Incredible Shrinking Greens

Given the frequency with which I prepare greens, you'd think I'd be used to the shrinkage by now. But it never ceases to amaze me. What appears to be enough greens to feed an army (when raw) ends up being this tiny pile of tender yumminess. Just for fun I took a before and after picture of the turnip greens I made the other night:

Before:











And after:





Pretty amazing, right?

I used to be intimidated by greens. I didn't grow up with them (except for frozen spinach or spinach salad), and they just seemed unfamiliar. Plus, the first few tries often yielded a stringy, chewy mess. By asking questions over the years (as in, "how did you prepare these amazing greens?"), reviewing cookbooks, and trial and error, greens frighten me no longer. And it's a good thing because they're SO healthy and cheap and mild tasting.

When you're not following a recipe or not sure what to do with fresh greens, I recommend simmering about a cup of vegetable broth or water per pound of greens, then add the greens, mixing them around frequently (good tongs are a must!!). After a few minutes, taste them. Still too chewy? Cook some more. When they're good and tender, remove from heat. Then add them to another dish, like a tofu scramble, bean dish, grain dish, stir fry, whatever. Or just throw on your fave seasonings and serve as is. It's that easy.

The greens pictured here ultimately became smothered with garlic and black bean sauce, added to sauteed onions and veggie chicken strips, served over brown rice. The dinner took about 10 minutes to make (this time I used quick-cooking brown rice because I was in a hurry; I keep some in the pantry for such emergencies). I used pre-washed, pre-chopped Glory Greens, which are becoming easier and easier to find (they come in big orange bags in the produce section of the supermarket).

A few months ago I tasted the most incredible kale at a health food store in Morristown, NJ. I asked the cook how on Earth they got so amazing, and I was told that the kale was first steamed, then marinated all day long in the sauce. What a concept! I'm going to try that next.

Cute Holiday Nibbles

I admit I love pretty holiday food. Most of my meals are not all that gorgeous (well, they have "inner beauty," like last night's turnip greens with onions and tofu) so when it comes time for the holidays, serving up attractive food is ultra fun.

First is a recipe that may look familiar -- I can't seem to get enough of my bean salads, which I make every Sunday. I just vary the beans and veggies. Here's my Festive Holiday Bean Salad! Fortunately there are a ton of green and red veggies out there so this is a no brainer.

Festive Holiday Bean Salad

• 2 15-oz cans cannelini (white kidney) beans, rinsed well in a colander and drained
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup (packed) fresh parsley, washed well, rinsed, and chopped
• juice of 2 lemons
• sea salt to taste
• white pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper (optional)

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently. Serve as is, over a big bed of lettuce, or with a whole grain like whole wheat cous cous.

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Xmas Tree Appetizers from Pillsbury

If you know me, you know that I indulge in some refined foods on occasion, and holidays are certainly no exception. I love serving both whole food dishes (based on veggies and whole grains and beans), AND refined things that say, "Yes, I really am vegan!"

Here is an idea I poached from Pillsbury.com. I found out from reading December's VegNews Magazine that Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (yes, those ones that come in a can) are vegan. (I know, the packaging is atrocious and the preservatives are scary sounding) but I couldn't resist posting about this because it is so very cute. Of course, you can make your own bread dough and do the same thing.

For this recipe, just substitute vegan sour cream and vegan cream cheese for the dairy versions.

Tree-Shaped Crescent Veggie Appetizers

Veggie trays, move over! This colorful tree-shaped appetizer will add an interesting twist to your appetizer buffet.

Prep Time: 30 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 15 Min
Makes: 32

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 cups finely chopped assorted vegetables (bell peppers, broccoli, carrot, cucumber and/or green onions)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from cans in rolled sections; do not unroll. Cut each section into 8 slices (16 slices from each can).

Place slices, cut side down, on ungreased cookie sheets to form trees. To form each tree, start by placing 1 slice for top; arrange 2 slices just below, with sides touching. Continue arranging row of 3 slices, then row of 4 slices, ending with row of 5 slices. Use remaining slice for trunk. Refrigerate one tree while the other bakes.

Bake one tree 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute; carefully loosen with pancake turner and slide onto cooling rack to cool. Bake and cool second tree.

Place each tree on serving platter. In small bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder; blend until smooth. Spread mixture over both trees. Decorate trees with assorted vegetable pieces. Refrigerate until serving time. To serve, pull apart slices of tree.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft):
Bake 13 to 15 minutes.

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I love this one -- it's already vegan, and they're so pretty and festive. Plus who doesn't like chocolate and mint together?

Peppermint Patties from FamilyFun Magazine

These are the addictive classics, with a snappy, minty middle and a luscious chocolate coating. Packaged prettily, they make perfect gifts. Be sure to whip up a test batch for yourself just to make sure they're really, really good.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar (3-3/4 cups)
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 10 to 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 6 hard mint candies (we used Starlight), crushed in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the water, corn syrup, lemon juice, and peppermint extract, then sift in half the confectioners' sugar. Add the shortening. Beat on medium, then slowly sift in the remaining confectioners' sugar until the mixture is well combined.

2. Knead the mixture into a ball (it will be very stiff; if necessary, add 1/2 teaspoon water to make it workable). Use the bottom of a glass pie plate to apply firm, even pressure to flatten the ball between sheets of waxed paper into a circle about 9 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Lay the waxed-paper-covered disk on a cookie sheet and freeze it until it's firm, about 15 minutes.

3. Place the frozen disk on a cutting surface and remove and reserve the waxed paper. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment. With a small round cutter (ours was 1-1/4 inches), cut out circles from the disk, then place them on the cookie sheet. Gather the scraps into a ball, use the pie plate and waxed paper to flatten it again, and cut more circles until the entire disk is used up. Freeze the circles for 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Coat the patties one at a time: balance each on a fork and dip it (use another fork as needed to flip the patty in the chocolate), then shake off any excess chocolate before returning the coated patty to the parchment. Sprinkle each patty with a bit of crushed mint candy. Add more chocolate to the double boiler as necessary until all the patties are coated.

5. Harden the finished patties in the refrigerator for at least an hour, and preferably overnight. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge, layered between sheets of waxed paper, for up to one month. Include tags with your gifts instructing recipients to keep the patties refrigerated.

Makes 5 dozen.

Vegan Latkes Shortcut!

Happy Hannukah, to those who celebrated! Most years, I make vegan latkes (potato pancakes) from scratch. Not an easy task. Last year, I quadrupled a recipe, and for days I couldn't get the onion odor off my hands. Not to mention the oil splatters off the wall. I was in my first trimester at the time so it was really quite horrible. This year, with a newborn and a bunch of other things going on, making latkes was out of the question. But I still wanted to serve this festive food.

So I cheated. I found frozen vegan hashbrowns at Trader Joes, and called them latkes. You can fry them, bake them, nuke them... you really can't mess them up. They are insanely good and Ben loved them (he asked for them every night, and even had one for breakfast this morning!) He never had hashbrowns before so it's kind of funny to hear him go on and on about how much he loves these "latkes." He had 'em with ketchup, with applesauce, with vegan sour cream... any way worked for him!

Since these aren't exactly healthful, I don't plan on buying them regularly. But that's OK -- when they're gone, we can say that we'll get latkes again for Hannukah next year.

When your vegan kid starts to question meat...

I knew it was only a matter of time. Benjamin, my 5-year-old, has been talking more and more about eating meat. Well, lately it's all about turkey, since everyone in his school talked about it for weeks leading up to Thanksgiving. Even afterward, he was asked, "How was your turkey?"

Ben is starting to get that he is different than other kids, in that they all eat chicken nuggets and hamburgers and ham sandwiches. I have always told him that "Most people eat animals. In our family, we don't eat animals." He's always accepted this but now he's starting to think more abstractly about this concept and what it means.

I'm not totally comfortable imposing such "weirdness" on my child. It's a struggle that I would think most vegan and vegetarian parents deal with: we want to be true to our ethics and beliefs, and we want to minimize animal suffering, but at the expense of our children suffering?

Ok fine, different suffering. But you know what I mean.

Here is my approach. I tell him, "If you want to eat meat, that is your choice. I will not buy you meat with my money, but you can buy meat with your money or have meat at your friends' houses or at parties. Do you understand that this meat is ground up animals? Real, furry or feathery animals, with blood and a heart and a brain, that had feelings and were killed?"

This way, I figure, he is making his own informed choice, rather than feeling that he HAS to say no to meat. Of course, I spare no detail. And I maintain, why should I? I was told recently that this is "too much information" and I should lighten up. I disagree. I say why not be honest with the kid? Imagine all parents reminded their kids where their food came from! No, most parents lie; is that better? They go as far as to assure their children that the animals they're eating are "not like our pets" and are "meant to be eaten" and "don't feel pain" in order to desensitize them early and preserve this... disconnect that is really unnatural for children but become the norm as adults. Children naturally adore animals and if we allowed them to understand what meat really is, what is so terrible?

Plus, I think that this approach may decrease the likelihood that he will "rebel" and go on a meat binge when he's eight, just to push my buttons. If I don't give him those buttons to push, then there's no drive to eat meat other than curiosity. Exploration of this nature is better than doing it to get a rise out of his parents.

In my heart I think that he will "experiment" eventually, but that he'll ultimately return to a vegetarian lifestyle. But time will tell.

I welcome your thoughts on this and your advice for approaching children and dietary choice.

I'm back! Happy Vegan Thanksgiving!

Hello loyal friends! I've missed blogging and I've missed your comments!

I had quite a few months off, I know; I cut back on computer time as I reached the end of my pregnancy and have been caring for my new little girl, Emily Hannah. She's a few days shy of 4 months old, and things are starting to return to "normal" in our house.

So many times, I've had an idea or found a new food or made a kickin' dinner or observed something interesting and wanted to post it here -- it's amazing how addictive blogging can be. But I needed a few months for family and now that I'm back on track, I'm so excited to share musings, recipes, new products, etc.

So, Happy Hug-A-Turkey Day! I hope you all have a wonderful day and enjoy peace and comfort and joy with the most treasured people in your life.

Love,
Dina

Vegan Brunch Bonanza: Tofu Quiche and Waffle Recipes

This morning I made a lovely brunch with even lovelier friends and their adorable kids. I'm always nervous cooking for omnis but these guys are super about trying new foods, and have no problem with meatless meals. We had waffles and quiche, and the guests brought a gorgeous fruit salad. Unfortunately we ate everything before I thought to take out the camera, but next time I make the quiche (which will be soon because I have dough left for crust) I will post it here. Here are the recipes. They both turned out surprisingly good. The kids loved those waffles.

Tofu Spinach Quiche

Crust:

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all, divide in half, roll, and press into pans. Makes 2 pies. I do NOT recommend this pie crust for a dessert; the olive oil in the crust pairs beautifully with a savory pie only.

Filling:

• 1 lb firm tofu
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped (about 2/3 - 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped jarred of fresh sweet red pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp sherry
• 2 tsp salt, divided
• 1 10-oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed out WELL (to make it easy, do it with a large sieve or a colander with tiny holes)
• juice of 1 small lemon, divided
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp rice (or apple cider) vinegar
• few pinches of sweet paprika

1. Press tofu for at least 15 minutes. (I place it between 2 plates and top them with a huge pot of water). Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Saute onion and cumin in 1 Tbsp olive oil on low to medium heat for 10 minutes, until onion starts to caramelize. (If using fresh red pepper, add them about 5 minutes into the saute period.) Add sherry and cook until evaporated. (If using jarred peppers, add them now.) Add 1/2 tsp salt and saute a couple more minutes. Place veggies in a small bowl until later.

3. Saute garlic in remaining olive oil over low to medium heat until garlic starts to become a bit golden. Add spinach and saute about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 of the lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute another 2 minutes and remove from heat.

4. Place pressed tofu in a food processor. Blend until very smooth and creamy. Add remainder of lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, white pepper, basil, and vinegar. Process until completely smooth and blended.

5. Add spinach to tofu mixture in the processor. Pulse a few times until just blended. Do not over-process.

6. Scrape tofu-spinach mixture into a bowl. Fold in onions and peppers until combined.

7. Pour into shell, sprinkle on paprika, and bake for 40 minutes, or until tofu is set and crust is golden brown.


Dina's Foolproof Waffles

• 1 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 packet instant oatmeal (I used organic flax-blueberry - nice!)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups soy milk
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Whisk together dry ingredients. Stir together wet ingredients. Combine all and stir until just mixed. Let sit for at least 5 minutes (gives the oats a chance to soak up the liquid and act as a binder).

Pour into prepared iron (might need to spray with nonstick oil spray) and serve with fresh fruit.

What's your biggest Veggie Vent?

It's time to vent! Pet peeve, whine, grouse, kvetch, anyone?

Here's my #1: When there's a vegetable soup on a restaurant menu (be it black bean, minestrone, lentil, or just plain old vegetable) and it's made with a chicken or beef stock. WHY? Make it suitable for everyone! What, will the meat eaters refuse it because it's made with a rich, roasted vegetable stock instead of canned chicken broth? Can you imagine?

Patron: "Hi, I'll have the lentil soup."
Server: "Ok, but you're aware it's made with a veggie stock?"
Patron: "Oh NO! Well in that case I'll have the beef chili."

This morning I came across another common complaint: GVP. The Grilled Vegetable Platter. The standard veggie entree in restaurants and catered events across the world. This blogger wants to start an anti-gvp movement:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/04/down_with_the_gvp.html

Actually I don't mind a (very flavorful and perfectly cooked) plate of grilled vegetables. It's better than a plate of steamed vegetables, don't you think?

Here are a few more veggie things I've wanted to vent about for a while:

1. "Ah, you're vegetarian! We have a lovely lemon sole this evening..."
2. All fresh pasta seems to be made with eggs. If they can do it for the boxed version, why not fresh?
3. Order a salad "without the cheese" because the menu says it comes with goat cheese... and the salad arrives without the goat cheese but with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top (this happens with pasta too)
4. When you order something at a restaurant "without dairy" or "without cheese" and the server says, "oh it's just a little bit -- you can eat it."
5. Shopping for a loaf of bread or something similar, and the last ingredient is whey.
6. Soy milk made with artificial sweetener (8th continent, to be exact. I've emailed them but they just don't get it.)
7. Otherwise vegan cereals fortified with vitamin D3 (which is animal-derived)
8. Dark chocolate with butterfat added (but then again, this is a good way to weed out the poor quality brands)
9. Foods with "less than 2% of the following" and there is an animal ingredient or two... well if it's less than 2%, do you really need it?
10. Restaurants listing 10,000 entrees, none of which are vegetarian
11. (Many thanks to my DH Dan for this one): when you order an expensive entree, like linguini with shrimp, hold the shrimp, and you ask them to add sun-dried tomatoes... they don't reduce the price for excluding shrimp, but they charge EXTRA for the tomatoes!