interesting video!

A  few weeks back I discovered this video by Dr. Michael Greger M.D. and was fascinated by his arguments. I thought it would be nice to share this little video - it is long, but worth the watch!

*Source: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death/

Tofu curry

It's been a busy summer. I feel bad for not having enough time to update this blog, however the summer season here is so very hectic that work demands most of my time.  Finding time to cook anything worthy of blogging is rare, thus my decision to halt progress of my blog for the summer months. I am, however, back and ready to cook up a storm!

Today was a great day, my hubby and I went into "the big city" to get loads of bulk foods; stocks of lentils, split peas, rice, quinoa, sugar, flour, curry powder, nutritional yeast, cashews, granola and a whole assortment of other tasty treats! It's always fun to see what bulk foods we can get and ultimately save money on as well! Such as getting several pounds of flour for a mere $6.00! Tomorrow morning we are having pumpkin pancakes, made with the flour, sugar and organic pumpkin that we bought today...

This post, however, is dedicated to a particularly delicious batch of tofu-coconut curry, which I made in an effort to convince my hubby that curry is actually really tasty, as well as beneficial to our health! Curry has been linked to increased cognitive ability; a decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease by, apparently, breaking down the plaque in the brain which causes brain death; increased cancer protection; can be used as a treatment for arthritis! It is pretty incredible that the spice mixture we know as "curry" can be utilized in so many ways, health wise, there really isn't much reason to avoid it. Right?

Curry itself is not a specific spice. Curry is instead a compilation of various spices, which are different depending on the origin of it. What most people know of as curry, in the western market that is, is a mixture of coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and red pepper. "Curry" is a sort of general term for a mixture of spices that changes depending on the origin of the recipe: cinnamon, caraway, mustard seed, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger, garlic and even clove can also all be contained within curry powder/paste.

Let me preface my tutorial by saying that after eating this curry dish, my hubby is a curry-convert! He loved it, which really makes me happy because now I can mess around with curry all I want! 

Tofu Curry

I didn't use a recipe, per say, when I made this dish. Instead I assembled several ingredients together and hoped that they would mix well together...They sure did!

I started with a block of firm tofu, pressed dry and cubed into small, bite-size bits. These I fried up in a bit of canola oil for a good 10-minutes on one side, about 5 minutes on the other, until they were crispy.

 

Set the tofu aside:

Next, chop up an onion and saute it in some oil:

When the onions begin to turn translucent add frozen peas, saute these together until the peas are soft and warmed through:

Now take your curry paste:

Spoon about a tablespoon into the peas and onions, mix around until it is mixed in. Once it is mixed well, open two cans of coconut milk and pour in.

 When the coconut milk and pea mixture is well blended, add your fried tofu and mix in:

 Allow the mixture to simmer, tasting and adding salt/curry paste to taste, for 10-15 minutes more.  Serve over warm rice and enjoy!

 

Extended break!

A New England delicacy

This week my husband brought home a special treat from work: fiddle heads! This was a food I had never eaten, until this week that is. To be completely honest the idea of consuming a fern sounded weird, to say the least, but I decided to give it a whirl anyways! Now to those who don't know, fiddle heads are the coiled baby plant from the Ostrich Fern which grows natively throughout the Northeast, they are only found during a small window of time (Late April through Early June) in the springtime. Not every baby fern can be consumed, only those of the Ostrich Fern species can be eaten safely. While I am mentioning it, these young fern'lings must be cooked thoroughly and properly before they are completely safe to eat.*

Fiddle heads should be tightly curled and have their brown papery covering removed before cooking. Here is a picture of what a proper fiddle head should look like:

Cook your fiddle heads by boiling or steaming, boil them for 15 minutes in a covered pot. The fiddle heads should be thoroughly cooked to be completely safe to eat. The flavor is similar to asparagus and according to my hubby the best way to eat them is boiled and then dipped into red wine vinegar. We didn't have any red wine vinegar, but we ate ours with apple cider vinegar. I think that they would be tasty in butter with salt and pepper as well! I am very happy that after living in the great Northeast of America for so many years I have finally eaten fiddle heads and they were yummy! If you are able to get your hands on some freshly picked fiddle heads give 'em a try, they are worth it!

- Night Owl Gal

spaghetti and springtime

I apologize for the extended period between my last blog post and this one! Time seems to fly by when springtime hits my normally sleepy little town... All of the tourists are showing up en mass, the shops are opening up and everything seems to be bursting with life. I started working again a few weeks back so I have been busy with that, my sleeping schedule is of course a little whacked out due to my new schedule, and I am suffering from some of the worst springtime allergies ever! I can't decide if the allergies are worth it, outside my window is the most beautiful tree in bloom, I really enjoy sitting on my bed smelling the scent of flower blossoms wafting through the window...However, my throat is in a constant state of flux, my eyes are always red and puffy, I get stuffed up every night and I am constantly tired. Is it worth it? Not sure yet, but heck it sure is gorgeous outside!

 Now for some kitchen time! Yesterday I decided that my hubby and I needed some good ol' spaghetti and red sauce for dinner. Instead of dashing to the store and grabbing a packet of pasta and a jar of Newman's Own pasta sauce, I decided to do things a little different with homemade pasta sauce! I wish I had also made my own pasta, I do have a pasta making machine, but that will come later... In any case, the sauce did turn out divine. I always love a good homemade pasta sauce, it brings back memories of when my dad used to make dinner for us. He would spice it up with all sorts of delicious veggies letting it simmer for a good long time until every flavor was melded together.

Pasta sauce has always been an easy dish to make. Mess around with it, toss in an assortment of flavors and see what happens! It is great fun, smells amazing in the process and the end result is always deeelish! Yesterday I chose to go with peppers, onion, carrots, garlic and Italian spices. So let's get cookin'!

Pasta Sauce

1 green bell pepper

bunch of carrots

large vidalia onion

5 large garlic cloves

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

salt

sugar

Italian seasoning herbs (fresh or dried)

Start by chopping up your vegetables.

Next sautee the vegetables in olive oil until they become slightly tender, don't over cook them or the sauce will be too mushy! When the veggies are tender add in the chopped garlic and a dash of Italian seasoning. Allow this to simmer for about a minute while stirring. 

Next add 3/4 of the can of tomato paste with a wooden spoon and mix it until the paste becomes incorporated with the veggies.  

Next add a can of diced tomatoes, juice and all. Mix in 1/2 cup of water, if the sauce appears too thick just add more water. Add a small dash of sugar (be careful not to add too much or it will taste sweet!), then add salt to taste at this point then cover and allow to simmer on low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, while stirring occasionally. When the sauce is done the vegetables will be soft and the sauce will be full of flavor, cook up some linguine and serve! I promise you will love it! 

- Night Owl Gal

To eat meat or not to eat meat? That is the question...

This week something momentous happened in my life.  This week I truly revisited my choices concerning my diet and made, what I consider to be, a very impactful decision about it. This was not a decision that I arrived at lightly, it was the result of careful research and personal feelings, as well as the positive effects it would have on my overall health and well being. This week I chose to eat meat for the first time in about thirteen-years.  I have decided to become an omnivore and give up my long-standing status of vegetarian, at least for the time being. My reasons for taking on this new change spawn from years of study on the subject of whether vegan/vegetarianism is superior or inferior to an omnivorous lifestyle.  I have read many books, articles, and websites on this subject and it is definitely a two way street!  I have ferociously defended my vegetarian lifestyle for years and I have found that many others take the same stance as I did. I have also found that many people defend and promote the omnivorous lifestyle and its benefits to health and well being. The arguments are sound and just from both sides of the fence and until further scientific fact can be produced, the decision based on what is actually better for us, as human beings, must be a personal choice.

I was a child of about thirteen when I decided to give up meat completely. I based this decision on the fact that I did not like to eat meat, not because I knew about factory farming methods or the practice of injecting animals with hormones so that they had more meat on their bones for us to eat, or that something called pink slime existed in our beef patties... No, I was too young and naive.  My father would wait for me to pick out something about my meat every mealtime, so I think he might have been relieved when I told him I wanted to become a vegetarian! My family was very good about accepting my choice, well my two older sisters had both been vegetarians before I had chosen this so perhaps it was not wholly unexpected. So the years went on and I stood fast, eventually I gave in and began eating seafood again. I began to call myself a "pesci-vegetarian" which means that I ate some seafood, but not other animals.

I began to really consider eating meat again after my eldest sister sent me a blog written by a former vegan turned omnivore. I read through it and was really shocked by how much her health improved when she began eating meat again. Now I am not a strict vegan, I eat some animal products, however due to my being lactose intolerant my dairy consumption had gone way down. My relationship with eggs has always been a bit up and down, some weeks I want an egg every day and others I can't stand the thought of eating one! In any case, reading this blog really got me thinking about my own life and how I feel on a day to day basis. I want to make something clear here, I did not decide to eat meat based on the declarations of one woman through her blog, lets just say that years of research into the subject and then reading this, well it was a sort of tipping point for me.

I have taken time and truly reflected on my overall health and come to see that I am experiencing many health issues including a great deal of fatigue, digestion issues, frequent headaches that don't seem to go away no matter what I do, anxiety and brain fog. These are symptoms that have been happening more and more frequently over the past year or two and it got to the point where I had to step up and say what on earth is causing this?  Through my research I have found that the symptoms, as well as many others more severe, are in fact common in long term vegans and vegetarians. I have also learned that many of these issues tend to diminish after the continual consumption of animal products and meat. I believe that it is simply my time to once again eat meat, for the sake of my overall well-being and health.

I feel at peace with this decision. Since I am able to purchase locally raised, free-range and antibiotic free meat I can feel good about what I am eating and nourishing my body with. I will however vehemently pass up on engorged, hormone filled, antibiotic pumped, packed in tiny cages animal product. I have learned that there is an ethical way to feed our meat eating habits and there is a completely unethical way, I will continue to support ethical ways till the end.

My first meal as an omnivore was very lackluster! On our way back from an appointment, my husband and I stopped at our favorite alternative food stores to get lunch. There in the sandwich basket was a free range, antibiotic free turkey curry meatloaf sandwich... I have been telling myself for several weeks now that I am going to eat meat! However, after years of the same diet it is quite easy to just let another day go by without changing it up. I probably wouldn't have bought that sandwich if my husband wasn't there to persuade me otherwise! So it was time, I had the sandwich in my hands, it actually smelled delicious but it was difficult, to say the least, to make the final move. It wasn't that I was afraid of the physical side effects from not eating meat for so many years, it was a mental roadblock that I came up against in those few minutes before I actually took the bite. Most people who read this won't understand, however I have spent the majority of my remembered life not eating animal meat and to all of a sudden change that is very unsettling.

I almost chickened out. Perhaps a dozen thoughts crossed my mind before I took the plunge: this is an animal! was definitely the worst of those thoughts, but I knew that I had to do it. It all starts with a bite. One bite and it would get easier from there. It did, get easier that is. I managed to eat almost all of my turkey meatloaf sandwich. I kept expecting my body to violently react to the meat in my system, but nothing happened. My body didn't hate that meat being in it! Thus it begins, my journey into the world of omnivores. My hopes are that it will be an enlightening journey, one in which I will see many health improvements! Wish me luck, I will keep you all informed of how things are going and of course I will always remember to share any yummy recipes I try! 

Until then.

- Night Owl Gal

Quinoa the wonder seed?

Quinoa: the first time I saw this word I thought, "Huh?" Despite the fact that I had been a devoted vegetarian for over a decade, I was unsure of this new so-called "super food."  I wasn't even sure how to pronounce the name! However, in recent years this wee seed has become a popular "fad" food item among natural foodies and has thus been imported to many grocery store chains.  It is possible now to walk into your local grocery store and buy this seed in the bulk goods section. I have also been seeing it as a menu item in some more mainstream restaurants and shoppes!  So what is quinoa?  Why is it popular among health foodies and vegetarians/vegans?  Well lets take a closer look at this previously little known seed...

Quinoa (keen-wa) is a seed that hails from South America.  The seed is often referred to as a "grain" however this is incorrect as the part of the plant that one actually consumes is technically the seeds.  Quinoa is related to crops such as spinach and beetroot. The seed comes in white, red and black varieties. Pictured above you can see two of the varieties: red and white. Quinoa is a very high protein seed, a.k.a. it contains all essential amino acids.  The human body requires certain amino acids to function at peak efficiency, 9 of these cannot be synthesized by our bodies and are considered "essential" so they must be consumed through our diet.  Usually we get the complete 9 amino acids from meat and dairy products, however for vegans and vegetarians this is not always possible without mixing and matching various foods.  This is where a super seed like quinoa comes in, it can supply the needed amino acids for our bodies to use and thus is a healthy vegan method for obtaining these essential amino acids.* 

Quinoa is especially rare in that is contains all 9 essential amino acids, most other plant sources of protein do not contain our required amino acids for the day and thus it makes getting the essential protein for our bodies that much harder for a vegan/vegetarian.  Meat has always been known as a great source of protein because it has ample supplies of the 9 essential amino acids.* Yet the more we learn about plant based protein, the more we realize that meat is not the necessary menu item that we once thought it was!

Cook quinoa just as you would rice (1 cup of dried, washed quinoa to 1-1/2 cups of water. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.) Before it is cooked quinoa looks just like a seed, however when it has finished cooking it resembles a sprouted seed. You can actually see the little sprout innards curling out of the seed, creating a fluffy pile of delicious quinoa:

 Quinoa is a very versatile ingredient.  I have used it in many recipes, recently I made some absolutely smashing black bean and quinoa burgers.  I have also used white quinoa to replace rice in many dishes, the white variety is much milder in flavor so it does not overpower the dish you are using it in.  It reminds me of a slightly nutty flavored couscous.  The red variety is much earthier in flavor and is my particular favorite.  I like to use it in my quinoa salad: red quinoa, black beans, avocado, peppers, tomatoes, onion and lime mixed together. As pictured below:

 Now that I have discovered this wondrous little seed I rarely go without it in my pantry.  It keeps for a good long while in an airtight container.  It goes well in almost any dish!  Try it sometime and I will make sure to add quinoa recipes periodically.

-Night Owl Gal





*Source: "Contemporary Nutrition: 6th edition" Wardlaw, Gordon M. and Smith, Anne M.  2006.  McGraw Hills Companies. 

Oven baked steak fries

Yesterday was Easter, this of course, implies that I over-indulged in a variety of too many, too sweet foods... My husband and I had my mother and his mother and step-father over for an afternoon of coffee and chocolate delights.  I baked a delicious vegan chocolate cake (if you would like to make a scrumptious vegan chocolate cake, I encourage you to use this cupcake recipe and instead of cupcakes bake the batter in a 9"x9" cake pan for about 20 minutes).  My mother also brought along an assortment of delicious chocolate candies and sparkling cider! 

In response to my over-indulgence of sweets yesterday I really wanted something salty and savory for my dinner tonight. I decided to try my hand at steak cut french fries!  They turned out so delicious!  Soft in the middle, but crisp and salty on the outside.  I ate them fresh from the oven with a salad and an over-easy egg on the side. I don't think that I will ever buy pre-made french fries again; fresh and home made are totally the only way to go!  So easy to make as well! 

Steak fries
(serves 2)

3 Russet potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

salt/pepper 

Wash your potatoes. Choose to skin your potatoes or leave the skin on them, I chose to skin them because they weren't organic I wanted to reduce as much chemical exposure as possible.  However, next time I make these I am definitely buying organic potatoes and leaving the skin on. I think the skin would get crispy and make the fries appear more authentic and visually appealing! 

Slice the potatoes into 10ths and place the slices into a large bowl.

Fill the bowl with cold water, make sure all the potato slices are covered in water.

Let the potato slices soak for 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes is up heat your oven to 400F, then drain the water and dump your potato slices onto a paper towel or clean kitchen rag and dry them out well.

When the potatoes are all dried put them back into the large bowl, pour your olive oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands, you want the olive oil to coat every slice.

Arrange the potato slices on a large cookie sheet.  Make sure that each slice has its own space, don't lay slice on top of each other!  They will not brown properly if they are layered.  Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes flip the slices with a spatula.  Continue cooking for another 20 minutes.  

Sprinkle with a little more salt and make sure to eat while pipping hot from the oven!

 

- Night Owl Gal

Egg-free chocolate chip cookies

This has been a long week for me.  The weather has shifted, all too suddenly, from beautiful 75-degree days to freezing 30-degree days.  My body and my mind were getting ready for spring, albeit a bit early, so I was not really prepared for snow to come land on my sprouting mint plants! In retrospect, this is a very northern climate and I really should have expected a curve ball in the weather...

In other news, it is the beginning of the month which means bills, bills and more bills.  My not working at the moment has been trying on my nerves a bit, I have been a bit stressed and wondering if we are going to make all the payments.  We always do manage, but some times it can be tiresome. In an effort to forget about the weather and other unpleasant things, I decided to make a big ol' batch of chocolate chip cookies. Sometimes you just need chocolate!  As Charles Schulz once said, "all you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."  So true Mr. Schulz, I agree completely.

Instead of going with a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe, such as the all too familiar "Nestle Tollhouse" recipe often found on the back of the bag of chocolate chips, I decided to dig up a recipe I have been working on for several years.  I haven't made this recipe in about a year, but I remembered the first time I made it, my hubby and I simply loved the cookies!  They stayed soft for days! The secret? Yogurt!

A few years back I wanted to make egg-less cookies and I found a great deal of recipes that called for all sorts of egg substitutes: ground flax-seeds, tofu, bananas and applesauce. I tried a few of them, but they often left the cookies tasting like the ingredient used to substitute, i.e. banana-flavored cookies.  I finally tried using vanilla yogurt and hit the key ingredient!  These cookies do not flatten out like traditional chocolate chip cookies, they are much fuller and more moist.  My hubby and I love these cookies, give 'em a try if you ever find yourself without eggs! 

Egg-less chocolate chip cookies

(makes about 2 dozen)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup earth balance spread or butter

1/2 cup vanilla, full fat yogurt

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1-2 cups chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Mix the earth balance, or butter, with the two sugars.  Cream them together. 

Add the yogurt and blend in with the butter and sugar mixture.  Then add the rest of the ingredients.

Add the chocolate chips and mix in well.

Scoop out by the teaspoon onto a waiting cookie sheet.

Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes, the cookies should be just beginning to brown when you take them out.  They will look a bit under- done, but they are ready!  Let them cool and enjoy!

- Night Owl Gal

Italian bread

This week the weather was beautiful!  In fact it was completely out of the ordinary beautiful, topping 75 degrees during the height of the afternoon yesterday.  It being March I was surprised and baffled to experience this amazing weather, even my little pot of mint outside on the patio has begun to sprout!  I suppose spring has truly come!  In an effort to enjoy this gorgeous weather I took a long walk by the ocean and then came home and promptly opened windows and doors to clear the stuffy winter air from the house.  Nothing feels better than sitting and reading a book while feeling a gentle spring breeze flowing across your face...

After my relaxing afternoon yesterday I decided to make some bread! It was so sunny and warm outside that I even let my bread rise by using the heat of the sun.. I tend to use fast-rising yeast in my bread products because I don't always have time to proof my dough for hours. This recipe is simple, easy and fast! Taking only about 2-hours to complete. The end product of this delicious recipe is soft, dense and delightful bread delicious with almost anything!  I ate this with a lentil loaf and salad, today I even sliced a piece and spread hummus on it. Yum!

Italian loaf bread

1 packet fast-rising yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 cup warm water

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup oil

1 tsp salt

3 cups flour

Mix together the yeast, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 tsp. sugar and allow to rest in a warm spot for 10 minutes.  Combine the rest of the ingredients with the yeast mixture and mix together well with a spatula, until the dough is able to be handled by hand.  Knead the dough for several minutes, add flour as needed, the dough needs to be soft and not sticky.  Roll the dough into a ball, flour the bowl and place the dough back into it.

 

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1-hour.  I placed my bowl outside on the back patio where the hot sun acted as a great method for dough rising. 

When the dough is done it should be nearly doubled in size.

Dump the dough onto a clean and floured counter top and roll it out into a rectangle.

Roll up the dough so that it looks like a loaf.  I shaped mine like a lucky horseshoe, however it will bake fine if you leave it straight!  

Allow the dough to rise for 20-minutes.  During this time preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.  

As you can see in the pictures above the dough will rise quite a bit during the second proofing.  At this point put the dough in the oven and bake for 20-minutes.

- Night Owl Gal

Broccoli stuffed stromboli

This week I made a delicious,vegetarian meal of broccoli, onions and cheese wrapped up in a hearty pizza crust: a.k.a. a Stromboli.  According to my research a stromboli is Italian bread dough rolled into a square, stuffed with vegetables, meats and cheeses and rolled up into a sort of turnover. A stromboli looks like a calzone, only it is much larger and longer.  Apparently this creation only really came about as a culinary delight a short while ago, as there are disputing theories as to when the stromboli came into actual existence, it is thought that it originated on the east coast of America during the 1950's. 

My first interaction with a stromboli was at my father's house when I was about sixteen-years old.  He made one stuffed with all sorts of yummy cheeses and vegetables.  He served it with red sauce on the side.  In the years since I first had that yummy stromboli at my father's house, I have created my own versions.  This is such a versatile recipe, one could really stuff anything into the pizza dough and have it come out simply delicious!  In any case this is my version, a much quicker one than is traditional because I used my quick pizza dough recipe, which requires no rising time.  The entire meal can be completed in under 45 minutes.

Broccoli stuffed Stromboli

(Serves 4-6)

Quick Pizza Dough

1 package instant or fast rising yeast

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup very warm water

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Stuffing

3-4 crowns of broccoli, chopped

1 large vidalia onion

1-2 cups of shredded jack cheese

Begin by preheating your oven to 425 degrees F.  Next clean your broccoli, chop it into bite sized pieces and steam until tender.  During this time you also want to be sauteing the onions, which should be chopped up, until tender and slightly translucent.  

While the vegetables are going, begin to make your dough.  In a large bowl combine the fast-acting yeast, sugar, and water.  Let the mixture sit for about 2 minutes. Add the oil, salt, and flour. Mix the dough until it is manageable by hand, then continue by kneading the dough for another couple of minutes.  When the dough feels well kneaded and firm sprinkle some flour on a clean counter top, take a rolling pin and begin to roll out the dough into a rectangular shape:

When the dough is ready move it onto a large pizza pan:

At this time the broccoli and onions should be finished.  Combine the vegetables and mix them well with some salt to taste.  Grate your cheese now as well.  Then sprinkle about half of the cheese on the bottom of the dough before pouring the entire broccoli and onion mixture onto it.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the vegetable mixture.  Now it is time to fold!  Take the left side of excess dough and pull it over and on top of the fillings:

Now take the right side:

The top half:

 

Bottom half:

Take a sharp knife and slice a few slits into the top of the stromboli:

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is a beautiful golden brown and when the dough is pierced it is evident that it is cooked through.

Serve it up with a side of red sauce for dipping and enjoy!

- Night Owl Gal