MoFo 2013 - Day 15 - Nutty for the Letter N

We're half way there folks. Day 15! I went a little nuts today. Pun intended. Nuts are so versatile it was hard to keep this post within reason. I'm going to post the cliff notes version. Nuts are packed full of quick and easy nutrition. They have protein, omega-3's, minerals, anti-oxidants and healthy fats. They are pretty high in fat, so use them sparingly in your well balanced diet.

The great thing about nuts is they can be eaten so many different ways. Simple can be best, especially when you are in a hurry. Grab a hand full of nuts for a healthy snack. They are often available out of the shell for convenience. Grocery stores with good bulk departments will offer raw, roasted and flavored varieties. When using nuts in raw recipes, it is best to soak them first. Spread nut butters on bread or veggies for a quick snack. PB & J's are pretty darn healthy if you chose those without a lot of added sugar. Nuts can be added to savor and sweet dishes. They make great garnishes too!

Here is just a sampling of the many nuts to enjoy. Starting from top left (going clockwise): cashews, walnuts, pine nuts (piñon nuts), almonds, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans (center).

I have been buying commercially made almond mild for a long time. Most of the brands I have been able to find contain carageenan. There are certain forms of carageenan that are suspected carcinogens, so I try to stay away from products that contain this ingredient as I am not sure which type might be in the product. I love almond milk and use it a lot in baked goods and on my cereal. While it may not be less expensive, making your own is a snap and you will know exactly what went into it.

First, soak one cup in filtered water overnight. Rinse and drain the almonds and throw them in the blender with 4 cups of filtered water and 1/2 pitted date (you can use a whole one if you like your milk a bit sweeter). Blend until well combined and no large chunks remain.

Take a nut-milk bag (this is an inexpensive nylon bag you can find at many health food stores and Whole Foods) and place it over a large bowl or pitcher. Pour mixture into bag letting it drain into bowl.

Gently squeeze the contents of the nut-milk bag until no more liquid comes out. You can dry the solid remains and grind into powder to use in baked goods. You should get a little more than one quart. I drink a little then store the rest in a tightly sealed quart Ball jar in the fridge.

Today I had to head to work after making my almond milk. I am fortunate enough to have a little kitchen in my office. My old Vitamix is there so I can whip up healthy smoothies and soups right there at work. Today I had the pleasure of using my freshly made almond milk. This quick smoothie is full of the goods: lots of protein from the hemp seed and almond milk, potassium from the banana, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants all around.

Banana-rama Smoothie

Makes 1 - 2 cup smoothie

1 cup fresh almond milk (or your favorite)

1 large banana (frozen is best)

1 tablespoon cacao nibs

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon hemp seed

1/2 teaspoon maca (optional)

1/2 cup ice

Place all ingredients in blender. Pulse to combine ingredients, then blend until smooth. Pour and enjoy.

It's really easy to snack healthy. Make this smoothie in the morning or the night before for a great snack for work or school. 

MOFO - Day 16 - Now That's Just Nuts (and Seeds) Week!

Welcome to that's just nuts and seeds week! I am planning on visiting a few vegan and vegan friendly eateries while I am here in Illinois and reporting back. I fear that Mr. Nut and his faithful compaining Master Seed may get a big short changed this week. But I'm sure they will forgive me because veg friendly eateries must be flaunted, especially when you can find them in the suburbs.

Well on to today's featured protein: the almond. This unassuming little guy packs quite the nutritional punch. Some studies show that almonds are protective against certain cancers and even heart disease. The reason is that they contain calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and phytochemicals that help prevent disease. The almond contains many other trace minerals needed to keep your body healthy. There is even better news: a one ounce serving of almonds contains 6 grams or 12% of the RDA for protein! Yay almonds!

It is super easy to make almonds part of your regular diet. You can buy them already sliced and put them in your cereal, oatmeal, salads, vegetables, you name it. One of my favorite ways to eat them is toasted with different flavorings. Craving something sweet? Toss them in a little oil with a touch of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmet and bake them for about 20 mintues turning a couple of times to prevent burning. Almonds can be ground up and used in muffins and other baked goods. Almond milk is awesome on cold cereal.

Today I am heading over to my aunt's house. I though I would have some nutty fun with almonds. I made an easy to eat snack from 500 Vegan Recipes. I made a variation of the Chili Roasted Peanuts (pg. 96) using almonds. The spice combination is very interesting and tasty. The combo of the chili, brown sugar and other spices are perfect with the creaminess of the almonds.

It's Orange Season!!! Orange Julie-ous

I love this time of year. Our tree is full of ripe, big, sweet, juicy oranges right now. It's so awesome to be able to go out in your yard and pluck a perfect orange right of the tree. I love them many ways. Probably my favorite is just cutting them into sixths and gorging on them with the juice running down my hands and arms. Yum.

When I feel like being a little more polite and want to impress Fred, the ultimate smoothie maker, I whip up this delicious, bright tasting concoction. My mom actually turned me on to my first Orange Julius in my late teens. It wasn't vegan, but it was good. So here is my updated vegan version. It is quick and easy and oh so tasty! It only takes a few minutes to whip it up in the blender. Enjoy.

Orange Julie-ous

2 Servings

3 large naval oranges cut into 6 pieces and peeled
1 small banana
1/2 cup almond milk (you can use sweetened or unsweetened depending on your taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups ice cubes

Throw all of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Garnish with orange slice (optional)

Vegan MOFO - Day 21 - Memories of My Estranged Father

Today is my seventh day of work (well 6 technically, but I was home sick the 7th day). I work 12 hour shifts, so every once in a while I feel the need to take a night off in the kitchen. Tonight will be that night.

Last night some of my lovely friends sent me some great dishes to veganize. I am going to take a little time to soak in the recipes and contemplate how I can convert them into compassionate cuisine while maintaining their essence. There are a couple of very challenging conversions coming your way soon. They won't be challenging for you, dear readers, but they will be challenging for me to convert. I start my days off tomorrow, so I will have more time to play around in the kitchen. This makes me excessively happy.

For some reason, I have been haunted by memories of my estranged father's odd eating/driking habits the last couple of days. I haven't spoken to him in over 20 years, so I'm not sure why he keeps popping into my head. He was a very eccentric man with very odd habits, food related and otherwise. I remember getting grossed out by some of his favorites; beet greens with vinegar, pork chops thickly topped with sage (I mean thickly!), baked potato flattened and slathered with sour cream and completely covered with paprika - this one actually sounds good at this point in life.

He would not drink milk on its own...which at the time seemed so very odd. He would, however drink it mixed with rootbeer. He had a very specific proportion that he would mix up in the milk jug. He'd wait until the milk in the gallon jug was at the magical level. Then he would add rootbeer slowly to the top. This milky foamy concoction was ALWAYS in our fridge. He usually had it in a specific glass and NEVER had ice in it.

I'm going to show my age here, but back then we had a drive in (similar to Sonic) called Dog N' Suds. It was only open in the summer. They had the most delicious rootbeer. It was creamy and full of spicy rootbeer goodness. It probably tasted even better because you could not get it year 'round. We'd get the platic barrel shaped jugs and stash them in the fridge. I was a notoriously picky eater/drinker as a child. It was so good, even I would indulge in a frosty mug here and there.

Dear Ol' Dad's Rootbeer

3/4 cup cold rootbeer
1/4 cup cold almond milk
Chilled mug.

Pour in chilled mug. Let sit for a couple of minutes to let the chilled mug do it's thing. Do not add ice! Enjoy.

I must need daddy therapy today because now that I have written this, many more kitchen/dad/childhood memories are flooding into my memory. My dad was a tinkerer. He could fix and build a wild array of things. One of the things he created for my mom was this incredible chopping blade. I wish I had one today! My mom had this awesome wood bowl. It was probably about 4 inches deep and about 14 inches wide. Our garage was a crazy machineshop where many of his inventions and creations came to life. He took to the task of making a 1/2 circle chopping blade that fit perfectly into the bowl. I remember the excitement I felt the first time my mom let me chop the celery and onions for her potato salad. (which I will post my veganized version of later now that I am thinking of it). That thing rocked! He kept it razor sharp by using the grinder in our garage. OK, If someone took my Globals to a grinder, they would end up with it in their leg! But these were simpler times.

I have to thank him for giving me my first cooking experience (warning-it was not vegan). As I mentioned he was eccentric and very non-traditional. He worked nights and my mom worked days. When I was around 5 years old, he decided he was hungry and asked me to make him something to eat. Now most normal, responsible parents would not let their small child loose unsupervised in the kitchen with a gas stove. I have to admit, at that point in life, I would go to great lengths to make him think I could do things that may have been a bit out of my range so that I could get some of his attention. He was more than a little detached.

I marched to the kitchen and promptly set about the task of making him lunch. Things started out pretty well. I knew where the pans and spatula were. I grabbed the eggs and butter out of the fridge and got to work. I hopped up on one of our burnt orange vinyl chairs (this was 1970 folks) so that I could reach the stove. I figured out how to turn on the stove. Heated up the pan and started cooking him what were to be eggs over easy. Of course as a beginner I promtly cracked the yolks when I flipped them, but no biggie they were still edible. I turned the oven off and hopped off the chair. Here is where things went a little south. As a vertically challenged 4 .9 year old I wasn't sure where to put the hot pan while I scooped the eggs out and put them on the plate. Hmmmm. I decided the chair was the perfect working height for me. As I set the pan on the chair, I realized this might be a bad idea as the smell of burning vinyl hit my nose. When Mom got home she was furious...thankfully at my dad for leaving me unattended in the kitchen, not for ruining that hip chair. My dad seemed to really like the eggs by the way....and so my lifelong love of cooking began.