You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Vegan’ tag.
My thumb is not green…Which means that if I can grow sprouts, anyone can. It’s ridiculously easy and highly gratifying! Sprouts are the only food that I (currently) have the time or motivation to grow myself.
STEP 1: Buy seeds. Here is a nice blend of organic alfalfa, radish and broccoli sprout seeds. My local natural food Co-op has a whole section with seeds and sprouting supplies.
STEP 2: Get a quart wide-mouth canning jar and sprouting lid. A sprouting lid has holes in it to allow air flow and drainage. I made my own using some plastic mesh that I found at the craft store. Just make sure that the holes are small enough so that the seeds don’t go through.
STEP 3: (DAY 1) Soak 1 tablespoon sprouts in the quart jar filled with cool water for 4-8 hours. Drain through the sprout lid.
STEP 4: (DAYS 2-5) At least 2 times per day, rinse the seeds and growing sprouts by filling up the jar with cool water so it overflows. Turn upside down to drain. Keep out of direct light. Don’t let the seeds dry out.
Day 3 – Draining the Sprouts
STEP 5: After the sprouts start to grow, place the jar in a location that gets indirect sunlight. This develops the chlorophyll.
Day 4 – Exposing the Sprouts to Indirect Sunlight
STEP 6: (Day 5-6) When the jar is filled up with green sprouts you’re ready to harvest!
Day 5 – Harvest Day
Place the sprouts in a large bowl filled with cool water. Break up the sprout “clump” and swish around to loosen the seed hulls. Most will float to the top, and the rest will sink to the bottom. Carefully pour the hulls down the drain while keeping the sprouts from following!
STEP 7: Drain the sprouts and store in a closed container in the refrigerator. I put a damp paper towel in the bottom of the container to keep the sprouts moist but not too wet. Eat within a week.
My favorite summer sandwich is a “green sandwich,” made with sprouts, cucumber, green pepper and avocado, with dilled horseradish sauce (Vegenaise + Bubbies Horseradish + dill). Sometimes I add some marinated tofu slices.
For a great resource and more information, consult The Sprouting Book, by Ann Wigmore.
HAVE FUN AND BE WELL! 🙂
Without question, my all-time favorite childhood meal was my mom’s manicotti. It was one of my first meals: my mom pureed it and fed it to me when I was a baby. I grew up a typical omnivore. I loved cheese!
Unfortunately, the manicotti from my childhood features not much more than sauce and noodles with cheese (cottage), cheese (mozzarella) and more cheese (parmesan). It also has egg in it. Not vegan!
After I went vegan, I set out to veganize my mom’s manicotti. I think I did a pretty great job! This recipe is my own except please note that the Powdered Cheez Blend is not my recipe (I forgot where I got it from).
STEP 1:
Saute in 1-2 T OLIVE or COCONUT OIL:
4 chopped SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS
about 1/4 of an ONION, chopped
several cloves GARLIC, minced
about 1/3 of a bunch of SPINACH, chopped
4 SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, chopped (oil-packed or dried & re-hydrated)
2 T ITALIAN SEASONING blend
1 T DRIED PARSLEY
1/2 t FENNEL SEEDS
1/4 t CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES
dash SALT
dash PEPPER
Remove from heat then add 1/2 T BALSAMIC VINEGAR and set aside.
STEP 2:
With a fork, crumble 1/2 a block (7 oz) of drained FIRM TOFU.
Heat 1/4 C of POWDERED CHEEZ BLEND (see recipe below) in 1/2 C water in a small saucepan until it thickens, then remove from the heat. Combine the tofu & this cheez sauce.
Set aside about 1/2 a package of DAIYA MOZZARELLA STYLE SHREDS.
STEP 3:
In a large bowl, combine the sauteed veggies, the tofu/cheez sauce blend, and the Daiya.
Stuff filling into 1 pkg MANICOTTI NOODLES and add stuffed noodles to a 9”x13” pan.
To ‘clean’ the bowl that had the filling mixture in it, add the sauce ingredients: 1-25.5 oz JAR SPAGHETTI SAUCE, 1-14.5 OZ CAN DICED TOMATOES, and 1/4 cup water. Add sauce over the noodles.
Bake covered at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, then 5-10 minutes uncovered. Wait 10 minutes before eating (that’s the hard part!)
POWDERED CHEEZ BLEND
Process the following in a food processor until finely ground:
3/4 C raw cashews or almonds
1/2 C rolled oats
1/4 C raw sunflower seeds
1 C nutritional yeast flakes
2 T arrowroot
2 t dry mustard
1-2 t garlic powder (I use the lesser amount of garlic & onion, and I use less salt, too)
1-2 t onion powder
2 t sea salt
1 t paprika or chili powder
Store in fridge for up to 2 months. To prepare sauce, whisk 1 part blend to 2 parts water or non-dairy milk in a saucepan, medium heat until it thickens, 2-3 minutes.
Freeheel Vegan 