Not Tuna Salad made with Hearts of Palm and Garbanzo Beans

This is another re-post to keep some of the best recipes up on top where they belong.

If you are like me you have probably been hearing a lot lately about the benefits of eating seaweed.  Doesn't sound too appetizing, right?  As it just so happens that is a nice ingredient to turn chickpeas into a mock tuna salad.  Tuna was one of my favorite lunches before I read, "The China Study" and "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" and gave up meat within a couple of days.
Let me reiterate:  I ate meat for 47 years and then quit because the research impressed me so much regarding how much healthier I could be by not eating animal protein or added oils and fats.  There are going to be foods I miss and tuna has been high on the list of foods difficult to mimic.

Here is a way to get yourself back into the zen of a tuna lunch.

1 can hearts of palm, drained, cut into 1/2" slices, then shred with a fork
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced dill pickle
2 tablespoons Dried Seaweed, such as dulce flakes or minced nori sheet
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
4 tablespoons vegan Mayo
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon vinegar or pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon Bragg Sea Kelp Delight Seasoning (optional)
1/4 teaspoon dill
pinch black pepper
dash of dried or fresh chives

1. Crush garbanzo beans with a potato masher, set aside with shredded hearts of palm.
2. Chop celery and dill pickle, add to beans.
3. Crush seaweed together with sunflower seeds in a mortar and pestle, add to beans.
4. Add remaining ingredients to bean mixture and stir.  
5. Serve rolled inside Nori Sheets, in a traditional sandwich or with crackers.

Dried Seaweed and sunflower seeds after grinding

Not Tuna Salad 

Not Tuna Salad Sushi Rolls

Stuffed Mushrooms, Vegan No-onions

One of my favorite appetizers during the holidays, or when dining out before we started eating only plants and no added fats was Stuffed Mushrooms.  I used to make them with cornbread stuffing and sausage, or crab and bread crumbs with cheese.

Now I make them with polenta and Smart Dog Vegan Sausage (it only takes one sausage for the entire batch so try not to freak out about the fat in that boy).  And they are fabulous!

Here they are, just starting to cook in a skillet with brown rice and Vegan Not-Beef Broth.

Recipe for Stuffed Mushrooms, plant-based with no added fat

Ingredients:

12 large mushrooms, stem removed and use melon baller to remove most of insides

Hollow out the mushroom caps

Filling ingredients:
2 slices polenta, 1/4" dice to make 1/3 cup or so
1 Smart Dog Vegan Sausage, 1/4" dice (or homemade vegan sausage)
2 stalks celery, 1/4" dice
2 tablespoons brown minute rice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Bragg essential amino's
2 tablespoons Daiya dairy free mozzarella shreds
2 tablespoons mushroom broth
1/2 cup of mushroom remains, 1/4" dice
1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Stir ingredients together, stuff into hollow mushrooms and place in non-stick skillet with lid and 1 cup of broth and simmer for 30 minutes over medium heat.  Or bake at 350 in a shallow dish, covered, for about 30 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.

Done stuffing and ready to cook!

Vegan Pot-stickers, Plant-based No Added Fat

Vegan Pot-stickers without frying

Alton Brown has a recipe for Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings that I used to create the Pot stickers, but I removed the egg, sesame oil, scallions and red pepper for health and allergy reasons.  If you aren't allergic to onions and peppers then add the pepper and scallions back in (2 tbsp Each).

Filling ingredients:
1/2 pound firm tofu, pressed to remove excess water
1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
A few drops sesame oil, optional
1 tsp Ener-G egg replacer powder
Dash each of salt and pepper

1 package of round dumpling skins, also called gyoza (preferably twin dragon brand)
Small bowl of water for wetting fingers

First step:
Press the 1/2 pound of tofu to remove excess water by taking 2 or 3 paper towels and folding into a pad the same size or slightly larger than your block of tofu.  Put the tofu on the paper towels and make another pad of paper towels to put over the top.  Place a plate or other flat surface on this and then weigh it down with a can of something, like a 32 ounce can of crushed tomatoes, etc.
Let this sit for at least 20 minutes while you gather the other ingredients together and toss them into a large bowl.  After the tofu has been pressed, slice into 1/4" cubes and toss with other ingredients.

Next step:
Heat two large heavy non-stick skillets to medium, without oil.  While these are warming up, make your potstickers by placing one skin on a flat surface and mounding about 2 teaspoons of the filling mixture onto it.  Wet your finger and run it along 1/2 the circumference of the skin, then fold that half to meet the opposite edge and pinch the edges together to shut it tight.  Now you should have a dumpling or potsticker that is in the shape of the letter "D".
Continue to make these while listening to your favorite jazz music, for cooking I like Steve Tyrell and Diana Krall.  Even if it is not Friday.
When you have enough to cover the bottom of a skillet, spray that skillet with a really light coating of olive oil spray before placing potstickers in it.  (*I have found that the canned Olive Oil Spray by Crisco puts out a much finer mist than Pam!  Who knew?)  Immediately cover with lid and make some more potstickers for the other pan.  If anyones else is home they will eat them as fast as you can make them is why I suggest two pans instead of one.  Also, you don't want to be standing there all day over one measly little pan.
After a few minutes, when the top looks transluscent and if you lift the corner of one and see a golden brown color, add enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan, about 1/8" deep.  Immediately place lid back on and steam until water has evaporated.  Remove the potstickers from the skillet and onto a plate.  Keep them warm by inverting a second plate over the top.

Nachos, plant based style

Repost in time for the Super Bowl—Plant Based Nachos made with Kale Salad Recipe from Karen

Nacho appetizer

Recently I discovered a recipe for homemade refried beans at Pennies and Pancakes which sounded like a great idea, to save money and make something better than store-bought.  Thanks for providing such a neat website Pennies and Pancakes! (https://sites.google.com/site/penniesandpancakes/crockpot-refried-beans).
I made a batch without the onions yesterday and used it to build nachos for dinner.  I also used fresh garlic instead of minced from a jar.  Maybe it's just me, but I really can tell a difference.
I also wanted to try a recipe given to me by Karen in a recent comment, Kale Salad with avocado, lemon juice and salt.  It thought it would work well layered in a nacho stack and could turn what used to be a guilty pleasure into a healthy treat.
My favorite tortilla chips are made from low fat whole grain tortillas, cut into wedges and baked until golden brown and crispy.  Buy whole wheat or whole grain tortillas with the lowest fat content you can find.

Nachos without meat or dairy (the photo doesn't do it justice)

Ingredients for Nachos, plant based style:

Refried beans, 1/2 to 1 cup per person

Whole grain tortillas, 2 or 3 per person

4 cups kale

1 large lemon

1 avocado

1 small can mild green chili peppers

2 large tomatoes, or 1/4 cup diced tomato per person

Tofutti non-dairy sour cream—just a little spoonful to top it off

Non-dairy cheese shreds, about 2 tablespoons per person or skip altogether

black olives, sliced, 2 or 3 per person 

salt to taste

To make tortilla chips, cut tortillas into 8 wedges and toast in the oven at 300 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, dry and crispy.

To make kale salad, rinse kale and remove tough center rib.  Tear into small pieces or cut into ribbons.  Dice the avocado and toss with the juice of one lemon, combine with the kale by using your hand to squeeze the ingredients together.  Salt to taste.

Dice the tomatoes and combine with the mild green chili peppers.

Layering suggestion:  Chips, beans, non-dairy cheese baked in a pie plate for about 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and slide onto a plate of kale salad.  Top with remaining ingredients and serve.

This was so filling I couldn't actually finish a plate of them!  

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip for the Plant-based Diet

Spinach Artichoke Dip


(Inspired by "Yummy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip" at Food.com and "Healthy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip" at http://www.dailygarnish.com/recipes?recipe_id=6000030

• 1 box frozen spinach, or a 10 ounce bag, thawed and excess water squeezed out
• 1 14 oz jar artichoke hearts packed in water, drained
• 4 cloves garlic, roasted
• 1/4 cup vegan fat-free mayonnaise (Walden Farms)
• 1/4 cup non-dairy cream cheese
• 1/4 cup non-dairy sour cream
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1/4 cup almond milk, low-fat unsweetened
• 1/4 cup non-dairy cheddar shreds
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or just a pinch
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1/4 cup bread crumbs for topping, whole grain low fat variety
mixed with 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

Combine ingredients in food processor, place into shallow baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until heated through and golden brown.

This keeps well in refrigerator up to 2 days.  Tastes great served cold on crackers too!

Low Fat Hummus Recipe

My favorite hummus recipe without Tahini:

Put one can of drained chickpeas in a a strong blender or food processor.
Add 1 clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 small mild hot pepper without seeds or stem
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons water may be necessary to get it to blend

Blend until smooth.  This will make enough to last a couple of days in your refrigerator.  I use it in place of mayo.
If you prefer a hummus made with tahini, go ahead and add up to 2 tablespoons (but not more because of the amount of fat that is in tahini).  Your heart will thank you.

(Hummus Recipe derived from ELovings at Recipes.com)

3 Vegan Dip Recipes

Rebecca's Vegan College Dips:

I made 3 vegan dips for the math competitors, and they were a hit!

Salty Avocado

1 Avocado, mashed

1 tbs. Lime Juice

1 tbs salt

1/4 cup Pickle Juice

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Garlic Powder

Blend in food processor. 

Serve with toast or crackers

Sweet Mango

1 Mango

1/2 Banana

2 tbs Agave Nectar

1 tsp Lime Juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Tumeric

Boil mango whole until mushy over medium-high heat. Cut into pieces, and place with the remaining ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth (careful not to over-blend, or it turns into paste). Chill and serve.

Savory Black Hummus

1 can Black beans

1 tbs Maggi

1/4 cup Vegetable stock

Garlic, Paprika, Salt, and Cayenne Pepper (to taste)

Heat over stove, and mash with a potato masher. A little texture is ok. Serve hot. 

Editor's Note:  I think she should make them again at home so we can take photos, don't you?

Eggplant on the Panini

The last time we visited our daughter who is away at college, we had lunch with her at a little italian restaurant and ordered pizza without cheese or meat.  They said it was their first time making a pizza like that but I was impressed with how good and different it was.  They put thin slices of eggplant on it which added a nice creamy texture to the crispy crust.  Delicious!
It inspired me to make panini sandwiches last weekend using eggplant, mushrooms and non-dairy cheese made from rice milk.  This sandwich is not fat free mostly because of the cheese, but sometimes a grilled cheese sandwich with a healthier twist than the typical western style diet version is comforting.  We had steamed kale with walnut dressing on the side topped it with the remaining eggplant slices.  The photos didn't turn out great but I will share some of them anyway.

Eggplant grilled without oil

Mushrooms browned in skillet without oil

Kale, lightly steamed in non-stick skillet with lid and 1/4 cup water

Grilled cheese sandwich with mushrooms and eggplant 

Eggplant Appetizer

Recipe for eggplant panini sandwich:

1 small eggplant, rinsed and thinly sliced, a little over 1/8" worked well
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
4 cups kale, rinsed with midrib removed and torn into bite sized pieces
Whole grain sandwich bread, two slices per sandwich
Toffuti non-dairy creamed cheese spread
Non-dairy rice-cheese slices
Bragg 24 herb seasoning mix
Garlic powder

Grill or saute the slices of eggplant with a dash of garlic powder and Bragg seasoning until tender and golden brown.  Set aside.
Grill or saute the sliced mushrooms with a dash of garlic powder and Bragg seasoning until tender and golden brown.  Set aside.
Steam the kale for just a minute or two--it should be soft but a nice bright green color.

Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on one side of each slice of bread, place cooked mushrooms and eggplant, kale and a slice of rice-cheese on one side and put the other slice of bread over all to make a sandwich.  Grill on a panini press or in a medium hot skillet with a weight.

For each eggplant appetizer you will need:

1 slice of eggplant spread with non-dairy cream cheese
1 piece of steamed kale

Roll up and serve (you might need toothpicks to keep them rolled if you are preparing a lot of them).

Meatballs, plant-based no added fat vegan

Vegan Meatballs
Appetizer or to serve with spaghetti,  maybe these should be called "vegiballs" since they don't actually contain any animal products.

Ingredients:
2 cups TVP granules (Textured vegetable protein. Bob's Red Mill brand is what I use and is easily available at my local grocer in the baking isle.)
1 3/4 cups hot vegetable or mushroom broth
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 cups finely chopped mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning mix
1 tsp. Bragg herb blend
1 package Firm silken tofu (Mori-Nu Brand or your favorite)
1/4 cup finely shredded carrot
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten (skip if you are a gluten-free person)
1 tbsp egg replacer powder
1 tablespoon vegan worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon bouillon paste, vegetarian beef flavor
1 tablespoon fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon Bragg All natural liquid aminos
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup of dry breadcrumbs (in a pinch toast two slices of whole grain, nonfat bread and process with a food processor
Step 1: Brown mushrooms and celery in a nonstick skillet over medium heat without any added fat.
Step 2: Soak TVP granules in broth for 5 minutes while you gather other ingredients.
Step 3: Place all other ingredients except celery, mushrooms, TVP and bread crumbs into food processor and pulse until combined.
Step 4: Stir together bread crumbs, TVP mixture, mushrooms, celery and ingredients from food processor until just combined.
Step 5: Roll into 1" balls or use small cookie dough scooper to form about 50 meatballs and roll in mixture of one part flaxseed meal/one part nutritional yeast flakes.
Place on nonstick cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees f for 35 minutes and then turn down oven to 225 degrees and bake an additional 20 minutes.

Serve with whole grain spaghetti and tomato sauce.  Or as an appetizer at your holiday party.
I dare you to try eating one of these rolly guys without rolling your eyes....yum.

Soy Curls

While visiting Portland, Oregon this weekend we discovered something completely new to us, Soy Curls.
On Friday we had a late lunch at a marvelous cafe called the Blossoming Lotus.  One of the items on their menu is Soy Curls and it was just delicious.
We found them in bulk at Whole Foods Market and bought enough to play around with and came up with this recipe.  It is similar to what was served to us, but it isn't an exact duplicate.  (Theirs are better but who wants to drive four hours when that craving hits?)

Ingredients:

For marinade solution place the following ingredients into a 4 cup pyrex:

1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp. vegetarian chicken-flavored bouillon
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. granulated garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Bragg 24 Herb Mix
2 tsp white miso paste, or soy sauce

Bring to boil in microwave, remove measuring cup and put 4 oz. of dry soy curls into the brine to soak for 20 minutes.
Drain excess marinade by turning the rehydrated soy curls into a colander, then turn them onto a pad of two paper towels.  Dredge soy curls in coating mixture:

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1/2 tsp. dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
dash salt

Place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake at 300 degrees F. for 12 minutes.
Remove from oven and say, "Wa-La" even if no one else is in the room.

Tapenade Appetizer, PBNAF

Tomato basil tapenade

A delicious low fat and elegant vegan appetizer, tapenade over crackers or toast.
Ingredients:
1 tomato, 1/4" dice (remove seeds if you desire)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
5 kalamata olives, chopped fine OR 3 tsp. capers
3 large fresh basil leaves (do not substitute dried), sliced into thin ribbons or minced

Herbed cream cheese spread:
1/4 cup tofutti non-dairy cream cheese
1 teaspoon Bragg 24 herb seasoning mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley

Spread this thinly over your favorite whole grain lowest cracker or toasted French bread rounds. Toss tapenade ingredients together and spoon over top. This makes more than you will use for this amount of tapenade: Keep leftover tofutti spread refrigerated.