be a meal served in a nice big soup mug.

In keeping with the idea of warm, inviting comfort foods, the sautéed yams, also from "Clean Food," are filling and sweet, and the juxtaposition of those flavored with the pungent ginger and tangy lime work very well together.

Here's the biz:

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp grated ginger (probably about a 2"x1" piece, grated)
1 red onion (fear not, they are sautéed into submission! Take that, Onion!)
2 large yams, grated (I didn't have particularly large yams, so I used about 5 smaller ones, which produced, roughly speaking, 4-6 cups of grated yam, Walters doesn't really specify a precise amount so I just had to kinda do it to taste. I like yams, so I went probably a little heavier)
3 tbsp lime juice (once again, I easily doubled this, probably the juice of four good sized limes)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Sea salt and pepper

Begin by sautéing ginger and onion in olive oil, until soft. If, like me, raw onion is not your friend, let it go longer so the onions are not only soft and translucent, but beginning to brown and carmelize a bit. Add the yams, lime juice, turn up the heat a bit and sauté until the yams are soft. I added the nutmeg at this point as well, Walters says do it at the end and cook for a few more minutes.

What I liked about this method of preparation is that the yams sweeten a bit, but still retain a nice, raw ish, crunch to them. I you want it even sweeter, I don't see why you couldn't add some agave or honey.

I know there is a real debate out there about whether or not agave is really any better for you than other sweeteners. What I can say is this, you can buy it raw, which I like. It's much sweeter than refined sugar, so despite the high fructose content, a little goes a long way. Lastly, it's lower on the glycemic index than refined sugar or high fructose corn syrup. What this means is it is not going to cause your blood sugar to spike like processed sugar. Indirectly, this translates to feeling "full" for longer, which means you're likely to eat less.

So, until some serious evidence proves otherwise, I will use agave as a sweetener. Despite a higher calorie intake than sugar, it is less processed, less volatile to the system, and packs a sweeter "punch" with less quantity (which also indirectly means less calories.) Ps, did you know refined sugar is not actually vegan? It is refined with bone char, which comes from the ones of cattle.






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Location:Madison, CT

Sprout! Sprout! Let it all out!

Hey folks!

It's a somewhat dreary but not very cold Spring day in Southern Connecticut. Everything is budding and blooming, and the wooded areas are spray-painted with that beautiful, impossible to replicate, bright Spring green that simply makes you happy to be alive.  Soon the leaves will deepen in shade, and be a whole different splendor of lush, summery hues.  But right now, the buds seem suspended in midair, as if floating around and through the trees, and I can't help but soak it in with child-like wonder, if not particularly imaginative language. 

The growing world around me has got me thinking about sprouting.  For those of you, like me, who are beginners on this journey toward good health, sprouting is probably a new concept.  We're all familiar with packaged alfalfa or mung bean sprouts in the produce department;  I love to include these in a salad or perhaps a hummus wrap.  Most of us are probably less used to the concept of doing it ourselves, but I'm given to understand it's not only easy but cost effective.  In fact, sprouted grain, beans, buts and the like can yield up to 30 times the original volume.  It's simply a mattter of soaking, draining, and vigilant rinsing/moistening, and of course time.

I put a sprouted quinoa dish on the menu for last week, and according to Allissa Cohen, they should take about 3 days to sprout, and one cup of grain should yield about 3 cups of sprouts.  It's over a week now, and I'm only just seeing little tails growing out of my quinoa.  Grumble, grumble, grumble. 
Perhaps it's the cooler ambient spring tempuratures..perhaps its the humidity, perhaps its the quinoa rebellion, but they're taking a long time and certainly havent tripled in volume.  I'm wondering whether or not hanging them on the dry side of the shower curtain might help, since at the very least it gets warm and steamy in there on a daily basis.  Any expert sprouters out there with advice, I'm more than open.

So there's a learning curve, and probably it has a lot more to do with patience than I would like to acknowledge.  But, I am committed to not simply writing about my successes on this blog, since I believe that doing so would be ultimately discouraging to people in the real world, trying as I am to take their wellness to a higher level.  My mother remarked the other day, upon tasting a new dish that I found especially delicious, that I "love everything" I prepare.  This of course prompted me to share the disaster that was "Zippy Tomato Soup" or as it should be known "Onion-Tomato Death Gargle."  The point is, it doesn't all come easy,  but it's worth sticking to it, and the exploration, successful or not, can be full of all manner of insight. 

I am including a couple of links to sprouting resources, since at this point, you're better served with the wisdom of others on this matter. I do know that in terms of the health benefits, aside from being tasty, beginning the germination process takes nuts, seeds, and grains to a higher level of nutrition and ease of digestion by neutralizing the enymes inhibitors that exist in dormancy.

Primal Seeds

Sprouting Chart

Health Benefits of Sprouting

A challenge to Orbiting Vegan Readers...

A week or two ago I received a phone call from a dear friend, wanting some pointers on picking out a good juicer for her home. She's a very busy woman, working two jobs, and hasn't got copious amounts of free time. Nevertheless, she is determined to make some positive changes not only in her diet but her life, which I just think is fabulous.

So, two things happened. I told her to buy a Vitamix and start drinking smoothies, because, let's face it, there is no such thing as easy, quick, or low maintenance juicing. The man or woman who invents such a contraption will surely be a billionaire, and perhaps even have lawn flamingos erected in their honor all over the world. The second thing that happened was this: I had the idea to make her an "emergency wellness kit" including a rice cooker, some organic quinoa, a small bottle of raw cider vinegar, a bottle of raw agave, and a bag of lemons. I also got some olive oil and dark chocolate (which I forgot to put in the kit, they're coming! You know who you are!)

My thought was to provide on or two small and easy options that could be instantly integrated into her week, and it don't get easier than cooking quinoa in a rice cooker. But really, going back to an earlier post entitled "the Secret Ingredient," what better way to help somebody start a new journey than with a healthy dose of love?

My challenge to all who may read this entry is this: do one small, unexpected thing this week to bring happiness into someone else's life. I'd love it if you'd share your experience with the rest of the Orbiting Vegan community via commenting on this entry! So knows who else will be inspired by your story!

Thanks!



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If red beets turn your pee red, will yellow beets turn it yellow?

A philosophical quandary for the ages, to be sure. I bring it up because I will shortly have an answer, since I seem to keep coming across yummy siding recipes involving yellow beets. This one came from Cohen's "Living on Live Food" and feeds roughly four to five-hundred guests. I'm kidding of course, but I am on day three of lunches from this meal. My secret suspicion is that when you shred beets, they somehow multiply in the process, because three medium sized beets shred up into roughly enough to fill a football stadium. More or less.

Golden Beet Salad:

3 medium golden beets, grated
2 medium pears, diced
1 cup of Jicama diced.
8 cups of mixed greens
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c walnuts (optional)
Fresh cilantro to taste (also optional, you may choose to skip this if you don't have any and are too lazy to go back out to the store. Incidentally, my herb garden seedlings are doing quite well, though it seems to be a bit frosty at night to keep them out all the time. However, I lost both my cilantro seedlings, they just refused to thrive. My mints, basils, and oreganos are growing like friggin weeds though!)

Marinate the jicama and pears in lemon juice for 30 minutes, then combine with beets. Stand on one foot, and distribute the mixture over the mixed greens on a large serving bowl, add walnuts and cilantro if you wish!

There was no suggested dressing, but I favor a honey mustard, so I got out my "good seasons" shaker and my boom-box and mixed it all up to the beat of the Pet Shop Boys. Dressings are a nice area to begin exploring your personal touch and creativity, try adding different juices, fruits, spices etc to the mix and see what you come up with.

I also added some grape tomatoes to the salad, and there's certainly no rule against cucumbers, bell peppers, or perhaps even some lovely fresh goat cheese if the spirit moves you. Maybe some pumpkin seeds, a dash or two of nutritional yeast, or a nice scoop of homemade veggie pâté? Maybe not, who am I to say?






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Location:Madison, CT