Vegan in Houston

The people in Houston are so friendly. Someone told me it's called hospitality. Boy the rest of the USA could use more of this... Of course, maybe they just can't help being nice because of all the lovely sunshine. Since we moved here about six weeks ago, we've been on a mission to find vegan ingredients for all of my favorite recipes. Although we have found many things locally, we will probably end up using mail order more than we did in Washington. One new, super cool item I found out about while eating dinner at a fellow vegan's home: CHIA seeds! Like the kind you make chia pets with. They are an amazing little thing. Crunchy and fun to eat. Add them to anything from veggie burgers to oatmeal. They are also supposed to help with weight loss because they absorb water and create a feeling of satiety. You can find them online. Speaking of hospitality, that's how I found out about chia seeds. On only our second week in Houston we were connected with the one other vegan everyone knows here and they invited us over for a potluck. So brave of someone to invite over a family of seven.

Burgers!

The thing I LOVE about veggie burgers is the creativity! Don't you? I mean what other dish can you make that always turn out great, the kids love to eat, and you can use up all the leftover little bits of things in the fridge? Which is exactly what I did. Veggie burgers were one of the things I used to seduce my children over to their 'mostly vegan' existence. The ones I made tonight are my favorite mix so far. Unfortunately, I never measure anything. BUT, a book I recently read called "School of Essential Ingredients" backed me and my anti-measuring ways up, by saying, really good cooks never measure. I don't even measure my bread ingredients anymore, and it always turns out the same. Which is wierd, because when I used to measure my bread ingredients, it turned out different every time. There's something about feeling and cooking that is so very integral. We ate the burgers with salad and corn tortillas. Here's what I used:
Half of a large onion, chopped very fine in food processor
2 cups walnuts, ground fine
5-8 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
Put the garlic in a warm pan and toast then add the walnuts and toast, then add the onions and cook till done
Next, add two cups of white beans, blended in food processor
4 Tablespoons ground flax seeds, let sit in half a cup of water for a few minutes
A few cups of cooked brown rice 2-3
2 cups of oatmeal, finely ground
Curry powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika to taste
1 can tomato Paste
Mash everything together and scoop using a large cookie scoop onto a hot griddle sprayed with Pam . Get your fingers wet and smoosh them down into a pattie shape. Cook both sides till done. My kids like them crunchy on the outside.
Seriously, though, make up your own recipe with whatever you have in the fridge and pantry!

Favorite Tomato Soup

I have a confession to make.... I've always hated tomato soup. So when I heard about this recipe from a couple of friends who loved it, I said,"that's nice" and never thought about it again. Until I was at my friends house for dinner and tomato soup was what she made. Well. I took a small bowl and tasted it. Boy, was I surprised. Next I was begging her for the recipe. Of course she didn't have the book anymore, her friend had it. So she gave me the general idea, and I went home and made it again that week... Later I found the actual recipe, but it turns out that my kids like my version better(of course!) The best thing about this soup- besides being super healthy, and kid friendly- is that it takes like 5 minutes or less to make! We just had it tonight and the kids all had seconds or thirds! What good little 'mostly-vegans'. I served it with salad and rosemary garlic whole wheat rolls. Once I even made this with fresh tomatoes, skins and all! Fat free(except for whatever is in garbanzo beans) and salt free (especially if you soak your own garbanzo beans and get salt free tomatoes)

My Favorite Tomato Soup- this recipe is easily doubled or tripled

2 cups chickpea(seriously, these are so much cheaper if you buy them dry, soak them overnight and cook in a pressure cooker, or on the stove top)
2 garlic cloves
1 16 ounce jar tomatoes(I use my home canned tomatoes, so just find something equivalent)
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 cup soy milk
1 cup vegetable broth(I make my own-super easy to do)
Or 1 cup water.

Blend it all in a blender till smooth, then heat through! I think ts better when made the day before. Stores well for about three days.


Blend all except cilantro
Heat on stove
Yummmmmy!

beans, beans, beans

So, I've finally broken down and tried out the frightening pressure cooker.  Just the whole idea of cooking something under pressure just seems frightening to me. But I found a great pressure cooker that is so easy to use and sits on an induction cooker, also so easy to use, that I have gotten over my fears of explosions in the kitchen.....its a Duramatic pressure cooker used on a Mr Induction induction cooktop.  Anyway, I have found that the great thing about cooking beans in the pressure cooker is this: they absorb the flavor of other things that you cook them with.  In my quest for healthy vegan eating I have stopped adding salt to our food (ala Dr. Fuhrman's Eat For Health) and found out immediately that beans sans salt are BLAH! So I've been experimenting with ways to add some flavor and interest to my daily bean intake.  Here is the so simple solution:
Add a jalepeno to the water you are cooking your beans in. 
Simply just put the soaked beans in the pressure cooker,
Cover with water according to directions,
Take a jalepeno and put some slits in the sides,
and chuck it in with the beans!
tada!
great tasting beans!

Soul food

My super good friend and I love to check out vegan recipe books from the library. When I go to her house and I see a new recipe book sitting on the couch, I'm like, soooo, is it any good???? Well, one night we decided that there is a theme so far to the books that we love and put on our 'need-to-get-this-one' list. And the theme is this: women authors (sorry dudes). There is just something about the recipes of women authors that is just different. The descriptions and lists of ingredients have soul. There is something about a great recipe that just pulls you in and starts to make you salivate. You just can't wait to start making it! I would love it if you would join me on my soul searching journey.