Healthy Spring Wakame Salad

21-Day Vegan Kickstart / a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) site / Alexandra Jamieson:

How about a nice healthy Salad on this approaching Spring Summer Weekend?


Pressed Salad with Wakame

Makes 8 servings

1 ounce dried wakame seaweed
4 cups napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, de-seeded, and sliced thinly
1 cup thinly sliced daikon or red radishes
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 cups grated carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
1 medium sweet-tart apple, cored and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon umeboshi vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1. To prepare the wakame, rinse under cold running water for 30 seconds. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water; soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze dry and trim away any spines if the pieces are whole. Slice into thin strips.
2. Combine wakame, vegetables, and apple in a large stainless steel or glass mixing bowl. Sprinkle the salt on top and toss well to evenly distribute the salt.
3. Place an inverted dinner plate smaller than the bowl opening on top of the vegetables in the bowl and press down. Place something heavy (such as a few large cans of beans or tomatoes, or a gallon jug of water) on the plate to weigh down.
4. Leave the bowl at room temperature, away from sunlight or a heat source, for 2 hours. Remove the plate, drain any pooled liquid from the bowl, and squeeze out any excess liquid from the vegetables.
5. Taste the vegetables. If they’re too salty for your taste, rinse them lightly with cool water and pat them dry with clean kitchen towels. Toss with vinegar and serve.

Note: Wakame is a sea vegetable that you can find dried in packages in health food stores or Asian markets. Rich in iron, calcium, and other trace elements, wakame is delicious in marinated salads.

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Top 10 Vegan CookBooks Vegan Recipes

Top Ten Vegan Cookbooks - Vegan Recipes, Vegan Cookbook

Interestingly even in the Amazon UK top 10 ' vegan cookbook ' charts the list is mainly American recipe books from the USA. The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking a UK vegan diet recipe book doesn't make it in until number 6 although the same authors, Tony (cook) and Yvonne (nutritionist) Bishop-Weston have another vegan cookbook, The Vegan Cookbook, that currently sneaks in at number 10 despite being out of print.

Tony Bishop-Weston's original legendary hardback Scottish Vegan cookbook, Rainbows and Wellies from over 15 years ago in 1995 , can still be picked up for around £15 on Amazon.

Many of the vegan diet books in the vegan top ten are dedicated to vegan baking recipes as it seems vegans are obsessed with cup cakes and it's spuriously perceived that cakes are the hardest to create.

In fact, as the British Complete Book of Vegan Cooking reveals, vegan cakes and baking is as easy as just leaving out the eggs and adding in a bit of soya milk or rice milk. As long as you have a good balance of protein, fat and sugar and something to emulsify the mix such as cocoa, lemon, vinegar or coffee it's hard to go wrong.

The Ubiquitous Isa Chandra Moskowitz rules the roost in the Vegan diet cook book world with titles such as Vegan cupcakes take over the world and veganomicon, Vegetarian Rose Elliot (the thinking man's Deliah Smith) still gets in the Vegan bestseller list despite her vegetarian status. Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin with their Skinny Bitch vegan books and Alicia Silverstone with her Kind of Diet have also become vegan diet favourites

New kid on the block in the UK is Yotam Ottolenghi who wrote a vegetarian series in the Observer - not even a vegetarian let a lone a vegan no -one is more surprised than he - Ottolenghi's books have fantastic photography that only The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking comes anything close to - it's clear he loves real food and has an appreciation of vegetables but if it's a vegan chocolate cake or lemon vegan cupcake you are looking for you are going to be sadly disappointed.

Due to her feature on The Oprah Winfrey Show Kathy Freston's book the Veganist has made it into the Amazon bestsellers list, an amazing achievement for a vegan cookbook, but if the guidance on Oprah's website is anything to go by it's more of a 'menu out of a packet' book than a vegan recipe book - I guess that's what most people want. Quick and easy instant vegan meals rather than true recipes and actual cooking.

None-the-less a vegan cookbook in the current Amazon bestsellers list is an amazing achievement, metered only by the fact that Donald Rumsfield book is at Number 1, so what does that say?

World's Most Filling Vegan Dish? Lentil and Eggplant Chile Mole with Cornbread - Health Blog - CBS News

World's Most Filling Vegan Dish? Lentil and Eggplant Chile Mole with Cornbread - Health Blog - CBS News:

To make this a low fat Plantarian recipe * substitute the oil and sugar in the cornbread for apple puree and use some of the broth to saute instead of the oil and add in a handful of chopped olives or some pistachios

 

Lentil And Eggplant Chili Mole

Makes 6 servings
Active cooking time: 15 minutes
Total cooking time: 1 hour

Eggplant and lentils make for a 'beefy' chili that warms you to the core on a cold winter's night. If a little cocoa powder in chili is new to you, don't take my word for its deliciousness. Mexico has been rocking chocolate chili for thousands of years. I prefer plain old green lentils for this dish. They're easy to find and their mellow flavor works well with all the strong flavors of this recipe. Serve with Fresh Corn and Scallion Cornbread (see below), over rice or over a baked sweet potato.

Tip: For spicier chili, add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes when you add the garlic.

Nutrition tip: Lentils are amazingly nutritious little beans (no wonder those vegetarian cookbooks from 70's seem to be all lentil dishes). One half-cup cooked lentils has 9 grams protein, 3.2 grams iron, 179 micrograms folate, and 8 grams of fiber. They're also incredibly affordable - that half cup would cost you around 25 cents. Next time someone tells you it's expensive to eat vegan, tell them 'lentils.'

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds eggplant, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced medium
1 red pepper, diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon mild chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup green lentils, washed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons agave nectar or maple syrup
Cilantro for garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat a 4-quart soup pot over medium high heat. Saute onions and bell pepper in oil until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute, using cooking spray or a splash of water if it's sticking. Mix in chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and cinnamon. Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth and the cocoa powder; cook for about 1 more minute, while stirring, to dissolve the cocoa.

Add lentils, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and eggplant. Cover pot and bring to a boil, keeping a close eye. Once it's boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes, until lentils are tender and eggplant is soft. Mix in agave. Taste for salt and seasoning.

Let sit for 10 minutes or so for maximum flavor. Serve garnished with cilantro if you like.

NUTRITION

Calories: 220
Calories from fat: 20
Total fat: 2 g
Sat fat: 0 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Total Carbohydrates: 39 g
Fiber: 18 g
Sugars: 10 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 800 mg


Fresh Corn & Scallion Cornbread

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
*2 tablespoons canola oil
*2 tablespoons sugar
1 cups soymilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup frozen corn
1 cup scallion, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350, line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper or spray the bottom lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soymilk and vinegar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt).

Add the oil and maple syrup to the soymilk mixture. Whisk until it is foamy and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

Pour the wet ingredient into the dry and mix together using a large wooden spoon or a firm spatula. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Slice into squares and serve warm or store in an airtight container.

NUTRITION

Calories: 160
Calories from fat: 140
Total fat: 4.5 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 4g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 80 mg


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isa Chandra Moskowitz, author of 'Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast & Filling Low-Fat Recipes.' Reprinted courtesy Da Capo Lifelong Books.

Scottish Broth Goes Med

Vegan food is a celebration of produce, as is this stew.

Larry Crowe / AP

After years in brown rice limbo, vegan gets hot - Food - MiamiHerald.com:

Nice twist on traditional Scots broth without the Ox's tail and with Sicilian Olives to Mediterranean-ise it.

 To make this recipe Plantarian use some of the broth instead of the olive oil to saute the onions and garlic, keep the lid on the pan to trap in the flavour and nutrients. Cook on a lower heat

Mediterranean Barley Vegetable Stew

Start to finish: 1 hour

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 medium yellow onions, diced

28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

4 cups (1 quart) vegetable broth

2 sprigs fresh rosemary, minced

1 1/2 cups pearl barley

12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips

5 ounces fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup castelvetrano olives, pitted and sliced

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan over medium heat, place the olive oil. Add the garlic, shallots and onions and saute until soft and translucent, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, broth, rosemary and barley, then bring to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook until the barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Stir in the roasted peppers, spinach, olives and 1 cup of water. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 338 calories, 73 calories from fat (22 percent of total calories), 8 g fat (1 g saturated, 0 trans fats) 0 cholesterol, 61 g carbohydrate, 9 g protein, 12 g fiber, 947 mg sodium.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/20/2021907/after-years-in-brown-rice-limbo.html#ixzz1BZKhFEJL