Chow Vegan

Eating vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy eating (shocking, I know). Sure there’s fruits and veggies galore, but there’s also plenty of vegan junk food to go around, not to mention high fat, high sodium and any number of highly processed vegan food. I’m guilty of eating all of these things.

But then, I received a review copy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s latest cookbook, Appetite for Reduction. Hallelujah.

There’s so many yummy sounding recipes, covering a range of cuisines and dishes complete with nutritional information for each one. Having never really cooked Indian food before, I decided to make the 2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma – a rich, creamy, mildly spicy curry with vegetables.

Super easy to make and so flavorful and it only took about 30 minutes. Can you tell I used an orange cauliflower? Also known as “cheddar” cauliflower, it’s just like a regular white one except it has extra beta-carotene (hence the brilliant orange color and 25% more vitamin A).

2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma
Serves 4

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small red onion, quartered and sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets
1 pound zucchini, cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut on a bias in 1/4-inch slices
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Extra chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in the oil for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed. Add the garlic and ginger, and sauté for another minute.

Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Mix in the spices and salt. Add the cauliflower, zucchini, and carrots. They won’t be completely submerged, but that’s okay. Cover the pot and turn up the heat to bring the broth to a boil. Let boil for 7 to 10 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Add the peas, coconut milk, agave, and cilantro (if using). Taste for salt. Turn off the heat and let the flavors meld for about 5 minutes. Serve the korma in bowls over rice, garnished with cilantro.

From the book Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2010.

Disclosure: This post contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

Forget Valentine’s Day candy. How about little bite-sized morsels of ice cream covered in chocolaty goodness? You know I’ve always had a thing for mini food. Almond Dream Bites are basically a non-dairy, gluten-free version of a bon bon with no trans fat or highly refined sugars.

Spot-on and so very good – the almond milk ice cream has a smooth and creamy texture. The taste is just like vanilla ice cream with a hint of almond flavor. The chocolate covering is rich with a really nice crunch. It’s everything you would expect in a frozen novelty treat.

One serving is 15 pieces for 230 calories; about three servings in a container. That’s a lot of bites. I usually only eat about five of them at any one time, as that’s more than enough for me. So if I did my math correctly, that’s only about 77 calories, not too bad on the waistline.

Currently on sale at my local Whole Foods for $3.49 until February 15th, regular price is $4.29. There’s also a $1.00 off any two Dream beverage or frozen products coupon on their website. I’ll definitely be stocking up.

Related Links
Cherry Jubilee Ice Cream From The Vegan Scoop
Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream Review
So Delicious Ice Cream Sandwiches

For some reason I always seemed to consume more snacky types of food when I’m on holiday. It must be the season. My newest snacky snack is the raw flavored kale chips from Rhythm Chips.

The kale chips are air crisped at a low temperature so they’re nice and crunchy. Vegan and gluten-free too. Basically, it’s just kale flavored with a blend of fresh veggies, nuts, juices, herbs and spices.

I haven’t had nacho flavored chips in a long time, but the taste is very similar and it’s so much healthier. It’s amazing to have the nacho taste without the scary long list of chemical sounding ingredients and artificial flavors.

Unlike the extra long kale chips that are baked in an oven, these are much smaller as they have to fit in a bag. There’s some big chunks, pictured above, but at the bottom there’s also all the smaller broken-off pieces (good for sprinkling on other foods).

Besides the Zesty Nacho, there’s also Bombay Curry and Kool Ranch, neither which I’ve tried yet. Two servings in a 2 oz. bag, at 106 calories per serving. The sodium isn’t too bad, about 187mg per serving.

Available at Whole Foods, they retail for about $5.99. Kinda pricey, but there’s also a $2.00 off sticker right on the package which can be used immediately, bringing the price down to $3.99.

Ever heard of a black and blue cookie? Me neither.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I got one when I was down south visiting family. It’s from Eclair Bakery, a cute little place in the downtown village of Arroyo Grande (a small Central Coast town about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles).

I stopped in to see what they had in way of vegan treats and on that day it was a cupcake (I don’t remember the flavor) or a black and blue cookie. Deciding between the two, the cookie sounded much more interesting than the cupcake. The black part is a chocolate chocolate chip cookie; the blue part is blueberries. Together, it’s a black and blue cookie (I love the name).

I enjoyed every last crumb of it. The edges were a little on the crisp side but soft in the center. I’ve always liked the combo of blueberry and chocolate. It reminds me of my blueberry brownies but in a yummy cookie form.

It’s so nice to know I can pop in for a vegan treat whenever I’m in town visiting. If you ever find yourself cruising up or down the Central Coast, it’s an easy exit off of the 101. And if you give them advance notice, they can whip up other vegan treats too. I can’t wait to be back later this month.

It seems like every year there’s something new out for Thanksgiving, this year I dined on Gardein Savory Stuffed Turk’y. I got it on sale at Whole Foods for $5.99, 2 cutlets in a package. If you like their other stuffed cutlet type of products, you’ll probably like this latest one.

After cooking in the oven for 30 minutes, the bread crumb crust is crisp and flavorful. The cutlet itself has a subtle turkey-like kinda taste and was stuffed with bread crumbs, onions, celery and cranberries. It comes with quite a bit of gravy too, enough for the two cutlets plus extra for whatever else happens to be on the plate.

It’s similar to what Whole Foods had offered in their prepared vegan Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago. Back then, I liked the cutlet but the sides that came with were only so-so. I had wished I could have gotten just the cutlets by themselves, now it appears I can.

Delicious salad dressings without oil or vinegar.

Nuh-uh, you say.

Yeah-huh, I say, after receiving a review copy of the ebook Savory Raw Dressings & Sauces by Andrew Perlot.

I tried the very first recipe, the Mango Nectar Dressing. Since it’s only two ingredients, it’s ridiculously easy and simple. But the taste is so light and refreshing, I didn’t miss the oil or vinegar at all.

As there’s no salt or any other seasonings to hide behind, the ingredients have to be of the very best quality. Fortunately there’s still some great produce to be had at the farmers market. In keeping with the lightness of the dressing, I made a salad of jicama, baby romaine lettuce, cilantro and sliced almonds as a garnish.

The ebook starts out with an introduction of why no oil or vinegar, then moves on to how to make your own healthy dressings. There’s eight low-fat, salt-free recipes to get you started. They require only a minimal of fresh ingredients and a quick blend for a nice healthy dressing.

Disclosure: I received the cookbook free of charge from the publisher to review. The opinions and experience with the cookbook expressed herein are my own. There was no pay to say.

Walking around the farmers market, minding my own business, some guy calls me over for some samples. Sometimes instead of a hasty no-thank-you, I weasel out of trying samples by asking if it’s vegan. Usually it’s not. But sometimes, it’s like hitting a vegan food jackpot – like the bolanis and sauces from East and West Gourmet Afghan Food.

Bolani is a traditional Afghani thin flatbread stuffed with either spinach, potato, lentil or pumpkin and baked. Even though it’s low-fat, low-cal and low-carb, it’s very tasty as well as filling. One serving of the spinach bolani is just 103 calories.

Top with any one or a combination of their many sauces and spreads for a delicious layering of flavors. For the spreads, I got the Lentil Curry and Cilantro Pesto. The curry is not really spicy hot but it’s got plenty of taste. The pesto is also very nice and light as it’s made without any oil.

Available at numerous farmers markets throughout Northern California and a few in Southern California, they’re very generous with their samples. They’ll just keep handing you sample after sample after sample. The only item that isn’t vegan is the Garlic Mint Cheese, but it is vegetarian.

Two bolanis come in each package for $6, the sauces and spreads are also the same price. But if you buy a few items, you’ll get a deal. I got 3 things for $15. Also available at NoCal Whole Foods, Andronico’s and Mollie Stone’s. But if you like to taste before you buy, the farmers market is really the way to go.

Update
While shopping at Whole Foods recently, I see that the bolanis there are $5.79, the spreads were $4.99 and the sweet jalapeño sauce was also $5.79. So it seems to be cheaper at Whole Foods if you just want to buy one or two items.

Banana cream pie, another must-try recipe from the cookbook, Raw for Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet. It’s the same cookbook that I’ve reviewed before when I made the Chocolate Candy Cups.

Banana cream is the pie of choice for our family gatherings, I was thrilled to find a version that’s 1. healthier than the average pie and 2. it’s simple enough for a baking idiot like me to make (no baking involved).

Instead of the more commonly used tofu in such pies, young coconut meat is called for to achieve that creaminess. I’ve seen young Thai coconuts at Whole Foods and at Asian supermarkets (where it’s a little cheaper). But up until this point, I’ve never gave them a second thought, let alone try to open one up. Fortunately, the cookbook gives excellent directions on how to do it.

After cracking open the coconuts, it’s smooth sailing. The graham crust is just a quick blend, as is the filling, just blend the ingredients together and that’s it. Assemble the pie and then stick it in the fridge to chill. Just before serving, I added a ring of freshly cut bananas to the top.

I’m really starting to love raw desserts. They’re easy enough for me to make, don’t have to be baked and I’m learning about all sorts of new ingredients. Best of all, they taste amazing.

For a chance to win your own copy, click on the Luscious Vegan Desserts button to sign up for Book Publishing Company’s monthly drawings for free books and to receive their newsletter.

Disclosure: I received the cookbook free of charge from the publisher to review. This post also contains an Amazon link, I get a few coins tossed my way if you click on the link and make a purchase of anything.

Related Links
Chocolate Candy Cups From Raw For Dessert