Did I Mention That We've Gone Vegan???

It might be time to change the name of this blog, since two-thirds of our family are now eating a vegan diet. Well, strict vegans probably wouldn't include us in their midst since we still wear leather shoes and have no plans to get rid of the leather couch or strip the upholstery from the cars. So just suffice it to say that we now eat a plant-based diet. The two who now eat no meat are my hubby and me; the kid thinks we're crazy and still isn't willing to give up the pork. Yet. (Insert scheming mom icon here.) So the bacon reference is now kind of inappropriate. I'll have to think of something clever, although "Bringing Home the Tofu" just doesn't seem to have the same zip to it.

We got to this place out of an ever increasing need to improve our ever increasing waistlines and to hopefully reverse the health problems that have been piling up in recent years. A chance encounter of the tail end of a show on PBS led me to Dr. Neal Barnard's "21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart." I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their health. Dr. Barnard has a gift for simply and thoroughly explaining the way your body processes the food you eat. And he seduces you into trying a plant-based diet by offering you a 21-day trial run, giving you an out if you find you can't hack it. But if you're like us, what you'll probably find is that you enjoy it much more than you thought you would. And you'll feel better. And you'll lose a little weight. And your skin will feel smoother, and you'll throw out all those bottles of Tums in your medicine cabinet.

Granted, we started out with the advantage of over 16 years experience of using dairy and egg substitutes, which has been a tremendous help. So overall, this has been much easier than I would have thought, and it's actually more fun not planning our meals around meat. We regularly shop the local farmer's market, and since we live in a semi-tropical climate, we'll have fresh local foods well into the fall season. I'm experimenting with all kinds of things, so I'll try to post the best ones. Last night, I made veggie lasagna, and another new favorite is tomato pie. I'm still perfecting them, so that'll come later.

In the meantime, check out Dr. Barnard's website. Who knows - you might just go vegan with us!

Whole Grain Pancakes

I'm still craving those delicious blueberries I bought at the farmer's market last week, so I tossed some in a batch of pancakes this morning. I have a pancake recipe I've been using for years, but I have to use egg replacer in it, and I'd like to get away from doing that. After my success with the muffins last week, I searched the web for a dairy-free, egg-free pancake recipe that doesn't use boxed egg replacer. I found one at a beautiful site I'd never seen before, so that was a bonus. Now I have a new dairy-free site to peruse. It's called "Alisa Cooks."

Although Alisa's recipe looks yummy, I had a couple of other criteria to fill for mine, namely reducing or eliminating sugar and fat, so I tweaked it a little, and man were they GOOD! I think I've finally got this pancake thing perfected. Good reviews from my boys, too. These are very filling - I made them big, like you'd get at IHOP, and the teenager could only eat half of one. His dad and I put away two each, and we are stuffed. But in a good way. Next time, I'll use bananas and walnuts instead of blueberries, or maybe some apples. This recipe makes 5-6 large pancakes.

Barley and Whole Wheat Pancakes with Blueberries
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup barley flour
2 teaspoons baking powder*
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1 unsweetened applesauce cup (about 1/3 cup)
1 cup vanilla soymilk (add more as needed to thin the batter)
Handful of fresh or frozen blueberries - indulge yourself!

Use a whisk to mix flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add agave nectar, applesauce, and soy milk and stir until blended. Let batter rest and rise for a minute while you get your blueberries ready.

I like to use frozen blueberries. They're less juicy before they're cooked. If you toss them in some flour before adding to the batter, that keeps them from sticking to the pan. So toss away and shake out the excess flour by throwing them into a colander or strainer. Now they're ready for the batter. Mix well.

Heat your skillet over medium high heat. I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread to grill my pancakes. Spoon in about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake. You may need to turn the heat down to medium low as they cook. These are thick cakes and need time to cook through, so you don't want the skillet too hot. Flip them when little holes start appearing on the outer edges and the bottom is golden brown. You may need to flip them a couple of times to make sure they're done all the way through.

Top with a dollop of Earth Balance and whatever syrup or fruit you'd like. Healthy, filling, and delicious!

*I changed the amount of baking powder to 2 teaspoons instead of 2 tablespoons. The larger amount leaves an aftertaste, and you just don't need that much baking powder.

Yummy Blueberry Muffins!

We loves us some blueberry muffins in our house! Even the picky eater will devour blueberries if they're served up in a muffin. I just found a new recipe and tried it out this morning, and oooohhhh baby! These things are good! I think this is the best I've ever made. I like to use whole grains, but sometimes they come out a little too dense for my taste. This muffin is very moist and light, and the fresh fruit flavor just permeates the whole thing. Yum!!!

I adapted the recipe from one I found at Holy Cow Vegan Recipes. Here's my version:

Whole Wheat and Barley Blueberry Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup barley flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 unsweetened applesauce cup (about 1/3 cup)
1 cup soymilk
1 cup (or more!) fresh or frozen blueberries

Mix dry ingredients with a whisk in a large bowl. Add applesauce and soymilk and mix until just blended. Toss in blueberries and stir gently.

Lightly oil muffin tins or use cupcake liners. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are slightly browned.

Cool for 5 minutes, then ease them out using a thin knife. Makes 12 muffins.

Enjoy!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies...In the World!

Well, probably not, but my son likes to say they are. And he somehow goads his friends into telling me this, as well, no doubt to encourage me to bake them more often. At any rate, it took me a long time to get this recipe right since I can't use eggs. This is actually just a version of the classic Tollhouse recipe, which is what my mom always made for us. And THOSE were the best cookies in the world!!!

The cookies above are all that remain of those I made today for Eric's ROTC family night dinner. I must say, they were yummy - especially when they were still warm from the oven!

I found a wonderful vegan website that has a video using all the ingredients I was already using, and I picked up a couple of tips there, too, like mixing the egg replacer in my Magic Bullet to mix it better and make it foamy. Here's their/my recipe:

Eric's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Earth Balance* (Earth Balance is the best, as far as I'm concerned, but you can use any other non-dairy butter/margarine)
3/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I add an extra teaspoon. Just because...)
Egg Replacer for 2 eggs**
2 cups (12-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips - Ghirardelli is good.

1. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl.
3. Add egg replacer; gradually beat in flour mixture.
4. Stir in chips.
5. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
6. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Earth Balance can be found at Publix, Whole Foods, Earth Fare, other natural health food stores.

**ENER-G Egg Replacer is a brand-name powder mixture of vegetable starches that simulates eggs in baking. It can be used in recipes calling for unbeaten eggs, egg whites beaten stiff, and egg yolks. It can be found at Earth Fare, Whole Foods, and other natural health food stores.

Click here for a video of the ladies on the website making the cookies.

Baking Tips
What makes cookies soft and chewy?
High moisture content does; so the recipe, baking time, and temperature must be adjusted to retain moisture. Binding the water in butter, eggs, and brown sugar (it contains molasses, which is 10 percent water) with flour slows its evaporation. The dough needs a little extra flour, which makes it stiffer. The stiff dough spreads less, less liquid evaporates, and the cookies are thicker.

Mass also helps cookies stay moist--big dollops of dough make softer and chewier cookies than tiny spoonfuls of dough. Bake these thick cookies for a shorter time at a high temperature to firm them quickly and minimize spreading. Most important, don't bake them too long--remove from the oven when the cookie rim is brown and at least 1/3 of the center top remains pale. The cooked centers will be soft.

Why are some cookies cakelike instead of chewy?
A little extra liquid in the cookie dough from water, egg, or milk makes the dough more elastic and adds steam as the cookies bake, making them puff more.

What's for Dinner? Bacon!!!

My son is bacon CRAZY!!! He could eat bacon every day, at every meal. He even has a t-shirt that reads "Bacon is meat candy." Gee, wonder where I got the name for this blog...

Since we don't want to turn him into a giant walking nitrate, I buy the natural stuff, even though it costs more. This week was the first time I'd bought bacon at the butcher's counter. We were in Earth Fare, buying the pork chops on special, and there they were - two big ole piles of bacon! Naturally, Boy Wonder couldn't resist asking for some. So I bought a pound, even though it was a little pricey. I figured we could splurge since we were getting the pork chops so cheaply.

I gotta tell ya, this might be the best bacon I've had since childhood! I cooked up the whole package this afternoon, and we'll have some of it with dinner tonight. I figured the best complement to pork would be...um...more pork!

So here's what we're having for dinner tonight:

8 boneless all natural pork chops ($3.63 for 1.73 lbs at Earth Fare after coupon for 1 free pound)
Mushroom and onion gravy (Portabella mushrooms $1.99 at Publix, onion about $1)
Green Giant baby lima beans (50 cents/9 oz. box at Publix on sale w/coupon)
Smashed red potatoes with cheddar soy cheese, Tofutti Sour Supreme, and BACON! (All stuff I had on hand, so I don't know the exact prices.)
Baby spinach (no more than 50 cents for these portions)
Cornbread (see recipe below - all ingredients on hand)

I'll serve the hot pork chops on a small bed of fresh spinach leaves and add some gravy. This way the spinach heats up but doesn't get shriveled and limp.

For dessert, Tofutti ice cream for the allergic kid, and Ben and Jerry's for Mom and Dad. B and J was a sweet bargain! Got it at Publix, BOGO for $3.79. I used a $1/2 manufacturer's coupon and two $1 off Whole Foods coupons to give me 2 cartons for 79 cents! Yowza!!!

That's makes this dairy-free (except the B and J), egg-free, gluten-free dinner for three priced around $10.00, including dessert. I'll reserve a pork chop to make a salad for my hubby's lunch tomorrow which will save him at least $6.

Here's the best eggless, dairyless recipe I've come up with for cornbread:

Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour (I use spelt or barley, but use whatever you like)
1/4 cup sugar (use less to taste)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup plain or vanilla soymilk
1 unsweetened applesauce cup

Mix dry ingredients with a whisk. Add soymilk and applesauce. Pour into oiled muffin tin or 8x8 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top it off with Earth Balance spread. Yum!

If you're interested, here's how I'm cooking up the chops:

Boneless Pork Chops with Mushroom and Onion Gravy
Marinate pork chops in Italian dressing with a little Worcester sauce thrown in (about an hour; longer if you can). Next, brown chops in bacon grease from this afternoon. (I know - this is NOT heart healthy, but it tastes soooo good! And I don't want to waste the grease. I would normally use olive or canola oil.) Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Saute one chopped Vidalia onion in remaining grease. When onions start to brown, add sliced mushrooms; season with a little paprika and garlic powder, and saute until everything's brown and crusty and yummy looking. Remove from pan.

For the gravy, pour off excess grease and add about a cup of hot water to the pan. Let this come to a boil and use your whisk to scrape up all the good stuff stuck to the bottom. While this simmers, add about a tablespoon of flour (spelt or otherwise) to a cup of cold water. Take a fork and stir it up good until all the lumps have smoothed out. Now pour it slowly into the pan and stir everything with your whisk. (You probably will want to add more water, enough to be able to simmer the pork chops in.) Let this simmer until it thickens; keep stirring so it won't stick and get lumpy. If you want it thicker, add more of the flour/water mixture. (Don't put flour directly in the pan; it'll just get lumpy.) Add salt and pepper to taste, then toss in the mushrooms and onions. Mix it all up and nestle those chops down in the gravy. Put a lid on it and let it simmer at least 30 minutes, but the longer the better.

Loaded Smashed Red Potatoes
Cut and boil the red potatoes (skins on) until tender, drain them, and mash in the same pot. Add some Earth Balance, and shred the soy cheese into the hot potatoes, mixing as you go to melt the cheese. Spoon in a dollop or two of Tofutti Sour Supreme and crumble up some of that yummy bacon in it. Salt to taste.

We use Vegan Gourmet soy cheese, the only one I can find that has no casein or dairy protein. It melts well, especially when shredded, and tastes pretty good, even if you're used to the real thing.

Okay, time for dinner!

It's in the Mail!

Okay, here we go - my first blog! Scary, huh!

Coupons!!!!! I love getting coupons in the mail, and they've been coming in pretty steady the past week or so. I'm still learning this coupon game, but one tip that's already paying off big is to call or email the companies whose products we use. Since we buy some slightly off the wall things to accommodate my son's food allergies, this is sometimes the only way to get coupons for them.

So....this week I mined this gold from my mailbox:

• $1.00 off the new Ritz Pretzel Crackers with a sample.
• Sample of Puffs Plus tissues and $3.50 in coupons.
• Two $1 coupons from Thomas (bagels). Pretty foil things with blue print!
• $11.00 in coupons from Tofutti (soy ice cream, sour cream, cream cheese, pizza). Yay!!!
• $25 in coupons from Mambo Sprouts. Sign up for their newsletter to get regular mailouts, and you can also print coupons from their website. Lots of good info on this site about organic foods!

Okay, time to spend these babies! Later!