Spinach and Artichokes? Yes, please!

Are there any two ingredients that go together any better than spinach and artichokes?  Chocolate and peanut butter?  Maybe.  Tomatoes and basil?  Possibly.  Tequila and margarita mix?  Oh yeah!  But I digress.  If there are other perfect matches, there can't be many of them.  It's a match made in heaven, and has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember.  

There is a pizza place near me here in NY that makes a spinach and artichoke pizza.  Need I say that it's absolutely delicious?!?  It's made on a thin crust with a creamy spinach and artichoke sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese.  Yum-my!  But, it uses real cheese and cream and I want to find a way to make this, or a variation of this, in vegan form.  One idea I had was to make a lasagna out of it.  I want to keep the sauce nice and creamy, but add in some hearty ingredients, too.  Maybe add in some cremini mushrooms, onions and garlic.  It's going to be my mission today to put together the ingredients I want to use and an idea of how I want to make it.  Once I test it out on my family, I'll let you all know how it turns out.

I have also become a bit obsessed with leeks and parsnips lately.  I've been putting them in a lot of the soups I've been making, and the leeks I've been using in just about everything I can come up with.  Come to think of it, maybe the leeks would be delicious in my spinach and artichoke lasagna!  Whoa, I'm getting ahead of myself here.  One thing at a time.

All of this got me thinking....what are your "can't live without" fruits or vegetables?  What ingredient do you sneak into any recipe you can?  And what ingredients do you consider to be the perfect match?

Well, since this is my second post of the day, I'll keep it short and sweet.  I'm off to brainstorm my lasagna recipe.  I hope you all enjoy this beautiful Wednesday!

Vegucating Family

Yesterday afternoon I was finally able to get my mom to watch the documentary "Vegucated", which in my opinion everyone should see.  She kept putting it off because she didn't want to see the parts that show how farm animals are treated.  I understand that it's hard to watch, I have to look away myself, but it's important to know what is happening because if we all turn a blind eye to these practices, nothing will ever change.  

Did you know that animal cruelty laws do not apply to farm animals?  That as long as a practice is considered "common" it's acceptable, regardless of how cruel or painful it is to the animal?  We need to make changes and that won't occur if we all pretend it's not happening.  I know people are going to continue to eat meat, and I'm not suggesting that we try to convert everyone to vegetarianism, I merely want to make sure that these animals are treated with the respect and care they deserve.  There is no reason their lives have to be lived out in horrible conditions and full of fear, anguish and pain. 

This is why I am really trying to become fully vegan.  I can't continue to eat any animal products because to do so, to hand my money over to those companies torturing these animals, is to say that what they do is acceptable. And it is NOT ACCEPTABLE.  As Paul McCartney once said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian".

My father won't watch the documentary because he says he doesn't want to change the way he eats.  I don't know if this means that he thinks I'm trying to "convert" him (which I'm clearly not, because I haven't done so for the past year and a half) or if he is saying that if he sees what is happening that his conscience would force him to make changes, and he's not ready for that.  Either way, I've tried to explain that whether people are going to eat meat or not, they should KNOW where their food is coming from and how it is treated/handled before it reaches their kitchens.

I hope all of you will watch "Vegucated".  It truly is an eye-opening documentary, and very educational.  And please don't think that the entire thing is about the animals.  That is only a portion of what is covered.  There is some very useful information regarding the health and environmental benefits of a vegetarian/vegan diet.  It's a very well done film, and it deserves to be seen.  You can get more information here:  http://www.getvegucated.com/.

So that's my soapbox rant for the day.  Next up - FOOD related post!  Yay!

Stew On This

With the weather getting colder and the skies turning grey, I immediately start thinking about stew, soup and chili.  I love how versatile they are, and they're perfect for sharing with friends and family who aren't vegetarian or vegan. For some reason, people seem to be a little more accepting of a meatless soup.  Okay, maybe not so much a meatless chili, but if you don't tell them, they'll never know the difference.  Unless they know you're a veg, and then of course you can always just hold them down and force feed them.  What's that?  Oh, you're probably right.  That wouldn't go over too well.  Okay, maybe you could just coax them into trying it.  They'll probably love it in spite of themselves.  

I'll be posting a recipe each week, and I just want to give you a heads up that you'll be seeing a lot of different soups and stews.  They're easy to experiment with, and you can always change out the ingredients and spices to make each one your own.  Sometimes I end up making a HUGE pot of soup because I go overboard with all the vegetables, beans and/or pasta I want to put in there.  I literally have to restrain myself.  

I was just telling my mother yesterday how I have really noticed a transformation in my thinking over the past year and a half.  When I first became a vegetarian, my first thought when making a meal was, "what am I going to use in place of the meat?".  Since we are now a society that plans our meals around the meat portion of the meal, I am sure this is normal.  But now it doesn't even cross my mind.  That's not to say that I don't eat the occasional meat replacements, like a Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlet with a side of steamed peas and a baked potato, but it's no longer my central focus when I'm putting a meal together.  I immediately start thinking about all the yummy vegetables I want to have and the many different ways I can have them!  I wish I could somehow get everyone to think this way, even if they do eat meat.  

I literally can't believe how closed off I was to vegetables before.  Okay, maybe "closed off" isn't exactly the right way to describe it, but I was so used to having certain vegetables cooked certain ways, and since they were always playing second fiddle to the main attraction - MEAT - I just didn't get very creative with them.  I didn't go to the farmers market excited to see what new and amazing fruits and vegetables I could try this week.  I didn't come home and jump online looking for recipes in which to try them.  Now I am absolutely obsessed with them.  Unfortunately for my waistline, there are so many delicious recipes that include things like pumpkin and figs, apples and pears, that aren't really on the "healthy" side (darn you pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing!).  I really must learn to have more self restraint.  

So now I am off to see what I have in my pantry and refrigerator to combine for a delicious soup tonight!  Wishing you all a very pleasant Tuesday!

This Week's Recipe - Nov 11 - 17

Green Chile Corn Chowder

by Cari Ann

This chowder if very quick and simple to make.  Most of your time will be spent on prepping the vegetables.  It is important to dice the vegetables to be about the same size as the corn kernels so that they cook evenly.  The potatoes can be slightly larger, but I wouldn't suggest making them any bigger than about 1/2 inch square because you don't want them to take over and keep the corn from being the star of this chowder.

INGREDIENTS:
4 ears of corn, cut off the cob and cobs reserved (can use frozen corn on the cob, thawed)
4 small or 2 med russet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
3 or 4 green chiles*, roasted, peeled and diced (or 3-4 small cans diced green chile)
1 box vegetable broth
1/2 cup plain soy milk
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut corn from cobs and set cobs aside.  Dice the potatoes, celery, onion, carrot, bell pepper and green chiles.
2. Heat olive oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.  Add celery, onion and carrot.  Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add corn, potatoes, bell pepper and green chile. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir to combine. Continue to sauté for about another 2 minutes, stirring frequently to keep flour from burning.
3. Add vegetable broth, garlic powder, paprika, nutmeg, cilantro, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add corn cobs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Take about 1 - 1 1/2 cups of the soup, including vegetables (not cobs), and put into blender or food processor. Add milk and puree until smooth. Pour back into soup. Continue to simmer for about 10 - 15 minutes.
5. Remove cobs and serve.

*Green chiles may be omitted if you prefer.

Continuing My Journey

I initially thought this would be a temporary project during the week-long "Vegan Challenge", but I think I'll continue to post about my attempts at eating healthier, consuming less dairy and eggs, and moving toward a fully vegan diet.  

What I found during the challenge was that some things were easier to do without than I thought, while others were way more difficult.  I love cheese, so that was a really hard one to sell.  I have heard that the vegan cheeses are getting better, but they still don't quite taste the same to me, and I think the texture has a lot to do with that.  I'm sure I could get used to it if I just bite the bullet and make it the only kind I use, but I'm finding that to be very, very hard to do.  

Eggs weren't AS hard to replace because I usually eat them scrambled, and to be honest, the crumbled tofu and some seasoning really does make a nice replacement.  The texture is pretty close, and with the right seasoning, you can duplicate the flavor fairly easily.  I've been eating the Amy's Breakfast Scramble for years and LOVE it, and that's made with tofu in place of the eggs, so I know I can get by.  The hardest part with eggs is replacing them in recipes.  That will take some research on my part.  

A friend of mine actually mentioned that she might like to give the "Vegan Challenge" another try, so we may be doing another one soon.  If and when we do, I'll post the information here in hopes that someone sees it and decides to join us.  

I'm off to buy some vegan gravy mix and my Quorn Turk'y Roast in preparation for Thanksgiving.  I know, I know....it's still a week and a half away, but last year I had a hard time finding one so I want to buy it early and keep it frozen.    I've already tried the vegan gravy and I have to admit that I actually really, really liked it!  I believe it's called "Better Than Gravy".  I'll let you know for sure when I get it.  

Anyway, I hope you have a great day!  Enjoy!