And They Said I Wouldn't Cook: Toaster Oven Socca

Thank you to everone who has already entered my blogger giveaway to win a copy of Chef A.j.'s book, Unprocessed. The responses are downright inspiring and it's not too late to enter if you haven't done so yet.

Prior to becoming a Nutritarian, a lot of people have legitimate concerns about whether or not this is a doable lifestyle for them. Unfortunately, as a society, we have become overly reliant on cheap, easy "food" that has little to no nutritional value. It's pretty obvious when considering this way of life that your habits in the kitchen department are going to have to change pretty entirely. Some people have even vocalized that they just don't know where to begin or even how to prepare healthy real food given their schedule and lifestyle. But I am here to say that you must make the choice. It's cook or get cooked, by disease that is. Either you take responsibility for your health or you don't. It's that simple.

Before I began kitchen renovations, my contractor, Dan Dureiko, said I wouldn't cook once our renovation was underway.

My friend, Brian Green, asked, "Do you know about the hidden cost of kitchen renovations?"

"No," I replied, shaking in my high healed, black suede, slouchy boots. This is already way over budget.

"Eating out in restaurants," he laughed.

"I'll show them all," I thought. Plus, there's pretty much no where to go out to eat when you are working hard to be an oil free, plant strong, Nutritarian Vegan.

My back's against the wall.

So I'm cooking, without a kitchen. A stew in my crock pot, quinoa salad in my rice cooker, I've even placed an order for a pressure cooker from amazon.com. I'm not letting a little thing like this

slow me down for a minute! If I can manage to get healthy real food on my table every day without a real kitchen, I won't accept any one's excuses!

This morning I was exploring the message boards on Dr. Fuhrman's Member Center for the first time ever, after participating in a webinar last last night where I learned how to navigate the monster, I came upon a thread about "Socca." It's a little like a bread, a little like a pancake. I've been seeing bloggers talk about it on and off for over a year now, so I was curious when I discovered that it was being referenced amongst Nutritarians. I quickly figured out that I could adapt it for my toaster oven so my 6 year old and I decided to go for it.

I'm pretty sure it was popularized by Michelle and Lori, the Pure2Raw twins over at http://www.pure2raw.com/. Here are two links that are worth exploring if you are so inclined:
All about Socca http://www.pure2raw.com/socca-tribute/
The Socca Videos http://www.pure2raw.com/2011/03/finally-our-first-socca-video/

Of course Maya wanted to start with their Chocolate Socca (sans the cardamom, she's just 6).

I decided to spray my pans with coconut oil spray instead of using the 3 Tbsp of coconut oil that The Twins call for. As you can see from the pictures below, it worked just beautifully without all of that oil.

I divided the batter into 2 9" round cake pans. Perfect size for my toaster oven! Here it is after baking for 20 minutes.

They popped out easily, just like the twins said they would!

Drizzled with maple syrup. My kids took one bite and they were done. I'm pretty sure they were expecting a sweet pancake, but they are more like a moist, dense bread and there is no sweetness except for the topping that you use. Next time I am going to try the straight up plain variety. Making the socca was so fast and easy with the detailed descriptions from The Twins, thanks Pure2Raw!

Have you ever made Socca? What were your results?

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Last Licks . . . Mama Pea's Mmmm Sauce and Roasted Sweet Potato Rings

The day is dangerously close when life as I know it will come to an end. Tomorrow my contractor is setting up a makeshift kitchen in my living room where I will be attempting to "cook" for the next 12 weeks (I'm NOT complaining!). If I make it through I will be blessed with the kitchen of my dreams (big smile and nervous laughter). It's either the best decision I have ever made or the stupidest financial risk. Time will tell. And I don't want to live a life that ends in regret.

You'd think that I would be spending my last few days with a full kitchen preparing elaborate vegan soups and casseroles that I could freeze and that would help get us through the duration. But if you guessed I was doing that, you'd be way wrong. It's more like I'm paralyzed with fear. I'm avoiding life like the plague--hardly blogging, e-mails piling up, watching far too much reality TV. Hey, even I get (mildly!) depressed.

I first saw today's recipe this morning when I was going through a few days worth of old e-mails. That's generally how I decide what's for dinner--some interesting recipe magically lands in my in box and today this was it. I noticed that Mama Peas' Mmmm Sauce called for 1/4 cup of canola oil so I asked Mama Pea what I should do if I didn't want to use any oil. Nice girl that she is, she almost immediately suggested avocado. I happened to have one that I needed to use up, so I substituted 1/2 of an avocado for the oil.

I whipped up the batch of Mmmm Sauce when I got home from work and tossed it into a big salad . . . it was just okay. Then I dipped a roasted sweet potato ring (my new go to side dish for weeknights) and it was magic! The sauce actually reminded me of one of my all time favorite recipes. It was Gena at Choosing Raw's Raw Curried Cashew Spread that made me sure I could go vegan and never look back.

If you haven't made Roasted Sweet Potato rings, here's how to do it: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheets with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Carefully cut sweet potatoes into 1/4" slices and lay on baking sheet in a single layer. Place tray in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and flip rings. Place trays back in oven, but rotate oven placement of trays top to bottom. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving as is or with your favorite dipping sauce.

For another extraordinary use of Roasted Sweet Potato Rings, don't forget to give Chef A.j.'s Sweet Potato Nachos a try. Yum!

What risks have you taken lately? Is there anything that you want to do but are on the fence about?

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Chickpea Zucchini Piccata

Thanks to my friend Liz, who has been an avid reader, commenter and general inspiration here on HGK since the beginning. Last week she mentioned to me that she and her husband were really enjoying the Chickpea Picatta recipe from Appetite for Reduction. So when it came time for me to focus (have you noticed how unfocused I have been lately? Three sick kids and a kitchen renovation project will sure take your mind off of cooking!) on testing a new recipe, it was the first thing that came to mind. I love lemons and capers, so thanks Liz, for another great suggestion! 

Served over arugula, as Ms. Moskowitz recommended, it was sooooo lemony and divine! For my 11 year old, I plated it up with some brown rice. Ms. Moskowitz also suggests mashed potatoes, but I didn't have the wherewith all for that tonight. The only thing I would do differently when I make this again is to add even more vegetables--perhaps an 8 ounce package of sliced mushrooms added at the same time that I add the chopped zucchini . . .

Chickpea Zucchini Piccata

serves 8

based on a recipe from Isa Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction

Printable Recipe

2 cups thinly sliced Shallots

12 Garlic Cloves, diced
4 tbsp Bread Crumbs
4 cups Vegetable Broth (low Sodium)
2/3 cup Sherry Cooking Wine
Black Pepper
3 medium green zucchini, chopped medium
3 16 oz cans Garbanzo Beans-rinsed and drained
1/2 cup Capers
6 tbsp Lemon Juice, Freshly Squeezed
8 cups Arugula, Raw

Preheat a large heavy bottomed pan over medium. Pour in a few Tbsp of the veggie broth to just cover the bottom of the pan. As soon as the broth is bubbling, add the shallots and garlic. Saute the shallots and garlic for about 5 minutes, until golden, adding a bit more broth if the mixture gets too dry. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them by stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. They should turn a few shades darker.

Add the rest of the vegetable broth and wine, salt, black pepper and thyme. Turn up heat and bring to a rolling boil and let the sauce reduce by 1/2, it should take about 7 minutes.

Add chopped zucchini and cook until zucchini just starts to turn from white to translucent. Add the chickpeas and capers to heat through, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon and turn off the heat. Taste and add salt if desired.

If serving with mashed potatoes or cooked brown rice, place the arugula in a wide bowl. Place mashed potatoes on top, and ladle picatta over the potatoes. The arugula will wilt and it will be lovely. If you are serving solo, just pour right over the arugula.

What have you been busy with lately? I'm not kidding, I would love to hear about it!!!

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Jeff Novick/Barbara Rolls Volumetrics Review and a Volumetric Recipe from Clean Food

Volumetrics. It's a concept that revolutionized the way that I eat, but something that I haven't talked about that much here on HGK. I was first introduced to the concept by Bethenny Frankel, you know, that famous New York Housewife who writes those books about being "Naturally Thin." She's got some interesting ideas in her books, but none so powerful as the one I am focusing on here today. It's such a worthwhile topic and there are quite a few new readers of HGK that might not be familiar with it that I am dedicating this post to it. (Please forgive me if this is review for you.)

"The Volumetrics Eating Plan is based on a basic fact: people like to eat. And if people are given the choice between eating more and eating less, they'll take more almost every time.

Unlike diets that are based on deprivation, the Volumetrics diet doesn't try to fight this natural preference. Its creator, nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, argues that limiting your diet too severely won't work in the long run. You'll just wind up hungry and unhappy and go back to your old ways.

Rolls' approach is to help people find foods that they can eat lots of while still losing weight. The hook of Volumetrics is its focus on satiety, the feeling of fullness. Rolls says that people feel full because of the amount of food they eat -- not because of the number of calories or the grams of fat, protein, or carbs. So the trick is to fill up on foods that aren't full of calories. Rolls claims that in some cases, following Volumetrics will allow you to eat more -- not less -- than you do now, while still slimming down.

Rolls doesn't ban food types as part of the Volumetrics diet. She doesn't divide foods into the good and the bad. But she does urge people to evaluate foods based on their energy density. This concept is crucial to the whole diet.

Energy density is the number of calories in a specified amount of food. Some foods -- especially fats -- are very energy dense. They have a lot of calories packed into a small size. Water is the opposite, since it has an energy density of zero. If you eat foods with high energy density, you rack up calories quickly. If you go with less energy dense foods, you can eat more and get fewer calories." http://www.webmd.com/diet/volumetrics-what-it-is

Very low-density foods include:
Non-starchy vegetables
Fruit
Unsweetened nut milk like almond milk
Soup broths

Very high-density foods include:
Crackers
Chips
Cookies
Chocolate/Candies
Nuts
Butter
Oils

If you are a more visual learner, than the next two Jeff Novick videos are for you.

A note about the blender/blended food issue: I drink a green smoothie almost every morning. Mr. Novick questions the benefit of that when the goal is weight loss. He brings up a very interesting point. Whole unprocessed foods are clearly the best as far as weight loss goes. Eating a whole apple is better from a weight loss perspective than a blended up apple.

But, the reality of that is another story. The contents of my morning green smoothie these days are spinach, celery, apple, grapes, kale, parsley, almond milk, ground flax seed and ice. Would I ever sit down to a bowl of spinach, celery, apple, grapes, kale, parsley in the morning? What dressing would I have to put on that bowl to make it palatable for me? Would I have the time and energy to chew all of that food given my incredibly rushed mornings?

My conclusion is this: even a blended green smoothie is healthier for me than any other breakfast I could consume. And it does fill me up until lunch. So, on that scorecard, even if eating the contents of the smoothie in their whole form would be BETTER for me than in their blended form, I would never be able to do it. So, in balance, a green smoothie is the best, most realistic option for me. I'm sticking with it.

But, if you are trying to lose weight, it is worth your while to consider what you are putting into your smoothies. Would you eat all of that food if it wasn't blended up together? It might just be something worth thinking about.

Here's a good example of a recipe that would be included in a Volumetric way of eating:

Cabbage Saute with Tart Cherries and Crisp Apples

from Clean Food by Terry Walters

get the recipe here

I served this over brown rice and both my husband and daughter loved it! The only changes to the recipe that I made were eliminating the oil and using broth instead and substituting maple syrup for the agave.

If Volumetrics is a new concept for you, you might want to investigate it even more. You can read reviews of Ms. Rolls' book here on Amazon:

Were you familiar with the Volumetrics concept prior to reading this posting? How has it impacted your diet?

Do you think about it when you choose food off of a menu in a restaurant?

Do you think about it when doing meal planning at home?

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The Engine 2 Diet Super Bowl Parties: Ideas, Part 4- Last of the Recipe Suggestions

Wow! The last few days have been a whirlwind of blogging/facebooking activity centered around The Oprah Episode and my unfortunate blogger curfluffle with Roni over at http://www.greenlightbites.com/. I have a lot still to say on these issues, I'm just collecting my thoughts right now. But I do want to say THANK YOU for the honest and interesting comments to my last post. Whether you understand and support my approach or not, I thank you for chiming in. It is so true, the narrative is important.

I've got to immediately start preparing for my big Plant-Strong Super Bowl Party! Just in case you haven't done your planning and shopping yet, here are some more great recipes that you might want to consider for tonight:

Jessica at The Domestic Vegan compiled a superb list of ideas. Any oil in the recipes can be replaced with veggie broth.

Gena over at Choosing Raw has been posting Plant-Strong Super Bowl recipes for days now. Both bloggers suggested making veganized versions of artichoke and spinach dip . . . I just might have to add another dish to what I'm making today. I've got to get off of this computer and get started!

And finally, the Dr. Fuhrman Member Center e-mailed all of their members their ideas for a Nutritarian Super Bowl party and suggested that we share them with friends. Here they are, in their entirety:

Dr. Furhman's Bean Salsa Dip
This makes a great salsa for baked pita chips.
Serves:6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

1 15-ounce can adzuki beans (no salt), drained
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup canned tomato paste, no salt
4 tablespoons raw almond butter
2 tablespoons Dr. Fuhrman's Black Fig Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon each dried parsley, oregano and chili powder, or to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a fork.

Marian's Tofu Chili
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

3 cups brown rice, optional
1 pound extra firm tofu, frozen & thawed*, squeezed dry and crumbled
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, no salt
2 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste
1/2 15-ounce can kidney beans (low or no salt), drained
1/2 15-ounce can pinto beans (low or no salt), drained

If using rice, cook according to package directions.

In a large pan, combine all ingredients except rice, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.

If desired, serve over brown rice.

*Thaw tofu on counter top for about 6 hours before squeezing out water.
Freezing the tofu results in a more meaty texture. Unfrozen, crumbled tofu may also be used.

Note: If desired, this may be made in a crock pot. Crumble frozen, thawed tofu into a large pan. Turn heat to med/high and add peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook until tender. Pour into a crock pot along with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

Pita Pizza
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup water
4 whole wheat pitas
2 cups low sodium pasta sauce
1 cup grated soy mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Saute peppers, onions, and garlic in water just until tender. Top pitas with sauce, sauteed veggies, and grated cheese, or cut pitas in half to form a pocket and spread sauce, veggies, and cheese inside. Place on a cookie sheet & heat in oven for 20 minutes.

Dr. Fuhrman's Guacamole
Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons onion
1 red pepper
2 organic celery stalks
4 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup tomato, optional
1 small jalapeno pepper, optional
1/3 cup cilantro, optional

Press garlic. Finely chop onion, red pepper and celery and place in bowl with garlic. Mash avocados well and add to other ingredients. Add lemon juice and mix well. Add optional ingredients, according to taste. Cover and refrigerate. Use as a dip for veggies, place in a pita pocket or serve with Ezekiel tortillas cut into small triangles and heated until crisp in a low oven (200 degrees) for 1 hr. 15 min.

Dr. Fuhrman's Perfect Pesto
Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

2/3 cup raw almonds
2/3 cup pine nuts
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
2/3 cup fresh parsley or cilantro leaves, packed
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons Braggs Liquid Aminos
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped tomato

In a blender or food processor, pulse to grind almonds and pine nuts finely (do not puree). Remove and place in a mixing bowl. Blend remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Combine with nut mixture.

Use as a dip for fresh cut veggies, or a topping for cooked vegetables or potatoes.

Dr. Fuhrman's Eggplant Hummus
Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes

1 medium eggplant, cut in half
1 cup cooked or canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas), low or no salt, drained
1/3 cup water
4 tablespoons raw unhulled sesame seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried minced onions
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
dash paprika and/or dried parsley for garnish (optional)

Bake eggplant at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool, remove skin & discard.

Blend all ingredients, including baked, peeled eggplant, in a food processor or high powered blender until smooth and creamy.

Serve with assorted raw vegetables.

Dr. Fuhrman's Tomato Almond Pocket Pitas

4 small pitas or 2 regular-sized pitas (In the bread aisle of most supermarkets are smaller versions of whole wheat pitas. Those are the best to use, but if you can’t find them, use regular-size pita.)
2 tablespoons almond butter
4 tablespoons low sodium tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Dr. Fuhrman's Black Fig Vinegar (optional)
pinch chili powder (optional)
1 Haas avocado
1 tomato
lettuce
sprouts

Lightly toast the pita. Use a fork to mash the almond butter with the tomato sauce, fig vinegar and chili powder until it becomes a smooth consistency. When the pita has cooled down, cut it in half to form a pocket. Spread the almond butter/tomato sauce dressing into the pita. Add slices of avocado, tomato, lettuce and sprouts into the pita in the amount to your liking.

What did you think of all of my Plant-Strong Super Bowl Party talk? Fun for you or boring?

Are having your own PSSBP today or bringing plant-strong food to a party? Are you taking the day off and planning on indulging?

What does a food indulgence look like for you right now?

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Healthy Convenience Food

Every once in a while an idea comes across my path that really makes a difference in my life. Well folks, the idea that I am about to share with you fits that qualification. The concept was presented to me last week at Whole Foods Market, where, as most of you know, my ten-year-old daughter and I have been participating in 28-day Engine 2 vegan food challenges. We're now well into our second challenge and still loving it and learning a lot.

At last week's meeting bowls of various foods were laid out on tables and we were given a container to concoct our own unique dinner on the spot. What was in those bowls was so simple that it could be categorized as follows:

(1) cooked whole grains (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, barley, whole wheat cous cous, etc., etc.)

(2) canned beans (kidney, black, canelli, garbanzo, fava, etc., etc.), drained and rinsed

(3) cooked or raw vegetables (cooked broccoli, corn, string beans, spinach, chopped tomatoes, etc., etc.)

(4) seasonings (any dry spice/herb, any salt free seasoning, low-sodium soy sauce, and vinegar)

What resulted was surprisingly delicious. I started my bowl with whole wheat shell noodles, added a variety of beans, cooked broccoli, corn and string beans, and topped it all off with a dusting of sesame seeds. That's all. And it was good. Real good.

And I thought, this would be the perfect equation to prepare a never ending variety of hot lunches for my kids! Yipee! Eureka! (Those of you trying to prepare healthy lunches for kids every day know how challenging this is.)

So my first attempt at home involved the following:

one bag of frozen brown rice from Trader Joes, cooked

one bag of frozen broccoli from Trader Joes, cooked

one can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1 Tbsp mirin (a Japanese wine vinegar)

I just mixed everything in a large bowl. It was tasty and delicious. It went in my daughter's lunch box. But then, the leftovers became . . . DINNER! 

I had made a batch of Choosing Raw's Cheesy Red Pepper Hemp Dip in the morning. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but the recipe intrigued me and I had faith that something good would come of it. Well, it was delicious served over the leftover mix of brown rice, veggie and bean. So delicious that I find that I am craving the whole business right now as I type this! Served with a side of roasted acorn squash, it was a perfect healthy vegan meal!

Roasted Acorn Squash

1 squash generally serves 2 people as a side dish

acorn squash, washed, cut in half, seeds removed

cooking oil spray, I used coconut oil

salt

maple syrup or agave syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place acorn squash halves, cut side up, on cookie sheet. Spray lightly with cooking oil spray, sprinkle lightly with salt, and drizzle syrup lightly on top. Bake in oven for one hour. Serve immediately, but keeps nicely in the refrigerator and tastes great cold too!

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Wendy's Vegan Chili Mac Recipe

Hi friends! It has been WAY too long since I posted a new recipe.  Lately I have been preparing a lot of things that I have already written about and, the new things that I have tried making have been, well, less than blogworthy. So I'm really excited to tell you about something delicious called Chili Mac, for those of you that have never heard of it.

I first was introduced to the concept by a co-worker who was participating in the 28-day Engine 2 Challenge at Whole Foods with me. She found a recipe on FatFreeVegan and recommended it, suggesting it might be good for my 10-year-old daughter who was also participating in the challenge with us. She was so right, my daughter loved it. Me, I thought it was okay, but not worth making a second time. Check out that recipe here at  FatFreeVegan Chili Mac

So when my friend Jill was asking for dinner ideas for her family I brought it up. And I thought, it's such a great concept for a healthy meal, I need to give it another go. So I printed out a few vegan chili mac recipes from the Internet and came up with my own, using the ingredients that I know I like. I suggest you do the same. Just like my vegan enchilada recipe, chili mac is super easy to customize!

I decided to go with a meat replacement product called "Gimme Lean." I've used it before and I couldn't recall whether or not I liked it. Eating these types of vegan meat substitutes is something I try to really limit. Too many ingredients, a little too high in salt. But I wanted to see if I could make a Vegan Chili Mac recipe that the whole family would love, and this really helped. Next time I make this, and there will be a next time, I am going to use a meat substitute like Morningstar Farms  Veggie Crumbles. I just like the consistency of that product better.

Wendy's Vegan Chili Mac

serves 8

8 ounces whole wheat elbow macaroni (I used Barilla Plus)

1 large onion, chopped

3 Tbsp vegetable broth or water

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 package frozen Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles or 1 chub Gimme Lean Ground Sausage

10 ounces frozen corn

1 25.5 ounce (or more) jar of your favorite tomato sauce

1 bunch kale, rinsed, hard stems removed and sliced thin

1 cup (or more) water

1 can kidney beans, washed and drained (I used a 20 ounce can, but a 15 ounce can is fine too)

1 Tbsp chili powder (mild, med or hot--your preference)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

optional: Cayenne pepper or red chili flakes, to taste-be careful, you can always add more

Cook macaroni according to package directions and set aside.

Place a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add vegetable broth. When bubbling, add chopped onion. Stirring frequently and watching the heat (we are looking for browning, not burning), cook until onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir. Add a few Tbsp water or broth if pan is too dry as you are sauteing the onions and garlic.

Add veggie crumbles or veggie sausage. The veggie sausage will take more work to break it up and brown. The veggie crumbles just require stirring to cook and brown. Once browned, add corn and stir.

Turn heat to low. Add tomato sauce and at least 1 cup of water. Add kale and stir. Add beans and stir. Add cooked elbow macaroni and stir. Season with 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp salt and if desired, a pinch of Cayenne pepper or red chili flakes. 

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