Archive for October, 2007

  • Cooking Light with Healthy Recipes by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    Cooking tips and great ideas about cooking lite with easy recipes.

    We all have very little time for putting together healthy meals; even those who are retired and those who are stay-at-home working people.  This collection of cooking tips and free recipes is meant to make you feel like you just graduated from cooking school…well, maybe not quite.  And don’t forget cooking for a crowd.  With a little planning, easy recipes can make it a snap!  Well, here goes…

    Tip 1.  Think of the foods you are passionate about.  We all know that “Million-dollar Success Stories” are created by people who are passionate about their work.  Passionate…what a word!  The same goes in the kitchen.  If you like it and want it, you will be successful.

    Tip 2.  Determine your cooking situation: cooking for 2, cooking for 1, cooking for a crowd, cooking with simple recipes, cooking for kids, cooking gourmet, etc.

    Tip 3.  Allow yourself the freedom to stock a pantry in your favorite cooking style:  Italian, South West, Country Home Cooking, Southern Cooking, etc.  When ingredients are on hand, cooking becomes fun.  Check your selected recipes for any additional shopping needs.

    Tip 4.  All cooking styles can be vegetarian and delicious!

    Tip 5.  Presentation, presentation, presen…

  • Health, Wealth and Happiness by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    I don't know about the "Wealth", but the "Health and Happiness" can be found right in your own kitchen! Daily nutrient recommendations can be met with a vegetarian diet. The American dietetic Association (ADA), has good tips and resources pointing out the need to focus on protein, iron, calcium, zinc and vitamin B 12. I have selected a few recipes from VegWeb to help get you on the health and happiness trail.

    Protein – beans, nuts, nut butters, peas and soy products:
    Beef Stroganoff You Thought You'd Never Have Again!

    Iron – whole wheat breads, peas, some dried fruits (apricots, prunes, raisins), spinach, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, turnip greens, molasses and iron-fortified cereals:
    Yummy Mock Chicken Salad – This is incredible, easy and inexpensive!
    Spinach Casserole

    Calcium – soy products (tofu, soy milk), some dark green leafy vegetables (collard greens, turnip greens, bok choy, mustard greens), fortified breakfast cereals, and calcium fortified orange juice:
    Soy Delici…

  • Garbanzo Beans aka Chickpeas by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    Here is my first challenge to anyone who is reading this post:
    It is not unusual for people to say, "I don't like chickpeas!" Below is an amazing recipe using this often unwanted bean. Wait! It's delicious! Just try it!

    Reasons for you to wrap your arms around this versatile legume? OK…

    1. Good source of iron and protein
    2. Has low glycemic carbohydrates (the best kind)
    3. Low in calories and fat free
    4. Cholesterol lowering fiber
    5. Contributes to heart health (folate and magnesium)

    Again, a reader over at VegWeb ( http://vegweb.com ) introduced me to this recipe, and now I'm sold on this bean…hmmmm…maybe pizza topping. Yeah! Of course, there are tons more chickpea recipes at VegWeb.

    Garbanzo Tacos (submitted by burch)

    Ingredients (use vegan versions):

    2 cans garbanzo beans
    1 packet taco seasoning (any brand)
    lettuce
    lard-free tortillas or hard taco shells
    tomatoes
    onions
    salsa
    any other items you like on your taco

    Directions:

    Dump both cans of beans into a skillet (but use the liquid from only one can).

    Dump in the taco seasoning. Stir and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

    Add beans and other ingredients to your tacos, burritos, and/or taco salads.

    Especially good recipe for those who aren't…

  • Video: Tofu Video Lesson by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    Cooking with tofu and finding tofu recipes can be very easy in today's vegetarian market. Internet sites like VegWeb.com are just loaded with information and tofu recipes on how to cook tofu. I hope this article is helpful and that you learn new ways for cooking with tofu.

    Tofu, or bean curd as it is some times called, is made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. It is a food of Chinese origin. Acid type coagulants are used for silken and softer tofu. Salt coagulants are used to make a more firm tofu and adds calcium.

    Commercial tofu comes in aseptic packaging (does not need refrigeration) and has a shelf life of one year. Water packed tofu requires refrigeration. Silken tofu is soft, firm or extra firm. Regular tofu is firm or extra firm. In some cases the soy milk is curdled directly into the packaging and others are allowed to cool, become firm, cut into pieces and in some cases, flavored or further processed.

    The process of freezing tofu makes it a meat-like texture to be used in easy tofu recipes. The moisture creates ice crystals which in turn create layered cavities. After thawing the tofu, it is then squeezed or pressed to remove the moisture. This can be done by…

  • Video: BBQ Tofu by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    It doesn’t take long to get the hang of cooking with tofu, and making BBQ Tofu is a hit with veggies and non-veggies alike.  There are many different BBQ Tofu recipes on VegWeb, and I have listed a few below.

    For these recipes, it is important to use firm or extra firm tofu, remove from the package, drain liquid and freeze.  Freezing and thawing gives tofu a different, almost meat-like texture.   Directions for thawing and pressing out the water can be found on my Tofu Video Lesson page.

    There are many different brands of tofu sold at almost all markets and main-stream groceries.  After a while, you will find your favorite brand and style.  I buy tofu by the case at an Asian market.  I pour off the water, place tofu sections separately on baking sheets and place in the freezer.  The next day I put it in plastic zipper bags and return to the freezer.  All this takes a while, but I sure appreciate it later.

    I hope you enjoy the recipes, and that you learn something new from the BBQ Tofu video.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Happy, healthy cooking!

    BBQ Tofu – (baked) by Timbo

    BBQ Tofu – (charcoal …

  • Vegetarian Cooking Schools by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    The following vegetarian cooking school list is researched from the Internet.   Clicking on the school title will go to the school’s web page.  This list of cooking schools is not personally indorsed by myself or VegWeb, but it has been put together for your convenience (location of each school is in bold print for quick reference).  I will be happy to check out additional vegetarian cooking school web sites…just let me know the name.

    Natural Kitchen Cooking School
    P.O. Box 373
    Princeton, NJ 08542
    (646) 283-9470
    www.naturalkitchenschool.com
    Email: info@naturalkitchenschool.com
    Classes/services in New Jersey & Manhattan Chef's Training (Whole Foods Market, Princeton) Personal Chef Service Private Cooking Lessons, Classes & Parties

    Delicious Deliveries
    Pagosa Springs, Colorado
    Email: quintess@care2.com
    Vegan, healthy cooking classes and workshops on cooking and wholistic health.
    Vegan catering and wholistic health consulting for about 15 years.
    Telephone consulting.
    Check out the web site and contact by email for more information.

    Natural Gourmet Institute
    48 W. 21st St., 2nd Floor
    New York, NY 10010
    (between 5th and 6th Ave.)
    211-645-5170  x109
    Email:  admissions@naturalgourmetschool.com
       Chef’s Training
       Public Classes
       Cooking Retreats

    The Cor…

  • Vegetarian Indian Cooking Basics by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    Welcome to the world of Indian cooking…very flavorful and exciting dishes.  Listed here are the basic spices and ingredients to put together some delicious vegetarian Indian recipes.   Use this list for reference when selecting a recipe.  Most are found in main stream groceries and some ingredients are available in Indian groceries.  Ready made spice choices help those of us who are busy but want to expand our cooking experiences.

    Ginger  -  Fresh or ready made paste or a ready made ginger and garlic mix

    Garlic  -   Fresh, ready chopped, ready minced or garlic paste

    Onions  -  Your favorite onion and particularly the regular yellow onion

    Green Chilies  -  Finger hot chilies (use with caution), jalapenos and Anaheim peppers

    Fresh Cilantro  -  (commonly known in India as coriander leaves)

    Red Chilies  -  Fresh (fiery red or orange pods), dried or crushed

    Goan Red or Kashmiri Chilies  -  Add vibrant color and less pungent flavor

    Red Indian Chili Powder  -  Much hotter than Paprika which is a mild form of chili powder

    Turmeric Powder  -  Bright yellow powder…be careful, can stain plastic or wooden utensils

    Coriander Seeds and Coriander Powder  -  Make your own powder in a mortar or food grinder after dry roasting the seeds  -  Aromatic fragrance

    Cumin…

  • Video: How to make General Tao’s Tofu by Renee

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    General Tao's Tofu happens to be the most viewed recipe in the VegWeb.com data base.  Be sure to check out the 30 (at this writing) photos.  I want to thank the folks at VegWeb for the use of their recipe data base in my videos.

    General Tao's Tofu – submitted by rubybean77

    As always, Peace in Your Kitchen!

    Renee

  • Byte of Beans by Patty "Sassy" Knutson

    Monday, October 29th, 2007

    Byte of Beans
    By Patty "Sassy" Knutson

    BEANS

    Raise your hand if a bored feeling washes over you when you think of beans. Lordy knows I felt the same way for years.  In fact, I went vegan back in 1994, but didn’t add beans to my diet (steadily) until just two years ago. 

    Why? 

    Well, the reason sort of centers around pure laziness — I never took the time to learn how to make beans from scratch.  Beans from scratch just seemed like such a time-consuming task for something that bored me to tears.  Of course, there's always canned beans, but if you're anything like me you shy away from anything in a can whenever possible.
     
    But you know what?  Beans are pretty cool little powerhouses and not boring in the least.  With the advent of learning the "bean ropes" comes a natural understanding of how these little guys work – the difference soaking them first can make, how to add them to your diet in fun ways without eating just a “plate of beans” every day, that perfect “bite” you’re searching for that signals the end of the cooking time, the various flavor changes that can be brought to a dish simply by changing the type of bean you us…

  • The Happy Vegan – Back in Action

    Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

    Wow guys, sorry I’ve been gone for so long…
    Sometimes life just gets in the way… but now I’m back in action: educating America with facts about what they’re putting in their mouths…
    Hey, if you have any article ideas, let me know. Also, if you have an article that just wants publicity, I can’t give it [...]