A Veritable Fruit of Paradise

Many years ago I worked in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Several small, but nice, restaurants were within walking distance, so my co-workers and I patronized them often. One place served an open faced sandwich I just loved. Thinking about it for some odd reason today, I decided to duplicate it, but veganize it.

I toasted two slices of whole wheat bread and spread mayonnaise on it. We like Vegenaise. Next I put on sliced avocado, topped it with sprouts (the original recipe had alfalfa sprouts, but my husband came home with bean sprouts, so I used them) and top with cheese. You can use whatever cheese you want, sliced or shredded. I don't care for most commerical soy cheeses, but we love Daiya, so that's what I used. Pop in the oven on broil until the cheese melts and serve! Quick, tasty and good for you!

Avocados have both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium. Mono and polyunsaturated fats, when consumed in moderation and eaten in place of saturated or trans fats, can help reduce blood cholesterol levels and decrease risk for heart disease. Avocados are one of the few fruits that provide "good" fats. Avocados contribute good fats to one's diet, providing 3g of mono and 0.5g polyunsaturated fat per 1 oz. serving. Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid. They also act as a "nutrient booster" by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit. So, not only are they good for you, but they taste good, too! I'll slice them up and eat them as is, or mash them to make guacamole. I love them cut up and dumped into my salads, too. The Mexican restaurants here will stuff them and fry them. I haven't tried this yet, but might give it a go sometime.

The word 'avocado' comes from the Nahuatl word ahuacatl ('testicle', a reference to the shape of the fruit). Avocados were known by the Aztecs as 'the fertility fruit'. I guess calling it a veritable fruit of paradise isn't too far off the mark! LOL!

If you've never used avocados before, and are unsure how to handle them, it's pretty simple. Buy those that are soft but not mushy to the touch. They need to give a little. If they are hard, just bring them home and let them ripen on the counter until you get the desired squishy state. I use an orange peeler I probably got from Tupperware to get inside. I peel around from the top all the way around, then take the other end of the peeler, insert until I feel the seed and work my way around again. Just twist and it opens right up. Use a spoon or your fingers to pop out the seed, then take a serving spoon to scoop out the flesh whole. You'll have two nice halves to do with what you want. Compost the skins and seed.

You can find all kinds of sites telling you how you can grow an avocado plant from the seed. None of them ever worked for me. What did work was tossing the seed in my compost pile. I got several little trees! If you decide you want an avocado tree, know that they are VERY slow growers, but can get very tall, so plant accordingly.

I hope you enjoy the sandwich and find other yummy ways to use your avocados!

Bean There, Done That!

While reorganizing my pantry, I came across a large canister that I had placed bags of beans and rice in. I pulled it out, and put the beans in smaller, different containers. Most of the beans have come from farmer's markets. The one I chose to make for tonight's supper are speckled butter beans.

I put the in the crockpot last night, covered them with water and left them to soak overnight. This morning I drained the soaking water, covered them again with plenty of water, added a packet of dried onion soup and chopped up some elephant garlic. Cover, turn to low and off we go. After about six hours I turned the temp to high, just to make sure they would be done in time for supper. They were. They were delicious! I made a batch of wild pecan rice and homemade from scratch cornbread. It's been a long time since I've eaten like that, having grown up on a good pot of beans and cornbread. A yummy Southern meal!

I will definitely use this method to cook dried beans again.
The speckled butter bean is a little bigger than a lima and is higher in iron, fat and calories. Just like many legumes, butter beans provide a great source of fiber and protein. Eating them is a great way to lower cholesterol and especially good for those with diabetes. They provide a nice amount of magnesium (good for the cardiovascular system), folate, the trace mineral manganese, and iron. Butter beans also contain phytochemicals, which may play a role in cardiovascular protection and cancer prevention. One of the phytochemicals in butter beans, saponin, may have antifungal, antibacterial, cancer-fighting and cholesterol-lowering effects, notes Florida State University.

I make an effort to eat beans every day for either lunch or supper. The benefits are just too fantastic!

Waste Not, Want Not!

As is typical for me, I start on one thing only to get side-tracked onto another. At least this time it flowed along the same lines! I was going back and forth from the fridge to gather up everything I needed for tonight's meal. In doing so, I see, for only the hundredth time, produce that needs pulled out and probably composted. I get the crockpot going and start pulling out all the produce I can find, and drop it all onto the counter, planning to dump all of it into a bowl to take out to my compost. I pull out the first items. Fruit. Hmm, this doesn't look too bad. Cauliflower is next. A little trimming, but still usable. Lo and behold several vegetables later, I've got a slew of veggies that are still in pretty good shape! I cut them up into small pieces, trimming away any parts that are bruised. Mix them together in a casserole dish, pour over some melted vegan butter. Next I pull out some vegan sour cream, mix it with some Daiya cheddar, slather it one top, pop it into a 350 oven for about an hour, and voila! Vegetable Casserole! It looks beautiful and tastes lovely, so I got a nice hot lunch for my efforts, and my compost pile did, too! The fruit I just peeled and sliced for dessert. Easy peasy!

Because of the wildlife in abundance in our suburban backyard (really!), rather than just dump the goods on top of the compost pile, I like to make what I call worm soup. I drop all the veggie trimmings, coffee grinds, tea bags, etc. into my blender, give it a whiz and instant worm soup! I pour this on top of my compost pile. Before I add it to the pile, I always say:
From the Earth you came
To the Earth you shall return.
Go with thanks.

It just seems appropriate to me to give thanks to the food that didn't directly feed my family, but will do so indirectly.

A Kinder, Gentler Barbecue

Tonight sounded like a good night for barbecue. Some cool ghosty shows were coming on and I wanted something fun and simple. So, I made this:


Crock Pot Barbecue Tofu

Ingredients:

2 containers firm or extra firm tofu, pressed
1 1/2 cups ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Simple enough. Reviews were mixed. My daughter and I thought it was okay, non-vegan hubby ate two sandwiches and youngest son loved it. If I were to make it again, I would use extra firm tofu and freeze it first to get a more chewy consistency. I had to buy firm because the grocery store was out of extra firm. I'd also half the red pepper flakes because everyone, other than my daughter who loves spicy stuff!, thought it was too spicy.

The next day I had a thought that it would be good over rice. I spooned some into my food processor, added a little water and made a slurry. Mixed it in with some leftover rice and liked it much better.

The origins of the word *barbecue* are, well, not interesting so much as curious. The most plausible theory states that the word "barbecue" is a derivative of the West Indian term "barbacoa," which denotes a method of slow-cooking meat over hot coals. Bon Appetit magazine blithely informs its readers that the word comes from an extinct tribe in Guyana who enjoyed "cheerfully spitroasting captured enemies." The Oxford English Dictionary traces the word back to Haiti, and others claim (somewhat implausibly) that "barbecue" actually comes from the French phrase "barbe a queue", meaning "from head to tail." Proponents of this theory point to the whole-hog cooking method espoused by some barbecue chefs. Tar Heel magazine posits that the word "barbecue" comes from a nineteenth century advertisement for a combination whiskey bar, beer hall, pool establishment and purveyor of roast pig, known as the BAR-BEER-CUE-PIG (Bass 313). The most convincing explanation is that the method of roasting meat over powdery coals was picked up from indigenous peoples in the colonial period, and that "barbacoa" became "barbecue" in the lexicon of early settlers. Due to the rather murky etymology of the term *barbecue*, and its constant association with meat, I'd like to find another word. Any suggestions?

Renewal and Ratatouille

Isn't this season just fantastic? We are so loving the cooler temps here. Renewal seems to be the word of the day for me, so with that in mind I have been vigorously and furiously cleaning and scrubbing and reorganizing my kitchen. Not wanting to have to stop this frenzy early for meal preparation, I decided this week to make all of the meals in the crockpot. One, it is just so simple and convenient, and two, it permeates the house with the most mouth-watering and delicious smells! My first recipe for the week is ratatouille.

Ratatouille Crockpot

•1 eggplant, peeled and 1 inch dice
•2 medium onion, chopped
•1 green bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
•1 red bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
•1 yellow bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
•3 zucchini squash, sliced
•3 tbsp olive oil
•3 tbsp dried basil
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 tsp ground black pepper
•6 oz tomato paste
•1/2 tsp salt
•2 cups fresh tomatoes

Sprinkle eggplant with salt and let it drain in a colander about 1 hour. Press out excess moisture. Rinse with water and pat dry using paper towels. Place in crockpot then add onion, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, olive oil, basil, garlic, and salt then mix well. Cover and cook on low 7 hours, or on high for 3 hours. Serve over hot cooked rice.

The sprinkling with salt and draining was probably unnecessary, but I did it anyway. I substituted the green bell pepper with an orange one, just for fun and additional color. It went very well with bread buttered with Earth Balance and iced green tea. This one is definitely a keeper!

A little bit of fascinating history about ratatouille:

The word Ratatouille actually comes from the french term "touiller," which means to toss food or to stir up.

Ratatouille originated in the area around present day Nice and is now eaten throughout Languedoc and Provence. It was originally a meal made by poor farmer's (in essence it started out life as a peasant dish), and was prepared in the summer with fresh summer vegetables. The first appearance of the word in English was found in Cassell's Dictionary of Cookery, 1877.

The original and simplest form of Ratatouille used only zucchini, tomatoes, green and red peppers (bell peppers), onions, and garlic.

Today eggplant is usually added to the list of ingredients.

It can be served warm or cold. My son actually ate some at room temperature and still thought it was delicious.

Eating Out

My daughter and I have come to the conclusion that we just really don't much like to eat out any more. Granted, food preapred at home is always superior, but there are times one just plain does not feel like or want to cook and frankly wants to be served for a change. There lies the rub. Unless the restaurant is a know vegetarian/vegan establishment, one must examine closely and quiz the waiter/waitress about the menu.

For example:
Vegetable plate. Seems harmless, right? Mashed potatoes are made with milk and butter. Collards and green beans are often cooked and served with bacon bits. Many vegetable dishes are cooked with chicken broth.

Barbecue. Red light flashing, I know! But there is the baked potato and garden salad to be had. However, they have a tendency to put bacon bits on both. Ugh.

Hamburger joints. Many these days offer to substitute a veggie patty. Yay! Not so fast. Those veggie patties are more than likely cooked right on the same grill with the meat patties. Yuck!

Soup and salad restaurants. Right up the vegan alley, right? Only if you pay attention. Many nowadays actually label the bar offerings so you'll know nothing nasty is hiding in there.

This is all just an example of how tedious it can be to dine out. Seriously, I just want to order something without having to worry what it was cooked in or with. Is that really so difficult? Well, yes, it is. But at least I have found a handful of places locally that when I choose to eat out - like we are tonight - I can find menu items that aren't suspect.

Summer is just around the corner...

Ahoy, me maties! I've been gone awhile, being nothing but lazy. Ugh, and gained back 7of the 16 pounds I'd lost over the last year. Blech. So, since the only thing is for me to get my patootie back in gear, I'm back, renewed! A slate of new vegan cookbooks from the library have me re-energized, so here I am, in all my goddess glory, ready to renew my commitment to health (wealth and happiness...!) Back to my cardio, onward to my yoga, upward to my strength training!

First, a tidbit on why being vegan is the best way to go: because a vegan diet reverses heart disease. On the American Heart Association (AHA) diet, which includes meat, patients' arteries continue to clog, while Dr. Dean Ornish's vegan diet unclogs arteries. In one study, AHA dieters experienced a 28% average worsening of clogged arteries, while dieters on Ornish's program experienced an 8% improvement in their arteries. (PETA - Reasons to Go Vegetarian)

Dr. Oz told a recent vegan convert that everything can be reversed. If that is the case, and I believe it is, then why would anyone who has, or is at risk for, certain life threatening conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer that can be avoided, stopped, even reversed by becoming vegan, wouldn't become vegan? It seems like such a no-brainer to me, yet most Americans continue to eat the standard diet, or worse, follow such unhealthy diets like the Atkins diet. I think much of it is peer pressure, often from family. Often, when families gather, it is centered around food, most notably holidays. Ham at Easter, turkey at Thanksgiving, ham, goose or duck at Christmas. Holiday cookouts, like July 4. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, in her book, The Vegan Table, cautions we have a tendency to romanticize these traditions. While no one wants to be seen as contributing to animal cruelty, it seems safe enough to shroud our violence against animals in the sanctity of Tradition. Shirley Jackson's tale, The Lottery, points rather vividly to our tendency to cling blindly to meaningless rituals and participation in pointless violence. When one of the characters states how there has always been a lottery, in defense against another village that has ended the tradition of their own lottery, it reminds me of how often I have heard the reasoning given by meat eaters - "We ALWAYS have turkey at Thanksgiving!" or "How can you celebrate the 4th without hot dogs and hamburgers? It's un-American!" or, my favorite, "Man has always eaten meat!"

Albert Schweitzer said, "The thinking [person] must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo." We must remember that just because something always has been, doesn't mean it always should be. Food can still be the centerpiece to our gatherings and celebrations, but we can make them gentler, kinder, healthier! The summer is nearing with the rising temperatures just around the corner. I look forward to the thirst quenching iced teas, the crunch of delectable salads, and the sensual juiciness of fruits as they run down my chin. I also look forward to the sights and smells of my husband grilling in the backyard, the feel of cool water as I jump into the neighborhood pool, and the bright colors as more plants reveal their blooms. These are what make summer memories for me. And it is all cruelty free!