i believe that "staples" are necessary in every kitchen - in a vegan kitchen, they can help to add variety and make preparation a less daunting task. in my kitchen, i would say that i have about five necessary staples (outside of the usual flour, peanut butter (all natural), raw sugar, etc). i thought i would share my list with you..
1. dried fruit: i was never a fan of dried fruit until i adopted veganism. now, i always make sure to have plenty of raisins, prunes, dried cranberries and dried mangoes. these can be added to breakfast, or just eaten as a nutritious, energy-rich snack.
2. oats: as i stated in an earlier post, i love breakfast. oatmeal is my favourite breakfast food, because it curbs my hunger throughout the day. i generally just keep quick oats on hand, that way i can use them for a batch of cookies, or to make a quick bowl of oatmeal.
3. canned beans and nuts: because most dietary protein is absorbed from consumption of meat and eggs, it is necessary for vegans to have alternative sources of protein. the most effective form i have found is in canned beans - usually i just buy a three-bean medley to maintain a bit of variety. additionally, i always make sure to have a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans that can be quickly turned into a salad or burger. additionally, i keep a variety of nuts on hand - pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews - in order to fulfill my daily protein needs.
4. vegetables and fruit: this seems a given. my outlook with regard to fruit and vegetables is to maintain two fridge drawers full at all times. this allows me the variety necessary to satisfy my hunger, but does not lead to rotten, wasted food. my favourite vegetables include broccoli, asparagus, kale, spinach, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. my favourite fruits include apples, bananas, grapes, watermelon and honeydew. although nowadays i'm sure frozen fruit and vegetables are equivalent to fresh, i tend to peruse the fresh section much more often - i am usually hurried when cooking; therefore, i often prefer to start with (close to) room temperature ingredients.
5. spices: this is another given. because (when starting out) there is often less variety in vegan cooking, spices tend to make a world of difference. for example, sometimes i will make hashbrowns two ways: first, i will make a traditional hashbrown with roaster-type spices (dill, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.). then, i'll make hashbrowns again the next day, but this time i will take a spicy approach (cayenne, chili powder, chili flakes, etc.). by having a variety of spices, you can really increase your dish quota tenfold.
i realize that some of these staples seem obvious - this is usually the case with staples. for example, having a kitchen without flour would seem odd, but many people tend not to cook from scratch anymore - this leaves flour virtually unnecessary. therefore, i have included some obvious ingredients within my staples because nowadays you just never know...
what are your kitchen staples?
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
easy dill pickle dip
since making the change from vegetarianism to veganism, all that i crave is dill pickle dip... unfortunately, most are made with sour cream or cream cheese - in fact, i could not find one dip without milk ingredients. so, i headed to the kitchen..
easy dill pickle dip
1 can mixed beans (i used unico)
1 cup chopped pickles (i used homemade)
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 scallion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried dill
place the beans, pickle juice, garlic and spices in the blender and pulse until you reach desired consistency. if you have problems getting the blender to mix, add a bit more pickle juice - the beans are extremely starchy and can cause blenders to "give up." when i made it, i added a lot more pickle juice to get that vinegary punch - this could be achieved with plain white vinegar as well. once the mix has come together, fold in the chopped pickles and scallion. voila.
note: i realize that this dip does not taste exactly the same as its milk-filled counterpart; however, it is an easy way to get a bit more protein in your vegan diet, and it satiates salt/sour cravings. depending upon the type of pickle you use, the amount of pickle juice and salt may change. make sure you taste it prior to adding more salt/spices.
this little dip also doubles as a spread - i use it on crackers, and even sometimes similar to a hummus on a sandwich.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
easy dill pickle dip
1 can mixed beans (i used unico)
1 cup chopped pickles (i used homemade)
1/4 cup pickle juice
1 scallion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp dried dill
place the beans, pickle juice, garlic and spices in the blender and pulse until you reach desired consistency. if you have problems getting the blender to mix, add a bit more pickle juice - the beans are extremely starchy and can cause blenders to "give up." when i made it, i added a lot more pickle juice to get that vinegary punch - this could be achieved with plain white vinegar as well. once the mix has come together, fold in the chopped pickles and scallion. voila.
note: i realize that this dip does not taste exactly the same as its milk-filled counterpart; however, it is an easy way to get a bit more protein in your vegan diet, and it satiates salt/sour cravings. depending upon the type of pickle you use, the amount of pickle juice and salt may change. make sure you taste it prior to adding more salt/spices.
this little dip also doubles as a spread - i use it on crackers, and even sometimes similar to a hummus on a sandwich.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
Sunday, February 26, 2012
oatmeal, granola and sushi
so, today was a relatively boring day. i woke up early, had breakfast, watched tv, and headed out the door to work. unfortunately, work was pretty dead, so i thought about how hungry i was - all day. and having forgot my snack at home, i was not very happy. anyways, i started the day off right with some oatmeal. i like to customize my oatmeal so i don't get tired of it. today it was: plain oatmeal, dried cranberries, raisins, brown sugar, granola and rice milk.
i didn't used to like dried fruit, now i find myself craving its sweetness. has anyone else ever experienced this? i've also found my sweet tooth is a lot easier satiated with an apple or fruit - this is awesome!
my favourite meal of the day is breakfast - i love fruit, grains, and being filled throughout the day. therefore, i tend to eat a lot more at breakfast, while eating less over the day.
some of my other favourite oatmeal "fixings": almonds, maple syrup, fresh berries, coconut milk, puffed wheat, toasted/untoasted coconut, carob chips, peanut butter (all natural).
to me, oatmeal is a blank canvas - what it lacks in flavour, it makes up for in substance. therefore, i mix thousands of things into my oatmeal in order to differentiate it from yesterday's. please do not get bored of my oatmeal - it will definitely be a constant.
for dinner, i had a sushi date with one of my best friends - we go for "sushi sunday." because she fully supports my veganism, we stuck to vegan-friendly rolls.
i started the meal with some miso soup - i realize that this is packed with sodium. it's a weekly ritual though - i'm not budging. then, i munched cucumber (kappa) rolls, avocado rolls, cucumber and avocado rolls (i know, redundant), and vegetable rolls. we also ordered vegetable tempura, but i found it fairly greasy and unenjoyable.
after all of this, i'm eating crackers and homemade dill pickle dip. i'll hopefully post that recipe tomorrow - it is delicious and protein-packed.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
i didn't used to like dried fruit, now i find myself craving its sweetness. has anyone else ever experienced this? i've also found my sweet tooth is a lot easier satiated with an apple or fruit - this is awesome!
my favourite meal of the day is breakfast - i love fruit, grains, and being filled throughout the day. therefore, i tend to eat a lot more at breakfast, while eating less over the day.
some of my other favourite oatmeal "fixings": almonds, maple syrup, fresh berries, coconut milk, puffed wheat, toasted/untoasted coconut, carob chips, peanut butter (all natural).
to me, oatmeal is a blank canvas - what it lacks in flavour, it makes up for in substance. therefore, i mix thousands of things into my oatmeal in order to differentiate it from yesterday's. please do not get bored of my oatmeal - it will definitely be a constant.
for dinner, i had a sushi date with one of my best friends - we go for "sushi sunday." because she fully supports my veganism, we stuck to vegan-friendly rolls.
i started the meal with some miso soup - i realize that this is packed with sodium. it's a weekly ritual though - i'm not budging. then, i munched cucumber (kappa) rolls, avocado rolls, cucumber and avocado rolls (i know, redundant), and vegetable rolls. we also ordered vegetable tempura, but i found it fairly greasy and unenjoyable.
after all of this, i'm eating crackers and homemade dill pickle dip. i'll hopefully post that recipe tomorrow - it is delicious and protein-packed.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
Friday, February 24, 2012
"fool" proof granola
hello all! i'm starting today off on the right foot - did an assignment, ate breakfast, made coffee, read my horoscope, contacted my school about my master's degree.. now what? well, last night i decided to make granola, and i thought i would share the results/recipe with you. this is an extremely versatile recipe - i changed many things based on their availability. in fact, most of the ingredients were already in my pantry. convenient and simple.
"fool" proof granola
dry
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, chopped (you can leave them whole, they just won't distribute as evenly)
2 tbsp ground flax
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
handful of golden raisins
handful of dried cranberries
wet
3 tbsp all natural peanut butter (could use almond/other nut butter)
2 1/2 tbsp applesauce**
1/4 cup golden corn syrup (didn't have brown rice syrup)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
**i would stick to unsweeted applesauce. as much as possible, i use homemade - so i used homemade apple sauce made from last year's crabapples (which translates to sour).
stir together the dry ingredients (large bowl). stir together wet ingredients - you may want to heat the ingredients sans extract, then mix and add extract (medium bowl). mix the wet into the dry until combined. place on parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 325 F for about 35 minutes - stirring every 10-12 minutes. make sure that you have a nice even and thin layer, rather than a bulky uneven mess.
note: cooking time will vary - i prefer my granola nicely toasted and crunchy, as i eat it as cereal or in my oatmeal. i want texture! this granola does it.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
"fool" proof granoladry
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup almonds, chopped (you can leave them whole, they just won't distribute as evenly)
2 tbsp ground flax
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
handful of golden raisins
handful of dried cranberries
wet
3 tbsp all natural peanut butter (could use almond/other nut butter)
2 1/2 tbsp applesauce**
1/4 cup golden corn syrup (didn't have brown rice syrup)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
**i would stick to unsweeted applesauce. as much as possible, i use homemade - so i used homemade apple sauce made from last year's crabapples (which translates to sour).
stir together the dry ingredients (large bowl). stir together wet ingredients - you may want to heat the ingredients sans extract, then mix and add extract (medium bowl). mix the wet into the dry until combined. place on parchment lined baking sheet and cook at 325 F for about 35 minutes - stirring every 10-12 minutes. make sure that you have a nice even and thin layer, rather than a bulky uneven mess.
note: cooking time will vary - i prefer my granola nicely toasted and crunchy, as i eat it as cereal or in my oatmeal. i want texture! this granola does it.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
Monday, February 20, 2012
this is my final plea with my body - i am tired of constant aching and illness
i recently decided to make "the switch" from not-so-strict vegetarianism to strict veganism. i have suffered from stomach aches and discomfort for the past six or seven years - so far, the pain seems to have subsided. i am currently on day 14 and i have yet to sneak or cheat.
the main benefits i've found:
when i initially adopted the diet, i underestimated the change that it would have in my life. because i had barely eaten meat for the past four years, i figured there was little change in giving up other animal byproducts (which, by the way, is a disgusting word). the first day, i made cookies. cookies are my weakness - i started out with an oatmeal cookie, and finished with a carob chip - these two easily made it into my cookbook.
ashley's vegan oatmeal cookies
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup rice/coconut milk (can use soy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
whisk together peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients - voila. drop onto an oiled baking sheet and bake at 425 F for 8-10 minutes (until tops are golden brown). remember these are oatmeal cookies, so they will seem undercooked, but they will continue to cook once out of the oven - and they will harden up.
ashley's vegan carob chip cookies
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola/veg oil
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup carob chips
in one bowl, stir together dry ingredients (other than carob). in a second bowl, stir together syrup, oil and vanilla. combine oil mixture with flour mixture and stir until combined. fold in carob chips. drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
i would have included a picture of the cookies (and i plan to in the future), but there are none left.. i've just put another batch in the oven, so hopefully later on i will be able to present a picture. if you are a vegan with a sweet tooth (as i am) - these are for you! these two recipes got me through the "snacking times" at which i would usually have prepackaged sweets.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
the main benefits i've found:
- a lot more energy
- much better sleep
- higher degree of concentration
- a lot more organized
when i initially adopted the diet, i underestimated the change that it would have in my life. because i had barely eaten meat for the past four years, i figured there was little change in giving up other animal byproducts (which, by the way, is a disgusting word). the first day, i made cookies. cookies are my weakness - i started out with an oatmeal cookie, and finished with a carob chip - these two easily made it into my cookbook.
ashley's vegan oatmeal cookies
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
2 tbsp canola oil
1 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup rice/coconut milk (can use soy)
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
whisk together peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. mix the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl. mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients - voila. drop onto an oiled baking sheet and bake at 425 F for 8-10 minutes (until tops are golden brown). remember these are oatmeal cookies, so they will seem undercooked, but they will continue to cook once out of the oven - and they will harden up.
ashley's vegan carob chip cookies
1 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola/veg oil
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
3/4 cup carob chips
in one bowl, stir together dry ingredients (other than carob). in a second bowl, stir together syrup, oil and vanilla. combine oil mixture with flour mixture and stir until combined. fold in carob chips. drop onto parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
i would have included a picture of the cookies (and i plan to in the future), but there are none left.. i've just put another batch in the oven, so hopefully later on i will be able to present a picture. if you are a vegan with a sweet tooth (as i am) - these are for you! these two recipes got me through the "snacking times" at which i would usually have prepackaged sweets.
xx take care, animal-friendly followers
ashley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)