I Want to Let You in on a Little Coconut Secret

I'm all about coconut! (One could say I'm quite cuckoo for coconuts!) Slather me in coconut oil, bake me some coconut cupcakes, let me slosh them down with a tall glass of chocolate coconut milk, pass me the French vanilla coconut creamer for my red rooibos chai tea, and please dollop some coconut milk yogurt
all over my bowl of fruit. (You get the picture.)

And then there's Coconut Secret. Hats off to my friend, Bryan Au, for turning me on to these wonderful raw coconut products. I'd heard of coconut flour, but coconut vinegar, coconut nectar, coconut crystals, and coconut aminos were all brand new to me, and I was quite eager to try them all!

As much as I adore the flavor of coconut, coconut vinegar, nectar, crystals, and aminos don't taste at all like coconut. That's because they're made from the nutrient-rich sap that exudes from coconut tree blossoms, rather than the coconut fruit. (This makes them perfect for those coco-phobes out there!) What you do get are raw enzymatically alive products that are grown without chemicals, pesticides, or herbicides, and taste as good or better than the alternatives. 

I've been enjoying the delightful earthy flavor of Coconut Crystals in place of sugar with my morning grapefruit and Coconut Nectar instead of agave with my afternoon herbal tea. Both are low-glycemic and sweetly delicious.

A broiled grapefruit sprinkled with ginger, cinnamon, and

Coconut Crystals brings a bit of sunshine to the start of my day! 

I fell in love with Coconut Aminos Soy-Free Seasoning Sauce. It's a blend of aged coconut sap and sun-dried mineral-rich sea salt that boats a smoky, much lighter-than-soy-sauce flavor. I preferred it with sushi over tamari or soy sauce, as it has a wonderfully mellow flavor that does not overpower with its saltiness. 

I tried cooking with Coconut Aminos in place of soy sauce, and I was delighted with the flavorful results. It worked beautifully in the Unfried Fried Rice and Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin-Mustard Tofu from Appetite for Reduction. And I was thrilled to see that my local Market of Choice carries Coconut Aminos Soy-free Seasoning Sauce, as it will now be a staple in my pantry.

I added little bits of "tofu egg" to the fried rice to remind me of the rice we used to order at the Dragon Seed Restaurant in Jackson Heights, NY every Sunday night when I was growing up. I recall that we always had to order everything without bean sprouts, because my mother would be horrified if a bean sprout came within 100 feet of our table.  

Coconut Vinegar was a nice departure from other vinegars. I like the idea of using it instead of apple cider vinegar to make "buttermilk" for baking, by mixing it with So Delicious Coconut Milk. 

I love to cook and bake with Coconut Flour. Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce seemed like the perfect way to treat myself after a long, hard week at work.  So we had these for Sunday brunch!

Now that I've let you in on my little coconut secret, you can explore Coconut Secret's website, share, and enjoy!

Chocolate-Chip Coconut Flour Pancakes

adapted from a recipe on http://vegweb.com

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Coconut Secret Coconut Flour
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour -or- gluten-free flour mix
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs evaporated cane crystals
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbs canola oil -or- coconut oil (thank you, Karen!)
1 1/4 cups So Delicious Original Coconut Milk Beverage
1 Tbs pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat a large skillet or pan for 2-5 minutes. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray.

Mix dry ingredients until well combined. Make a well in center, and fill with wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips, and mix until combined, but still a little lumpy. Spoon batter onto pan. I use 3 tablespoons per pancake. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 3 minutes, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes until golden brown. Serve with raspberry sauce. Makes 8 pancakes.

Simple Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients:

4 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup Coconut Crystals
1 Tbs cornstarch or arrowroot mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 15 minutes until the sauce is thickened. (If using frozen raspberries, it will take a little longer.) Remove from heat, and let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving. Makes: 3-4 servings.

Random Musings and Shatter-Resistant Glass Water Bottles!

My Christmas Cactus finally decided it would bloom—on Valentine's Day! It gifted me with just a single solitary flower, but boy, is it spectacular! 

My galangal plant, which I received as a 6-inch single stalk in a tiny 3-inch pot is now almost 3 feet tall,  bushy, and breathtakingly beautiful! I'm still waiting for it to flower, as I'm told the blooms look just like orchids. And I don't have the heart to dig up the roots to make Thai coconut soup. It's time for a bigger pot, don't you think?

I finally broke down and bought myself a pair of Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes. They're vegan, of course, and crazy comfortable, once your toes figure out how to wiggle themselves into each little toe slot. I saw someone wearing these last summer and thought they looked insanely ridiculous. But when I tried on a pair on, I was totally hooked! While trying to snap a photo of them, Chaya decided it would be better if the photo was more about her than the weird-looking shoes!

Chaya and Thelonious sometimes get into little skirmishes. They never stay mad at each other, and it's wonderful to watch them rub up against each other when they make up. It's also nice to see them quietly hanging out together.

I'm on this glass kick. I'm loving glass jars, glass straws, glass bowls. I mean, what's purer and cleaner than glass, right? So I recently got these wonderful glass water bottles. I know, you're thinking, "Glass water bottles? Aren't you worried about them breaking?" But here's the thing: Pure Glass Bottles have a non-removable, shatter-resistant coating that is also BPA-free. So your beverages are happy inside the glass, and you'll be happy, too, because if you happen to drop the bottle, it probably won't break. (And even if it does, you won't end up with shattered glass everywhere.) I dropped my 17.5-oz Traveller bottle filled with water on my wood floor, and it didn't even crack! (Even more impressive, the floor didn't get damaged, either.) Stainless steel bottles are a great improvement over plastic, but I love these glass bottles, because now I don't have to deal with the metallic taste anymore. It's just pure, delicious water, smoothies, lavender lemonade, and iced herbal tea. 

What new products have you recently discovered that are making your life more delicious?

Book Review: Asian Fusion~A Culinary Odyssey of Vegan Recipes by Chat Mingkwan

I'm a huge fan of Chat Mingkwan's earlier book, Buddha's Table: Thai Feasting Vegetarian Style. Its pages are well-worn and separating from the spine, because it's been propped open with weights on my kitchen counter so often. I seemed to have completely missed the release of his second book, Vietnamese Fusion: Vegetarian Cuisine, so now I'll have to track down a copy. But how exciting it was to learn that he's now created a third book filled with recipes from countries throughout Asia!

In the preface to Asian Fusion: A Culinary Odyssey of Vegan Recipes there are translations of the phrase "thank you" in ten Asian languages, only five of which I am familiar with. After tasting many of the recipes in this book, I 'd like to learn how to say thank-you to author Chat Mingkwan in all ten!

At the beginning of the book, you will familiar yourself with all of the special ingredients used in the recipes that follow. I quickly discover how cleverly Mingkwan utilizes plant-based seasonings to recreate the flavor-enhancing characteristics of many non-vegan ingredients—like shrimp paste and fish sauce—that are typically used in Asian cooking. With exotic names like salam leaves, shiso, and lesser ginger, and recipes from Burma, Sri Lanka, and Laos (to name but a few), I was quickly expanding my culinary horizons!

Since I can honestly say that I've never eaten Filipino food, I decided to delve right into Mingkwan's recipe for Pancit Noodles (Pancit Guisado). This flavorful dish heavily emphasized the Asian influences of Filipino cuisine (which also has Spanish influences). I loved working with pancit noodles, and the sauce was quite different from anything I've eaten before. Fermented bean curd was also new to me. Although an optional ingredient in this recipe, I'm really glad I used it, as it added a layer of complexity to the finished dish.

Of all the mouthwatering photos in this book, the one that really caught my eye was the Singaporean Sweet and Sour Plate (or Peal Wan Puk). And since Mark and I are both huge fans of Thai sweet and sour dishes, I decided to see how this one might compare. Well, as you can see, it served up beautifully:

The sauce was sweeter than Thai sweet and sour, with just a hint of citrus. It far exceeded both of our expectations, with Mark commenting that this was the best sweet and sour he'd ever eaten. I loved frying up the slender slices of tofu and found that I only needed to use half the oil called for in the recipe. 

I am looking forward to making at least one recipe from each of the thirteen countries represented in Asian Fusion, especially some of the yummy-sounding desserts like Sri Lankan Spiced Coconut Custard, Chinese Braised Pears in Sweet Wine, and Indian Baked-Spiced Bread Dessert. If you enjoy Asian food and have a yen to expand your own culinary horizons, then this book is just for you! 

Following is the for recipe Singaporean Sweet and Sour Plate from Chat Mingkwan's Asian Fusian excerpted by arrangement with Book Publishing Company. Copyright © 2010.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs light soy sauce, or more to taste

2 Tbs vegetarian or mushroom stir-fry sauce

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

3 Tbs rice vinegar

2 Tbs sugar, or more to taste

2 Tbs cornstarch

1 Tbs tomato paste (for red color; optional—but I used it!)

1 Tbs sambal oelek (Indonesian hot chile sauce) or sriracha sauce (I omitted this ingredient)

1 small orange, zest and juice

3 Tbs vegetable oil (I used 1 1/2 Tbs)

2 cups julienned tofu (3/4 - 1 lb)

3 Tbs minced garlic 

1 cup finely diced water chestnuts

1 cup finely diced onion

1 cup finely diced pineapple or apple

1 cup finely diced colorful bell peppers

Salt and ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts (optional—I used raw)

1/2 cup sliced green onions, both green and white parts, cut into 1-inch-long strips

4 springs fresh cilantro, leaves only, for garnish

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, stir-fry sauce, sweet chile sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, optional tomato paste, optional sambal oelek, and orange zest and juice in a small bowl. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the tofu and cook for 2-3 minutes, until light brown and crispy all over. Add the glaric and cook and stir for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the water chestnuts, onion, pineapple, and bell peppers. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the mixture from the wok and set aside.

In the same wok, stir in the soy sauce mixture. Cook and stir for 2-5 minutes, until the sauce thickens into a gravy. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick or too dry. Adjust the seasonings to taste.

Stir in the reserved tofu mixture and toss to coat evenly with the gravy. Just before removing from the heat, stir in the cashew nuts and green onions. 

Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with cilantro. Serves 6.

No Calories, No Fat, No Carbs, No Kidding! Oh, and a Winner!

If you're counting calories, fat, or empty carbs and you're passionate about pasta or nuts for noodles, then this post is for you!

Have you heard of Miracle Noodle? I first learned about it from my Facebook buddy, fitness coach Sincere Hogan. Because of his enthusiasm, dedication, and commitment to empowering people to achieve their health and fitness goals, Sincere is an inspiration to me. He often shares photos and recipes from his collection of "New Warrior Grub," and I am always excited when he posts something vegan. So when I happened to catch one of his posts featuring a high-fiber, calorie-free, fat-free, vegan noodle, I had to take a closer look.

A calorie-free noodle? Get outta here! But here's the scoop: Gluten-free, soy-free shiratake Miracle Noodle is made from the root of the konjac plant, also known as Devil's Tongue.

Seriously, is this not the most provocative-looking plant you've ever seen?

Known as konnyaku in Japanese, konjac is grown in the warm subtropical to tropical regions of China, Japan and eastern Asia. It has been used for centuries to make flour and jelly and has more recently been used to make a plant-based substitute for gelatin. Konnyaku noodles, known as shirataki in Japan, are filling, because they're made from water and a highly soluble fiber, called glucomannan. It makes you feel full, without adding calories, empty carbs, or fat. You'll be surprised how much like your everyday Miracle Noodles are. But a word of caution: you don't want to overeat this stuff. After all, your body does need nutrients other than fiber! But replace your pasta and noodles with shirataki, and you won't have that weighed-down, heavy feeling the morning after you consume it.

When I received my first bag of Miracle Noodle (angel hair style), I prepared it according to package directions, first draining and then rinsing the contents in cold water to remove their somewhat odd aroma, and then drying them on a clean kitchen. Drying the noodles is an essential part of the preparation, to remove the bitterness, or "aku" as it is referred to in Japanese. Then I blanched the noodles in boiling water for 1 minute, drained them again, and set them aside while I prepared the sauce for the Hot or Cold Sesame Noodles recipe found on Miracle Noodle's website. You definitely do not want to overcook these babies, as it would change their texture and make them too chewy.

Granted, this was basically an all-fat meal, so it's not one I would eat everyday. But it was very easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. It even brought back fond memories of the cold sesame noodles I used to enjoy at one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in New York City, T.S. Ma. (We're talking 25 years ago, and I still remember it!)

I next decided to get a little inventive. I threw together some ingredients I had on hand and created a tasty Mexican Pasta. As luck would have it, I just happened to have a jar of Nacho Mom's Vegan Fire-Roasted Queso in the cupboard! If you haven't yet tried Nacho Mom's Queso, get your hands on a jar. (You can also see some mouth-watering photos and read my earlier review here.)

My colorful Mexican Pasta concoction was scrumptious and a snap to prepare! And for all the Weight Watchers out there, it may not look like it, and sure didn't taste like it, but this was a completely zero-point meal!

Ingredients:

1 3.5-oz bag Miracle Noodles
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 cup spinach, packed
1 tomato, diced
2 heaping Tbs Nacho Mom's Ultimate Vegan Queso

Directions:

Prepare Miracle Noodles according to package directions, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

In a large skillet, sauté onions in broth for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add tomatoes and then spinach, stirring to combine. Cover, and heat until spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add queso to pan , and stir all together, heating through for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, add noodles to vegetables and sauce, serve, and enjoy!

Miracle Noodle makes several varieties of shiratake, including fettuccine and angel hair, and they even make rice! I can't wait to try the rice. What about you?

My heartiest thanks to everyone who entered my Glass Dharma giveaway. The lucky winner is Anna of GreenTalk! Congratulations! You'll soon be receiving an email confirmation from me and your gift certificate will also be emailed to you from Glass Dharma. Please let me know when you receive your straws.

In a State of Sipping Bliss Glass Dharma Straws Review and Giveaway!

What's your favorite beverage? Is it a smoothie, bubble tea, iced coffee, or a piña colada? Whatever you love, isn't it much more fun sipping it through a straw? I have the cheeriest childhood memories of slurping chocolate milk through flexible paper (and later, plastic) pastel-colored straws. Drinking anything through a straw (even maté tea) just makes me feel like a kid again.

But paper and plastic straws are disposable, and aren't we all looking for ways to live more sustainably? Enter Glass Dharma Straws—They're reusable, sustainable, and beautiful. They're so durable, they come with a lifetime guarantee! If you accidentally damage or break your straw, they will repair or replace it for free! And this is the part I love best: You don't have to choose between paper or plastic anymore!

Glass Dharma straws are also:

• Made in the USA
• Non-porous and hypoallergenic
• Handmade from borosilicate glass—the strongest type of commercially available glass on the market
• Great for all hot and cold drinks
• Perfect in specialty drinks like bubble teas, shakes and smoothies, and iced drinks
• Beautiful in cocktails—they make a highfalutin' accessory to any martini glass
• Kid-friendly and kid-safe
• You can even use them for drinking wine, coffee and tea so you don't stain your teeth. (Okay, maybe you'd raise a few eyebrows sipping your Merlot through a straw. Although maybe not—check out the snazzy little decorative dots number further down in this post.)

If you plan to take your eco-chic Glass Dharma straw with you when you dine out, I encourage you to buy a neat little hemp sleeve carrying case that will fit easily into your purse, pocket, or backpack. You can see mine on the table in the lower right-hand corner of the photo below. I brought my GlassDharma straw with me out to Manola's the other night and enjoyed sipping my Thai iced tea with coconut milk so much more. I already carry my own chopsticks, so why not my own straw? The chopsticks even fit inside the carrying case along with the straw! BYOS, is my new motto when eating out, which stands for: bring your own stuff! Speaking of which, did you know there's a movement to have restaurants encourage patrons to bring their own reusables and even offer reusables for sale as an upgrade to menu items? Check out TakeOutWithout, a company whose mission is to reduce restaurant waste. I learned about them on Glass Dharma's blog.

No, Johnny Depp didn't just walk in to the restaurant. 

I'm simply in a state of sipping bliss!

Glass Dharma straws are available in several sizes, and I really like their smaller gauge (7mm) "shorty" straws. They're 6.25" long and perfect for small children, juice glasses, martinis, and my favorite new grab-and-go beverage: So Delicious single-serve vanilla coconut milk beverage! This straw is thin enough to fit in the little punch-hole where the plastic straw would normally go in. My straw has red decorative dots on it. They also make decorative dots in Green, Blue, Amber, Clear, and Black. Yes, come to think of it, that straw would look quite grand in a glass of red wine!

I recently got a bag of acai powder from Mountain Rose Herbs and thought I'd use it to make a breakfast smoothie. Since I am prone to gulping down my smoothies rather than sipping them, I thought that sipping one through a Glass Dharma straw might encourage me to slow down and savor the the flavor. Check out the vibrantly beautiful fuchsia-like color of this one:

To make this smoothie, I blended together 1 cup cranberry juice, 1 tablespoon Acai berry powder, 1/2 cup frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, and 2 teaspoons agave.

I've had no problem cleaning my GlassDharma straws either by hand or in the dishwasher (which we seldom use). But if I ever forget to rinse one out right after using it, it's kind of nice to have a cleaning brush on hand. They're available as an optional accessory, but one is included when you buy a set of four straws.

I'm really tickled about my new glass straws. Like Dorcas Lane from the BBC series, Larkrise to Candleford, these straws are my one true weakness. (If you've never seen the show, this character says that about everything she loves.)

Would you like to win your very own Glass Dharma straws and make them your "one true weakness"? One lucky reader will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate from GlassDharma! To enter, visit GlassDharma's website, and then leave a comment here telling me which straw you'd most like to own or give as a gift. The winner will be selected in a random drawing and notified by email. Glass Dharma will also email the gift certificate to the winner.  (What I'm saying here, is please make sure that I can access your email address when you enter!) Open only to US and Canadian residents, please. Contest ends 1/31/11 Good luck!!!!

If you'd like to earn extra entries you can do any and/or all of the following: (You don't have to do any of these to win, but you'll earn 1 additional entry for each one you do and let me know about in your comments.)

• Follow this blog.
• Tweet this: Make sipping your smoothie sustainable and fun! Win a $25 gift certificate from @GlassDharma Straws! http://bit.ly/dEzLPk
• Follow Glass Dharma on twitter
• Follow me on twitter
• Mention this contest on your blog and include a link to this post.
• Post a link to this contest on your Facebook page.

A Pizza, Some Sushi, and A Winner!

The other night, just by chance, Mark and I created the most amazing Artichoke, Asparagus, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Mushroom, Onion Pizza!

I usually take the time to make homemade dough, but sometimes not. (Mark rolls it out. He has professional pizza-making experience!) Sometimes I have the time to make a homemade sauce, and sometimes not. Either way, homemade pizza is still delicious! And with enough tasty toppings, you don't even miss the cheese! Because friends have been asking for the recipe since I posted this photo on my facebook page, here's the quick and easy recipe for when you're short on time:

Ingredients:

1 packaged pizza dough (I like the pizza dough made by a local company, The Bread Stop)

1 16-oz jar Trader Joe's Fat-free Pizza Sauce

1/2 yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch rings

8 asparagus stalks, tough ends removed

1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 15-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced into 1/4"-thick rings

sundried tomatoes

fresh basil, roughly chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll out pizza dough and place on a lightly-oiled pizza pan or pizza stone. Bake on the bottom rack for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and gently press down any parts that have risen.

While dough is baking, using a large skillet, gently cook onions in a tablespoon of olive oil, or for a fat-free version, use 1/4 cup water.  (If you have more time, you can caramelize the onions for even more flavor!) Remove from heat, and set aside. 

Place asparagus spears in a steamer basket, and steam for 3 minutes, just until bright green in color. Remove from pot, and set aside.

Spread sauce over par-baked pizza dough, and then evenly place asparagus spears over pizza, so that each pizza slice will have an asparagus spear at its center. Arrange spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, onions, and basil around asparagus spears, decorating as you please. Bake on center rack for an additional 15-20 minutes, until outer crusts begins to turn slightly golden-brown. 

Monday nights are sushi night at our house! It's a cooking-free night for me, and an opportunity to indulge in my favorite veggie sushi rolls: Gail Rolls (avocado, cucumber, and inari), and Crop Burning (marinated shitake, avocado, cucumber, and hot sauce) which we take-out from Sushi Domo. Aren't they pretty?

Okay, enough about food, already. Let's get to the good stuff! The winner of a copy of my favorite new cookbook, Appetite for Reduction is ....~Cee~! Congratulations! Please check your email in-box for my message. Thank you to everyone who participated in this contest. Stay tuned for more to come!

Appetite for Reduction Book Review and Giveaway!

I adore the cover artwork, don't you? It's so beautiful, I'm inspired to write another book just so I can ask Lisa Diercks to design the cover. Wouldn't you love to own a copy of Appetite for Reduction? Read on for a chance to win one!

Did I mention that Isa wrote this book just for me? Well, not really. It only feels like she wrote it for me. Actually, she wrote it for her own personal reasons. But let's be honest: Who among us hasn't eaten more than our fair share of vegan cupcakes and cookies? (Thanks in no small part to Isa.) After all that indulgence, I celebrate Isa for creating Appetite for Reduction and for filling it with so many gorgeous, delicious, low-fat, low-calorie, winning recipes.

AFR is written in Isa's characteristic easy, breezy style,—and it's peppered with lots of helpful sidebars, like the "Ingredient Scavenger Hunt". The introduction to each recipe is sprinkled with amusing tidbits like "Don't be like Dick Cheney, cook your pasta properly!" This will make you smile a lot, which is a very good thing to do when you're playing with food.

You won't find any tempting desserts in this book, but what you will find are more than 270 pages of super-satisfying soups, salads, sandwiches, sides, stews, bakes, bowls, casseroles, curries, and pasta dishes, many with whimsical names like Unfried Refried Beans, Cajun Beanballs and Spaghetti, and 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma residing in equally adorable-sounding chapters like "Rub-Your-Tummy Veggies" and "Talk Pasta to Me (& Noodles!)." These dishes are made with easy-to-find ingredients, and you won't have to spend hours in the kitchen preparing them (many can be made in under 30 minutes!). The 14-page insert of full-color photographs will make your mouth water, even if you're not hungry and will inspire you to roll up your sleeves and get cooking. (The photo of Spinach Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta & Spinach is jaw-droppingly spectacular.)

If you haven't already sampled the recipe for Isa's OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings, you'll want to go straight to page 55 as soon as you get this book in your hot little hands. (Or maybe you'd like to take a quick detour to the color insert facing page 146, where you'll find a mouth-watering photo of Isa's onion rings.) These babies brought back happy childhood memories of paper-mâché masks and huge side orders of onion rings from the Belaire Diner—but without the newspaper and the high-fat grease. Making them was gobs of fun. Eating them was even more fun!

Deciding what to make next was a bit more challenging. OK, maybe not so much. Everybody knows how much I love barbecue. I honed in on the recipe for Tamarind BBQ Tempeh and Sweet Potatoes. This was seriously the most delicious barbecue sauce I've ever eaten and by far, the easiest to make. I marinated the tempeh for over an hour and was glad I did, because the sexy-sweet, tangy-tart flavor of tamarind made the sauce really sizzle. This dish would have been great with onion rings, but since I'd already eaten like a hundred of them that day, I served it with Polenta Stuffing (one of Isa's recommendations.) It wasn't even Thanksgiving, but it sure seemed like a holiday meal!

I really wanted to try the recipe for Quinoa, White Bean, and Kale Stew, but I didn't have any white beans on hand. So instead of substituting, I chose Smoky Tempeh and Greens Stew, as I always seem to have tempeh in the fridge. (Interestingly, Isa says you can substitute white beans for the tempeh in this dish, if you happen to be out of tempeh). The seasonings in this dish (think: lots of smoked paprika) were very mellow, but blended together beautifully. Only Isa could get me excited about a dish that has lima beans in it. And this one tasted better with every bite!

Mark and I were really in the mood for pasta. But which recipe? (Pasta de Los Angeles and Creamy Mushroom Fettuccine were both contenders). I decided on Fusilli Roasted Veggie Primavera, because fusilli is fun to say and tickles your tongue when you eat it. This was one of those dishes that makes you want to sing Italian love songs while you're making it, and makes you feel like you're in Little Italy while you're eating. In a word: magnifico!

If you want to treat your taste buds to lots of delicious new recipes and your be very good to your waistline at the same time, don't wait another second to get yourself a copy of Appetite for Reduction. And if you'd like to win your very own copy, here's all you have to do:

1. Follow this blog.
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me what dish sounds most appealing to you and/or why you'd like to own a copy of this book.
3. Make sure I have a way to get in touch with you to let you know you've won.
4. That's it!

I'll use the magic random number generator to select a winner next week. Good luck!

I'm Mad About Mesquite!

2010 has been a glorious year of discovery for me. From astragalus root to holy basil and from chia seed to maca powder, my kitchen is now filled with the most amazing plant-based wonders. So I could not have been more excited when my package of goodies from Foods Alive arrived!

My most favorite discovery of the year is mesquite powder, a nutritious treat made from the bean pods of the algorroba tree (Prosopis juliflora), native to the Southwest, Northern Mexico, and desert areas of South America.

Mesquite is a nutritional powerhouse—high in protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, fiber, and the amino acid, lysine. Its flavor is a bit hard to describe: Think malty, smoky, nutty, sweet, and sultry. It's not quite like molasses or maple, but has undertones of both.  From the moment I opened my first bag of Foods Alive Raw Organic Mesquite Powder and got a whiff of its hypnotic aroma, I fell in love. While most mesquite powders on the market are coarse and grainy, I prefer the finely-ground texture of Foods Alive Mesquite Powder. This is what I call a spoonful of golden bliss:

I first went in search of mesquite powder when I came across a recipe for raw caramel apples on rawbeets.com. It looked so simple and sounded intriguing—I couldn't wait to get my hands on some mesquite powder so I could try it. I searched all over town but had no luck finding any mesquite powder in Eugene. (They must be hiding it in a big warehouse somewhere in Springfield along with all the raw pistachios!) Foods Alive shipped out a box of goodies to me right away (why not stock up on other essentials?), and as soon as it arrived, the first thing I did was make some of that caramel! It was soooo good, I started eating this every day!

It's very simple to make. Just soak half a dozen or so nice, big, fat medjool dates in water for several hours (don't forget to remove the pits) in a jar that will fit onto your blender base, add two tablespoons of mesquite powder, and blend until smooth and creamy!

One day after making a batch of caramel I was really naughty and stuck a caramel-covered spoon in some raw cashew butter—it was pure decadence!

It's been so cold here that Mark and I have been drinking hot cocoa every night after our post-dinner walks. It suddenly occurred to me that some mesquite powder might be a nice way to spice up my cocoa. I've been enjoying hot cocoa chai and Mexican hot chocolate, but adding a tablespoon of mesquite powder gave me a delicious new recipe to add into the rotation.

This morning I woke up and found myself craving mesquite, so I made myself an incredible smoothie. I call it my Carob-Mesquite Dream. It was so dreamy-creamy good that I drank it all before I remembered to take a photo of it! (Sorry!)

It's loaded with nutritious ingredients and tastes like heaven in a glass. Here's some of what you'll be getting:

•So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage is fortified with calcium, magnesium, vitamins A, B12, and D, and is a great source of heart-healthy medium-chain fatty acids.

• Carob Powder is rich in copper, manganese, potassium, magnesium, and selenium, and is especially rich in calcium and iron, and it contains vitamins A, B2, B3, B6 and D.

• Maca Powder contains B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and iron, and trace minerals zinc, iodine, copper, selenium, bismuth, manganese and silica.

• Mesquite Powder because it is ground from the entire pod, including the seed, it is high in protein (11–17%). It is also rich in, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, fiber, and the amino acid, lysine.

• Chia Seed—One ounce contains as much omega-3 as eight ounces of salmon, as much calcium as a cup of milk, as much fiber as 1/3 cup of bran, as much iron as 1/3 cup of spinach leaves, as much vitamin C as 2 oranges,  as much potassium as half a banana, and 20% protein, 2-3 times more than most other seeds and grains.

Ingredients:

1 cup So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (If you want a completely raw beverage, coconut water or freshly squeezed orange juice would work deliciously, too.
1 medjool date, pit removed
2 frozen bananas
2 Tbs (you could use Foods Alive Raw Carob Powder cacao powder, too)
1 tsp Foods Alive Maca Powder (don't worry, you won't even taste it!)
1 Tbs Foods Alive Mesquite Powder
1 Tbs Foods Alive Chia Seed
1 Tbs raw cashew butter

Blend all together, pour into a tall glass, and enjoy!

I'm enjoying the superb quality of all of the wonderful products from Foods Alive. Owner Matt Alvord is a joy to do business with, and I highly encourage you to check out their website, order some mesquite powder, and discover for yourself the sheer joy of this delicious superfood. Shipping is a flat rate of only $4.95, so take advantage of the opportunity to stock up!

Festive Coconut Wild Rice with Cranberries and Pears

Just a quick post before I dash off to do my holiday meal grocery shopping. If you're looking for a tasty last-minute side dish to serve at your holiday table, this colorful recipe is a snap to put together and will impress your guests.

Ingredients:

1 cup wild rice
1 cup long-grain brown rice
3 3/4 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (I used Original)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 pear, diced
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions:

Rinse wild rice in cold water and drain thoroughly. Place wild rice and brown rice in a large saucepan with the coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until rice is tender and milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in cranberries, pear, and nuts (if using). Serves 6-8.

Book Review—Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

My hardcover copy of Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook is sitting on my coffee table instead of hiding on my bookshelf. Like its stunning author, it's just that gorgeous! If you're up against the clock and wondering what to get your favorite vegan cook for Christmas, you'll certainly score points with this book. The photographs are as sexy as any eye candy has a right to be, and the recipes are far above the ordinary—exciting enough to inspire even the most seasoned vegan gourmet.


Kim Barnouin, who is coauthor of the wildly popular Skinny Bitch, has created a collection of knockout vegan recipes. The mouth-watering photographs and descriptions peppered throughout the book made me want to sink my teeth into each and every one of them. But where to begin?

Let's see ... thumbing through the pages, I arrive at something that looks like a fusion of Asian cuisine and Italian food. (That's two-thirds of what Elizabeth Gilbert [and Julia Roberts] ate in Eat, Pray, Love!) And here are both in one sublime recipe: Asian Macaroni and Cheese. Coconut milk, miso, and Panko breadcrumbs give this dish a distinctly Asian twist.


The rich, creamy sauce makes it unforgettable.


I thought I might escape reviewing this book without embarking on a personal culinary challenge. Then the recipe for Crêpes with Raspberry Sauce beckoned to me. I've always been intimidated by the thought of making these ultra-thin pancakes. Kim made it sound easy though, and I figured it was a good time to give my new crêpe pan a workout. After a bit of trial and error, I finally figured out how to get the batter just the right consistency, and I found myself humming the melody of Jamais Seule by Loane and enjoying the process.


The raspberry sauce was simple and sweetly satisfying. Eating my homemade crêpes was like transporting my palate to Paris!


My favorite recipe in the book's entire collection is this fancy-shmancy Caramelized Pear and "Cheese" Crostini with Balsamic Reduction. You'd think that something so complex and tantalizing ought to be reserved for dinner parties or romantic rendevous, but I had so much fun making and eating them, I won't be waiting for a special occasion to enjoy them again. In all honesty, you could just give me a shmear of vegan cream cheese on toast, and I'd be happy. But add the sensuous flavors of caramelized pears and a really good balsamic (I used Bistro Blends Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar), and you've transformed it into an incredible indulgence. I'll be making these lovely little canapés anytime I want to feel special.


When it came to choosing a baked good recipe, I really wanted to try the Pistachio and Cardamom Cookies. To my astonishment, there wasn't a raw pistachio to be found anywhere in Eugene! And while roasted, salted pistachios are abundant, I still wondered if there might be a pistachio shortage, so I googled it. According to at least one source in November (S. Kamberg & Co. Ltd.), the 2010 pistachio crop is at a record high, at least 25% larger than the record 2007 crop! So why no raw pistachios? No one here seems to have a clue.

So while my cookie fantasy had to go on the back burner, I settled on this enticing recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Banana Bread. (Yes, you read that right!) If you're like me, you love pumpkin bread and you love banana bread, but would you have ever thought of combining the two? (I wouldn't have.) When I peeked into the oven to see how this baby was coming along, I was amazed to see how high it was rising! (So high in fact, that it almost didn't clear the rack above it.)


Since Mark is avoiding nuts at the moment, I decided to substitute chocolate chips for the pecans. This was one seriously tasty dessert bread.



Just in case my little review has not thus far convinced you that this is a cookbook you'd love to give or receive, here's the for recipe for Kim's Pumpkin Pecan Banana Bread from Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook excerpted by arrangement with Running Press Book Publishers. Copyright © 2010. Enjoy!

Ingredients (for 10 servings):

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup almond milk (I substituted So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage)
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed
2/3 cup chopped pecans (I substituted dark chocolate chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly oil a large loaf pan and dust with flour.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. In a separate large bowl, beat together the pumpkin purée, oil, and milk with an electric mixer until well combined. Add the sugars, vanilla extract, and banana, and beat until creamy. Stir in the pecans (or chocolate chips). Add teh flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir until all of the ingredietns are well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 1 hour. Remove from the oven and put on a wire rack to cool completely.

Persimmons, Some Coconut Milk, Corn Chowder, and a Book

It's not often that a recipe on someone's Facebook page gets me so excited that I feel the need to jump out of my seat and make it on the spot. But Noelle Ferrada-Kelly's Persimmon Ginger Smoothie had just that effect on me yesterday morning. And since I just happened to have two very ripe Hachiya persimmons, a healthy stash of So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverages, and some fresh ginger hanging around, I had everything I needed to make myself one helluva tasty breakfast!

 

No sooner did I finish drinking that absolutely sublime smoothie, than So Delicious posted a link to recipe for Vegan Bailey's Irish Cream recipe! I'm not a big drinker, but seriously, one of the things I've really missed since going vegan is Bailey's Irish Cream. I didn't have any coffee on hand, so I'll have to make this another day. But it sounded so incredible, I just had to share the link with you.

The next thing I knew, So Delicious posted a link to a recipe for Vegan Corn Chowder on Jen's A Life of Sugar and Spice blog. It looked very rich and creamy, and it was such a cold, wet day, that by lunchtime, this sounded like the perfect pick-me-up. Basically, Jen substituted So Delicious Coconut Milk and Earth Balance for the dairy called for in the original recipe from allrecipes.com. She noted that it wasn't as creamy as she'd hoped it would be and that she'd try using So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer and a little less water the next time she made it. That sounded good to me, but I also wanted to reduce the fat, so I used half the Earth Balance called for in the original recipe. I also omitted the parsley, and in hindsight, I wish I would have added some nutmeg. Still, it was dreamy creamy and very warming!

Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
2 cups water
2 cans cream-style corn
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer (Original)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

In a large soup pot, saute onion in Earth Balance until tender. Add the water, corn, and potatoes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 16-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the creamer, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

And the best part of my day arrived courtesy of Bob the mailman. I couldn't have been more excited to rip open the package he delivered today and find that my copy of Appetite for Reduction had arrived! Isa wrote this book especially for me. (She doesn't know that, but I do!) I can't wait to sink my teeth into it! Review to follow soon.

Oh, What a Feast! and A Few of My Favorite Things

Yesterday's Thankful Day meal was truly a feast! I made Allison Rivers Samson's Meatloaf Remixed, Mushroom and Apple Stuffing with Mushroom Gravy, Healthy Exposure's Sweet Potato, Pear, and Chickpea Tzimmes, Bryant Terry's Citrus Collards Redux (with cranberries instead of raisins), C'est La Vegan's Chocolate Chip Date Cake, and Jennifer Raymond's never-fail Pumpkin Pie.

The most fun I had all day was whipping up the Soyatoo for the pumpkin pie!

Today is Black Friday, the day when consumerism runs at its most rampant. I prefer to celebrate Buy Nothing Day today and thought that instead, it would be a great day to share a few of my favorite things that you might like to buy on some other day. (It goes without saying that whiskers on kittens are a few of my favorite things). Any of these would make a wonderful gift for yourself or someone you love. Enjoy!

I can't begin to express how much I love my Moo minicards! They're half the size of standard business cards and are a creative, fun way to introduce yourself! They're completely customizable, and you have the option of selecting a different photo for every card. Here are just a few of my cards featuring photos from my food blog in all of their full-color glory:

Lulu's Raw Chocolate Alchemy Bars are handcrafted in small batches and made with low-glycemic coconut palm sugar and organic, fair-trade cacao beans.

I once read a blog in which someone said they thought that maca tastes like feet. Well, I don't know what feet taste like, but admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of the taste of maca. But I am impressed with all of the health benefits attributed to maca, including its ability to: increase energy, stamina, and endurance, regulate hormonal imbalances, enhance memory, and act as an anticarcinogen and antioxident. So when I heard that Lulu's Chocolate Bars contain maca, I thought this might be a delicious way to get some maca into my diet and indulge my chocolate obsession at the same time. My favorite flavor is the Coconut Cin Bar, which ... well ... doesn't contain any maca. It's an infusion of cinnamon, dark chocolate, coconut, and the sensuously smoky flavor of my new favorite superfood: mesquite! I also love the Aztec Crunch Bar, and Chocolate Maca Chunk, which does contain maca.  The Maca Green Bar and Chocolate Maca Chunk are also very tasty ways to get your daily boost of maca.

Anyone who has ever met Robert Cheeke can't help but be wowed by his energy, enthusiasm, effervescent personality, and yes, his stunning physique. He's a walking bundle of compassion in action, who lays to rest the myth that award-winning muscles of steel can only be built upon a diet that contains animal protein. In his book, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, Robert shares an inspiring road map to help you go from flab to fab no matter what your starting point, and from unhealthy omnivore to totally ripped, lean, mean, and vibrantly healthy vegan, if that's your goal. Robert's motivational style of writing got me pumped up enough to get my butt back into the gym. And if this book can do that for me, it will make the perfect gift for anyone who needs a little fire lit under their tush to help get them off the couch or away from the computer and back into action.

You've heard of Latisse? It's touted as "the first and only FDA-approved prescription treatment for 'inadequate or not enough' lashes." Nothing could horrify me more than the idea that a healthy woman would use a glaucoma drug to grow longer, darker, or fuller lashes. What I find most astonishing, is that when you look at the before and after photos on Allergan's website, there is nothing wrong with model's lashes in the before photos! Now, what woman wouldn't love to have longer, fuller, darker lashes? I know I would. But would you really want to use a drug that can permanently change the color of your from blue or green to brown? And is it really worth the the risk of any of a number of other "side" effects like eye redness and irritation, uveitis, macular edema, cataract, reduced intraocular pressure, and vision problems, just for longer, more luscious lashes?

There are many non-prescription products on the market that will do the same thing, without such harmful side effects and for significantly less than the $120/month Latisse will set you back. One such product, GrandeLASH-MD recently came to my attention. I wanted to be sure that this was a cruelty-free product, so I wrote to the company's owner, Alicia Grande. She promptly replied, "GrandeLASH-MD has not been tested on animals. It was tested on 55 humans through a plastic surgeon and opthamologist. There are no animal-based ingredients, and it's paraben-free." Made with peptides, vitamins, and botanicals (see the full list of ingredients here), the company claims that you will see results in as little as 4-6 weeks. Of course, I was skeptical. While I would love longer, darker, fuller, lashes, I felt that my wimpy eyebrows needed more immediate help, so I decided to try GrandeLASH-MD on my eyebrows first.

Seeing is believing! The before and after photos were taken 60 days apart. And although I have no idea how it works, I am astounded by the results.

Lunchsense lunchboxes intrigued me for quite a long time before I finally got my hands on one. I'd seen them at trade shows and thought they were the ultimate in lunchbox organization.

The lunchbox is lead free, and all the nifty little storage containers it comes with are lockable, microwave, freezer, and dishwasher safe, 100% airtight and watertight, stain resistant, and BPA free.  It comes in three sizes, and I chose the medium sized one for myself, but wish I would have gotten the large size since Mark is the one who packs a lunch everyday. Still, I packed up Thanksgiving leftovers for him to take to work today, and it all fit! Get yourself one of these babies, and it's guaranteed to be the last lunchbox you'll ever buy!

Here's one of those it's got-nothing-to-do-with-the-holidays-but-it's-a-delicious-discovery-nonetheless ideas. I've never been a huge fan of deep-fried foods, but since becoming a McDougall girl, one of the foods I've sorely missed is onion rings. Then I came across a post for Isa's OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings (that woman is a vegan culinary genius!), and I couldn't resist trying them. They are better than any fried onion rings I've ever eaten in my life! They've got so much flavor and none of the greasiness!