Archive for category vegan/ vegetarian

cookbook review: Appetite for Reduction

Posted by Amy Steele in Books, vegan/ vegetarian on January 18, 2012

Appetite for Reduction , by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Publisher: Da Capo Press/ Lifelong Books (January 2012). Cooking/Diet. Paperback, 290 pg.

I love Isa. I use Vegan with a Vengeance and Veganimicon all the time. I follow her on twitter and read the recipes she posts on her website Post-Punk Kitchen. When I heard she’d written Appetite for Reduction, I knew I’d want to make some of the recipes part of my vegan diet. The cookbook contains 125 low-fat vegan recipes—salads, soups, chili & stews, veggies, side dishes, pasta, beans, tofu & tempeh.

Isa writes:
“Low-fat cookbooks can be a war zone for women. I wanted to create something fun and positive, something that would empower you in the produce aisle and give you a reason to sport that cute vintage apron. I want you to love your kitchen, love yourself, and, yeah, maybe to love tofu just a little bit, too.”

In using any of Isa’s cookbooks, I feel like she’s right by my side as I chop veggies or make soup. Appetite for Reduction features conversational language, side bar tips [cooking/shopping/basic food information], nutritional guides, nutritional tips and simple yet tasty recipes. I’m looking forward to trying many recipes in Appetite for Reduction.

Here are the recipes I tried:

Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa salad– delicious and easy. Makes a huge amount. Excellent mix of textures and flavors. Will absolutely make this again

Caulipots—a super yummy, quick and nutritious half-half cauliflower-potato mash. glorious comfort food without feeling to full or guilty.

Chili-Lime-Rubbed Tofu—relatively easy. Very tasty. I’ve actually never baked tofu. I just buy it at Whole Foods. So this is good. Perhaps a bit too much lime juice tangy when I expected more chili burn.

purchase at Amazon: Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

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Forks Over Knives: DVD/netflix streaming

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD, Film, vegan/ vegetarian on October 4, 2011

Forks Over Knives is one of the most effective documentaries about going vegan that I’ve seen [better than Food Inc. and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead]. It provided me with more arguments to use when someone wonders why I’m a vegan and if I’m truly getting all the proper nutrients etc. Yes I am. I feel better than I would if eating dairy or fish and I’ve not eaten meat since I was 18. Forks Over Knifes shows how doctors made a link between some of the most serious chronic conditions [diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease] and the consumption of a whole foods plant-based diet. Some of these conditions get completely reversed by changing one’s eating habits.

–40% of Americans are obese
–The U.S. spends $2.2 trillion on healthcare, which is 5x the defense budget
–Per person, Americans consume 222 lbs of meat, 147 lbs of sugar and 605 lbs of dairy annually
–increased dairy consumption leads to increases incidences of osteoporosis and hip fractures

for more info: Forks Over Knives website

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FOOD: White bean and artichoke dip

Posted by Amy Steele in vegan/ vegetarian on May 30, 2011

1 15 oz can cannelloni beans

1 can artichoke hearts

1/4 – 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2-4 cloves garlic, minced [add more to your liking]

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp basil

Combine all ingredients except for basil. Puree in food processor. Stir in basil.

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FOOD: Roasted acorn squash-couscous

Posted by Amy Steele in vegan/ vegetarian on March 1, 2011

1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1 c. couscous
2 c. water
1/4 c. dried apricots
1/4 c. golden raisins
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon

to roast the acorn squash, place the halves open side down on a baking sheet for approximately 25-30 min at 400 degrees. flip over and roast another 20-25 min. the squash should be easy to remove with a fork.

boil 2 c. water and add 1 c. couscous, reduce heat. cook for about 20 minutes until water absorbed.

remove squash from shells and stir into couscous.

add raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon and cut up apricots.

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Choice Quote: sexualization of eating meat

Posted by Amy Steele in vegan/ vegetarian on February 21, 2011

from New York Times

For a cultural observer like Carol J. Adams — a vegan-feminist intellectual who, in books like “The Sexual Politics of Meat,” has devoted much of her life to culling and analyzing images of women and food — the DIPE [documented instance of public eating] amounts to more than a playful wink. Sexualizing food, she argues, is a method of distracting carnivores from the gruesome reality of how their food is made.

“These images of women, whether they’re ads or they’re in magazines, they’re all saying the same thing: traditional consumption of women’s bodies and animals’ bodies is O.K.,” Ms. Adams said by phone from her home in Texas. “It’s like fraternity culture gone viral. ‘Consume what you want.’ And, ‘What you want to consume actually wants to be consumed.’ ”

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FOOD: Vegan Winter Mash

Posted by Amy Steele in vegan/ vegetarian on January 27, 2011

ingredients:

2 tsp cumin
2-4 cloves garlic
2 tsp sage
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
1 cup turnip, chopped
1 cup collard greens [any greens will work]
1 cup brown rice
1 cup orange or brown lentils
8 cups water

add olive oil to pan that’s on medium heat. add carrots, onions, cumin, garlic, sage and cook until onions and carrots are a bit softer. add in rice and two cups water. stir. add lentils and 4 cups water. mix in greens and turnip and 2 more cups water.

turn heat to high, bring to boil. lower heat and simmer approximately 40 minutes until liquid is absorbed and everything is tender.

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