Appetite for Reduction: Book Review

 Appetite for ReductionIsa Chandra Moskowitz 2011, Da Capo Press

A little while ago, I asked around to see what vegan cookbooks people could recommend. I was hoping to incorporate even more vegan meals into the mix and I asked around because I wanted to get a really good one. Elyica recommended Appetite for Reductionby Isa Chandra Moskowitz and I'm so glad that she did. This book is fantastic. It is full of flavourful recipes that are easy to make, which is just what I was hoping for in a new vegan cookbook. I took a few photos of some of the recipes we've tried so far.


Black Bean, Zucchini, & Olive Tacos

These tacos are so meaty and flavourful. Everyone really liked them. The filling is great in tortillas and also just on it's own with brown rice. I had to add a bit of regular salsa to these because the salsa verde was too spicy for the kidlets but for anyone who loves heat, the recipe is perfect the way it is. Johnny and I had never tried salsa verde before. It is so good! It's become a staple in our fridge.


Veggie Pot Pie Stew

This stew is the bomb. It's like a stick to your ribs, thick and delicious Irish stew. It's a soup that eats like a meal. Oh, wait a minute, that's another soup's tagline. It totally fits here.


I also made the Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad. Isa says she eats this everyday and I know why. This salad is fresh, light yet filling and really yummy.


Portobello Pepper Steak Stew

This was the latest recipe we tried. Oh man, is it good! I took a taste and then found myself eating a bunch before finally stopping myself to take a photo to share. I wasn't the only one to have more than one bowl for dinner and then I ate two more for lunch the next day.

We've tried a bunch of other recipes from the book also; Hottie Black Eyed Peas & Greens, Cool Slaw, Spicy Blue Potato & Corn Salad and Buffalo Tempeh. I'm sure there are a couple more that I can't remember right now. Every recipe I've made with this cookbook has been stellar.

If you're looking for a new vegan cookbook, this is so the one to buy.

Buying this book also turned me on to Isa's vegan recipe site, The Post Punk Kitchen. That site is giving me a whole lot of vegan inspiration these days.

♥ Andrea ♥

Coconut, Macadamia Nut, Apricot Pie *raw vegan*

This week I was thinking about how much I love the combination of apricot, macadamia nut and coconut. So I tried my hand at making a raw dessert with these flavours and I was very pleased the results. 

Here I present, Cocomacricot Pie...

Crust

1 cup sprouted walnuts (soaked for 8 hours and rinsed thoroughly)
10 medjool dates
4 dried apricots
1/3 cup ground macadamia nuts
1/3 cup coconut powder (I use a coffee grinder to grind dried coconut to a powder)

Put the walnuts, dates and apricots in your food processor and process until it becomes thoroughly combined and the walnuts are in very small pieces in an apricot and date paste. Chunks are okay. Mix in the ground macadamia nuts and coconut powder. Press this into a greased pie plate (I used extra virgin olive oil).

Filling
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup dried apricots (soaked in the warm water)
1 cup young coconut meat (I used all the meat from 2 young coconuts)
1/2 cup macadamia nut butter (I used Nuts to You Raw Macadamia Nut Butter. You can make your own raw macadamia nut butter just by processing raw macadamias for many minutes in a high power food processor- my processor is not a very good one- or you can buy some like this one here.)
3 Tbsp maple syrup

Soak your apricots in the warm water until they are softened. Add everything to the blender and blend until it becomes smooth and frothy. Pour this over your crust and place in the freezer for one hour. Serve right away or place it in the fridge until you're ready.

This pie will keep a few days in the fridge as long as it's kept covered. We ate this up fast and I'm hoping to make another very soon. It makes a really tasty breakfast. If you make your own cocomacricot pie, I'd love to hear about it.

This week was a truly wonderful week. The weather has been so lovely. We've been enjoying time outside as much as possible. I'm looking forward to more time outdoors this weekend.

Have a fun weekend!

♥ Andrea ♥

Lemon Pudding *raw vegan*

Last week I whipped up this delicious and nutritious recipe. It's tangy and sweet, light and fluffy. This might just be my favorite raw recipe I've ever made! If you're a sucker for tart lemon desserts, you're going to love this one.

Ingredients & Directions

1/2 cup almonds (soaked for 8 hours and thoroughly rinsed- I just soak mine over night and always keep some soaked almonds in the fridge)

1 cup water
juice from 2 lemons
zest from 1/2 lemon
6- 12 medium dates (medjool are my favorite)
1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup or raw honey if you're not vegan

Blend the almonds and water in a blender at high speed until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more water to get the consistency you like.



This recipe is nutritious, delicious and cleansing and alkalizing to the body. I find it to be a particularly good snack in the afternoon when I'm feeling tired and tempted to eat something sweet or drink a coffee for a pick-me-up. I hope you love it :)

♥ Andrea ♥

Pure Vegan: Book Review

I took Pure Veganby Joseph Shuldiner out of the library a few weeks ago. This is such a beautiful book. I've returned all of the other books I got out at the same time but this one is so lovely, I want it to be mine forever. I made a bunch of recipes from Pure Vegan and loved them all so I thought I'd share them with you.

A couple of weeks ago when my nephew came to visit I wanted to put out an extra special spread so I chose a few things from the book. For appetizers, I served warm almonds and olives from the vegan tapas plate, curried walnuts and maple-ginger almonds (these were to die for!) and a fig paste along with some crackers and cheese (because we're not vegan).


For the main course, I served nutty mushroom risotto and it was so delicious I couldn't believe it! My nephew was very impressed.



I also made the three bean salad which was a big hit with the whole family. The sweetness of the oven roasted tomatoes was so delicious in this.

And I made the garbanzo bean and tomato soup another night when I didn't feel like making or eating dinner. That stew was perfect- thick, nourishing and comforting. It was loved my the whole family. Everyone, including myself, had at least two helpings.

Every recipe I tried in this book was easy to prepare, flavorful and felt like something a little more special than your average dish. My photos don't even come close to being as beautiful as the photos in the book. There are some great looking recipes for fancy drinks and desserts as well. I can't believe I resisted making one of the desserts actually. In particular, the chocolate sea salt tart looks amazing! I will sadly be taking this book back to the library today but I'll be purchasing it for sure.

I'm kind of in the habit of taking cook books out of the library. I'm always looking for new ones to try. Do you have any favorite recipe books to recommend?

I'm preparing for an exciting weekend. Our wee man turns 6 today! We'll be taking a trip to the Science Centre to celebrate and Johnny and I have tickets to see Nick Cave too! I can't wait!

Have a fun weekend.

♥ Andrea ♥

Thick and Creamy Dairy-free Hot Cocoa

Hot cocoa is the perfect winter drink don't you agree?

I was looking to make a thick and creamy hot cocoa that would taste like it was made with heavy cream and here's what I came up with...

Ingredients
1 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 Tbsp + a dolop full fat coconut milk (drain water out and just use the thick cream)
Maple syrup or agave syrup to taste
1/2 Tbsp arrow root powder* (or other flour will work)
*I chose arrowroot powder because it is easier to digest than other flours and does a nice job as a thickening agent.*

Directions
Pour the almond milk in a pot and turn up to medium heat
As the milk warms up add the cocoa powder, coconut milk and syrup
Stir well to dissolve all of the cocoa powder
Once it's starting to get nice and hot, pour a little of the hot cocoa into a dish with the arrowroot powder and stir until smooth
Pour this mixture back into your pot and stir
Once your cocoa is the temperature and thickness that you like, you're done!
Serve with a dollop of coconut milk on top and sprinkle with cocoa powder or for a minty treat, add a drop of peppermint oil and sprinkle with candy cane bits.

Today we are giving a party for our wee four year old! I am presently making strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream icing. Which is exactly what I would have wanted for my birthday when I was four.

♥ Andrea ♥

Apple Oat Muffins *vegan*

I promised you that I would share this new recipe I came up with when my sweet neighbours dropped off a huge bucket of apples for us. These turned out really well! The recipe came about from combining a whole bunch of recipes to make the exact muffin I was hoping for. They had to be healthy, tasty and vegan.

These muffins are heavier and heartier than your average muffin. Don't be surprised when they don't rise as much as other muffins you may be used to baking.

So here you are, I hope you love them!

Ingredients
2 cups shredded apples

Dry
1 1/2 cups whole grain flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup teff flour)
3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 heaping Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt

Wet
1 1/4 cup any milk (I used 3/4 cup of full fat coconut milk and 1/2 cup almond milk)

3/4 cup demerera style brown sugar
1 Tbsp psyllium husks + 2 Tbsp water (or one egg if you don't care to make them vegan)
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp black strap molasses
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400
Spray your muffin tin
Peel and shred your apples
Squeeze your shredded apples a bit so they are not so wet and set them aside
Mix all dry ingredients
Mix together separately the 'egg' mixture- psyllium husks and water
Then mix all wet ingredients together including the 'egg mixture'
Mix wet and dry together gently
Add the apples gently
Fill muffin trays by pressing this heavy mixture into each muffin cup

Bake for about 20 minutes at 400

The word from the kids on these muffins: "Awesome!"

I've been having a really busy and happy life as of late! I just celebrated a milestone birthday (and had an amazing time which I'm hoping to tell you about real soon) and I've been filling a bunch of sewing orders and making Halloween costumes and bags for the kiddies. All the while, continuing to work on the kids room which I can see now is a much bigger project than I ever anticipated but it is coming along quite nicely.

The weather has been cold and rainy so we've been building fires every day to keep warm and cozy. Today I'm hoping to get my studio cleaned up and get a bunch more sewing done. But, maybe I'll bring my sewing machine down into the family room again today because sewing next to a roaring fire is just the best!

♥ Andrea ♥

Cocoa Nutty Monkey Pie *raw vegan*

This is my latest raw dessert recipe and let me tell you, I've seriously outdone myself this time! If you decide that you're only going to attempt one raw recipe, or you want to serve one to people who may be a little suspect about eating raw, this is the one to try.

I have really focused on raw dessert recipes over the past couple of years because I have a major sweet tooth and I am convinced that I can satisfy it without eating garbage. I've always eaten very well and now I can really indulge in the things I want like chocolate, chocolate and um, chocolate while continuing to keep a healthy diet.

Imagine a dessert with high amounts of fiber, protein, potassium, antioxidants, enzymes and essential fatty acids with no sugar besides naturally occurring sugars, no dairy, no gluten and no cooking! I know right? I can hardly believe it myself.

So, here's what I did...

Actually the first step was a trip to the bulk food store. Does anyone else get as stupidly excited as I do about having a fully stocked pantry shelf of fresh healthy nuts, grains, legumes and other staples? I'm a total nerd about it. The bulk food store just may be my favorite store!

*Find raw cocoa at ChocoSol Traders.*

I made a double batch of my raw chocolate pudding recipe that I shared with you last week. You'll notice that I made an update to that recipe because while I had made it a couple of times very successfully before I posted it, I tried it again and it came out runny. In the update, I give you ideas for fixing that if it happens to you.

Here's the recipe again:

Raw Chocolate Pudding
Filling 
1/2 cup sprouted* almonds (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)
1 1/2 cups water
5 pitted medjool dates or a handful or more of raisins
5 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder or raw cocoa powder (it has to be very finely ground- grind it well in a coffee grinder if it's not)
raw honey to taste (about 1-2 Tbsp)
5 tsp finely ground flax seed powder (or the amount needed to reach the consistency desired)

Blend this all up until it's the consistency of pudding.

Then Add:

1 heaping Tbsp of cocoa

3 frozen bananas

1/2 cup of raisins. 

Blend again.

I took out my food processor and made a raw pie crust much like one recommended in Jeremy A. Safron's book, The Raw Truth: The Art of Preparing Living Foods

Crust
1 cup sprouted* almonds (*soaked overnight and rinsed thoroughly)
2 handfuls of raisins (you can use dates instead)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup (raw honey if you're not vegan)
olive oil (just to moisten to dough consistency)

Take these ingredients and blend them together in a food processor. Press the mixture into a pie plate. Then pour the filling on top of the crust and place it in the freezer.

When I served it for dessert, my husband said, "this is f#@king amazing!" No word of a lie folks, it truly is f#@king amazing.

Are you thinking about making this recipe? Let me know if you do. I'd love to hear all about it.

I get really into raw food recipes in the summer months. I hope you're enjoying them. I'm sure there will be more to come.

♥ Andrea ♥

Almond Date Orbs *raw vegan*

These orbs are incredibly healthy and every man, woman and child I've offered them to loves them! They are very easy to make but do require planning because you must soak the nuts. Soaking your nuts makes them more digestible because by soaking them, you wash away enzyme inhibitors and begin the sprouting process. This is very beneficial for your body. Squirrels and other animals bury their nuts and eat them after they have begun to sprout (animals are so much smarter than we are).

Here is a summary of why it's good to soak your nuts.

I became inspired to make these while reading, 12 Steps to Raw Foods: How to End Your Dependency on Cooked Foodby Victoria Boutenko. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn more about the raw food diet. When I make these, I tend to wing it and just add whatever amounts seem right at the time but I'll write out a proper recipe for you here that you can change to suit your taste.

Ingredients
1/4 cup raw almonds (soaked over night)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (soaked over night)
1/2 cup of chopped medjool dates (or other dried fruit of your choice)
extra virgin olive oil (as needed for desired consistency)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
unsweetened dried coconut flakes (to your taste)

Directions
Soak the almonds and sunflower seeds overnight in cold water
In the morning, drain and thoroughly rinse your nuts and seeds
*If you are not ready to make your orbs right away, you can seal your seeds now in a container and place them in the fridge for up to a week*
Add your nuts and seeds to a food processor and grind into small chunks
Add 1/2 cup of chopped medjool dates to the food processor and process until it becomes a lump
Transfer to a mixing bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil
Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Mix until you have a moist lump of dough
Make the dough into bite sized balls and roll in unsweetened coconut

This recipe freezes well and makes an excellent snack or addition to breakfast. Another great combination is soaked pecans and dried unsweetened cranberries. I was thinking as I made these that ginger would be a great addition to this recipe. I'm going to try that next time for sure!

♥ Andrea ♥