Cinnamon-y Roasted Veggies

Here's a recipe from Amanda R.

She says, "I have a recipe I got out of my Vegan Recipe book that James and I absolutely love, so I wanted to share. It sounds a little weird, but it is totally scrumptious!"

Give it a whirl -- credits for the recipe appear below

Cinnamon Roasted Veggies

1 small butternut squash- bite size cubes
1 sweet potato - bite size cubes
1 small red bell pepper or half of a bigger one - bite size pieces
2-3 shallots chopped (Purple Onion works if you can't find Shallots)
Olive Oil
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coriander

Chop up Veggies and spread in a 9 X 13 baking dish. Drizzle Olive oil over veggies and stir to coat. Add Spices and stir again to make sure the veggies are evenly coated. Bake for about 45 min. at 375 degrees or until veggies can be pierced with fork.

Recipe credits:
"La Dolce Vegan! Vegan Livin' Made Easy" by Sarah Kramer

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Rantings of an Overloaded Newbie

Take all the blogs, websites, advice, recipes, and mix in a helping of being behind in Christmas preparation and you've got a recipe for me ... on overload. :o)

I realized last night when I tried sorting and organizing my new bookmarks for all these raw, vegan, healthy websites and blogs (I think I'm approaching 200), that I am overwhelmed and quickly moving to shut down mode on it all. Not good!

Even wading through websites looking for recipes is overwhelming. "what if my family won't eat it, what if it's nasty, what if I waste my $$ and time and then still have nothing fit to feed them." It needs to be nutritionally balanced and I can't neglect to insure that food combinations are done properly. My customary "go-to" meals are definite "no-go" meals now, if I want to be healthy. And it seems to defeat the point if I fix raw/vegan for me and feed them something different. And I do feel guilty if I, for time, convenience, or lack of other ingredients, resort to feeding them typical fare. Sheesh!

In theory I know that healthy is best but have been programmed for all my life in a different fashion. Re-learning can be interesting but tiresome. I'm grateful that I have the ability to make this choice without any serious health issues prompting the change. However, because of that same fact the motivation for my change can wane. I think I will be great at this in the summer with all sorts of fresh fruit and veggies, but beginning this at the onset of winter might have been insane. ;o)

However, I am confident that my impending weight loss (yes, I am believing for it to come) will be a powerful motivator in and of itself. Now, if I can stand firm until then.

Ok, rantings are now over and we're moving on ...

Melodie B. sent me a link to this site. It's has a video documentary on what happens when folks from different walks of life -- all with diabetes -- go raw for 30 days. Check out the short trailer for the project.

Raw for 30 Days Documentary

It hasn't been released yet and it isn't the 'feel good film of the year' -- emotions run high and they don't sugarcoat some of the reactions - but it is yet another item in the mounting evidence that raw/vegan/non-processed foods are the way to go and the answer for so many.

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Vegenaise Salad Dressing

I pray everyone had a fantastic time with family celebrating the holiday and reflecting on the many things for which we each have to be thankful. I spent time with my family and friends this weekend and enjoyed some great food as well.

For a transitioning person, I think the holidays (which hold many fond traditions regarding food) will be the toughest to get used to. So ... this holiday was a mixed bag of raw, vegan, and traditional items in our household.

One really scrumptious item was something Tricia made: Vegenaise Salad Dressing
It tastes much like ranch dressing but yummier!

She mixed up the following items to taste:

• Vegenaise (grapeseed oil)
• Rice Milk
• Tarragon
• Mrs. Dash original seasoning

She said that she just added the last three items to the Vegenaise in a blender and continued adding until she had the amount, consistency, and taste that she wanted. I don't know that I can replicate it exactly but plan to give it my best shot.

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Wowser ... I am SO trying this!

OK boys and girls. Just a quick entry before I commence to scrubbing my house in preparation for company this weekend.

I just checked my Google Reader and found a recipe that is SCREAMING to be attempted for Thanksgiving. Seems I will brave the store later today to grab ingredients that I lack for this one.

So ... run, don't walk, over to the FatFree Vegan Kitchen blog (have I told you how much I adore this blog?????) for her --- drum roll please ---

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

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I've located a few more local resources that might be of interest to some of you out there.

Local Resources:
Shannon Rose Live! -- local lady with raw classes, recipes, and information.
Beautiful on Raw -- featuring reviews, resources, books, and more from Cordova, TN

Nashville Raw Foods Support Group -- found on meetup.com
As stated on their website:
"Gain support and encouragement from other raw fooders in the area and share meals, recipes, books, ideas and friendship together on a monthly basis. This group is for everyone interested or just learning about raw foods as well as for those that are stuggling or have already "gone raw." You don't need to be 100% raw, all eating paths and lifestyles are respected."

You can also find a list of other local farms and such on these posts:
Local & Noteworthy, part 1
Local & Noteworthy, part 2

Recipe link from Trisha G.:
Trish recently sent over a recipe that her crew liked a lot and I tried it with mine. I'm including the content of her email in this post so you can see the substitutions she made. I think I will try these substitutions next time with my family too.

Hi ladies! Just passing along a recipe that I served tonight. The kids and I loved it, Brian ate it all and said it was good, but said it's not his favorite. I'm ok with that. ;-)

Here's the link. I grew up with my Polish step-dad's family serving cabbage rolls at family meals. LOVE those! This is very similar, but in a much easier casserole form.
I made a couple of substitutions. I used a bit more cabbage than the recipe called for, substituted Kashi pilaf for the rice and used two cans of diced tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce and added a bit more water. It says to cook until the liquid is absorbed, but with all the liquid from the tomatoes and extra water, that would have been hours. I just watched it for the cabbage to be good and tender. It was yummy!! My boys asked for more and more until we finally just had to make them stop eating. That's when I knew they liked it.

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Whole Foods, Kale, and Soup Reviews

Melodie located a page over at the Whole Foods Market website featuring Thanksgiving and other holiday recipes.
Check it out here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/freshnew/index.html

* Not all of them are vegan (or even vegetarian) so read carefully if you are staunchly vegan for the holidays. For everyone else that is transitioning these might make for good inclusions for this holiday season.

Whole Foods Market also has a list of quite a few blogs they publish. Here is one for the "Whole Body." The latest entry is for mineral makeup that is good for you.


Kale
Kale is a little powerhouse of a plant. If you need proof, just follow this link to learn more
(link was on a post from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen blog)

I gotta tell ya ... I love that blog and the recipes she's postin'. If you haven't looked through her stuff, you SO need to. Last night both Sandye and I made the Rustic Red Kale and White Bean Soup (see post below that links to her recipe) for our families. It was SOOOO yummy!!!

We both had two thumbs up from the entire family on it (except Steph because I totally overdid it on the pepper with mine -- yowser was it hot!) It was so good that my hubby said I could make it everyday if I wanted to.

But I gotta tell ya ... it is one of those soups that makes you want to snuggle under a blanket while enjoying a roaring fire in the fireplace and watching a good movie with family gathered around. It's also one of those that makes you crave a hunk of crusty bread to go along with it.

YUM!!

Now, go on, rush out to the store and get the ingredients because you know you want to make it!

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Pumpkin Hummus

Speaking of using things up that are in the pantry ...

I found this recipe for Pumpkin Hummus over at ChooseVeg.com and I think I'll make it to use up some of those canned veggies. Yes, I know canned are not the best option, but ....

So, the link above is for the video of the preparation. Here is the link to the actual recipe you can print: Pumpkin Hummus Recipe. The recipe is courtesy of Everyday Dish


Fall Recipe Share:
If you have a great recipe that screams "Fall Flavors" please consider sending it over so that we can share it with everyone. (Tonda ... if you are reading this, I want the recipe for the roasted Sweet Potatoes that we had at Pastor's Appreciation Day - hee hee!)

Here are a couple I found but haven't tested yet:

• Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping
• The Best Vegan Green Bean Casserole
• The Vegan Holiday Table

Please pass along any that you may have found or created.

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Dabbling in the Vegan

So, in making the move to healthier living I'm making a list to try an entire week of Vegan only dinner meals. I'm still using things up that are in my pantry and working toward a much better form of cooking. So, this is my first week of full-on purposeful recipes.

With the cooler temps and leaves turning to fall colors, I find myself drawn to soups this week. Here are two that I plan to put on this week's menu:

• Rustic Red Kale and White Bean Soup
• Yellow Split Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

I'll be sure to post reviews on the soups once I make them.

Two thumbs up for Miso Soup, by the way. My hubby and I have made a couple different concoctions (dependent of veggies in the crisper) with the Red Mellow Miso and found it quite palatable. :o)

Recipe from Melodie B:
Melodie submitted this recipe for Taco Nut Meat

• 1/2 cup almonds, dry
• 1/2 cup walnuts, dry
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon coriander
• 1/3 cup EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• 2/3 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce

Process all nuts in food processor. Place nut meat into mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.
Will keep for 4 days in fridge. We used it in a wrap and totally enjoyed it --- Melodie B.

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Going to the Amazon (.com, that is)

So, I figured now is as good a time as any to highlight some books over at Amazon.com. Some are cookbooks, some are instructional, but all feature even more "healthy discoveries." So, enjoy!

I don't own all of these but they looked interesting. I did see the Miso one at church - Pastor had it.

You can click on the slideshow below to activate it and then hover over the book you want to know more about. Additionally, you can click directly on the book to go to that page in Amazon.com



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Blogs to read and ... a Challenge!

Sorry for the many days without a post! Let's take a look at some blogs today that I have been introduced to in recent weeks. (Again, please note that I do not condone 100% of everything a website - or blog, in this case - contains.)

Side Note:
Before I dive into the blogs, I just want to mention a quick upgrade that was added to this blog. You will notice a 'chat balloon' icon near each link now. You can hover over that to see a preview of the website that is linked.

Quick Lesson on RSS:
For all my non-geek readers :)

If you aren't familiar with the benefits of RSS, you might want to acquaint yourself with it. To put it quite simply, an RSS file 'feeds' information to any device that checks it. This allows you, the end user, to subscribe to any RSS and receive automatic notification of updates to the feed WITHOUT having to physical check each website or blog. Nice, huh?!?!

OK, so how do you use that feature? Simple.

Choose an RSS/feed reader and then plug in the feed address of any blog (or RSS file) and the reader does all the work. For instance, I utilize Google Reader to keep up with all the blogs I regularly follow. I then use iGoogle as my homepage and it lets me know when the reader has new content. Easy as pie!

I currently track over 50 blogs this way and have them organized into folders. This saves me SO much time and effort because the reader does all the work and then I skim through the entries and read the ones that interest me. So, give it a try. Go over to www.google.com to get started.


Now ... on to the blogs:

Fat Free Vegan Kitchen: Pastor introduced me to this one. Her blog features recipes and other tidbits of healthy living info. I like the great photos of each of the recipes, and the archives run all the way back to Dec 2005.

• She's even got a HUGE list of other foods blogs that she follows. Check the list out here.
• Also, you should really look at the parent website to which this blog belongs. http://fatfreevegan.com/ -- you will find absolutely TONS of recipes there as well.

Raw Food, Right Now: I realize not everyone is a full-on raw foodie, but they have interesting recipes and good tips to boot. A recent post featured Chewy Chocolate Freezer Fudge. Sounds yummy!

• This blog features a list of other Raw Blogs. See the list here
• Sign up for their Free Mini eCourse on how to make Raw Ice Cream

The Raw Divas blog: I introduced their website in the last post and wanted to include the blog in this one -- just in case you missed it.

• Check out the links in the right hand column for more blogs
• They even feature workout tips and ideas. See this one on Poi

The Daily Raw Cafe: Here's another one that I just started reading. Interesting recipes and I also noticed that they link to two other blogs

• The Daily Raw Recipes
• The Raw Test Kitchen - where you help test the recipes

We like it Raw: This seems to be a conglomeration of news, recipes, and links to other Raw websites and blogs. Check out the interesting post on The Importance of Organic Tea. To learn more about this blog, check out this page.

The Challenge:
So, now that I've introduced you to a few of the many blogs I follow, here's your challenge. Find a blog -- Raw, Vegan, or other Healthy lifestyles - that you like and think has information worth sharing and send me the link. I'll post a list of the blogs for everyone to enjoy.

(In case you are having trouble finding one ... visit one of those listed above and then check out the blogs that they link to. )

This challenge will end on Friday, October 26 -- so get your entries in ASAP.

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iTunes Finds

I have this love/hate relationship with podcasts. I love them for their content and convenience (I don't have to remember to check each website), but hate them for incessant downloads of irrelevant items. I find myself constantly halting the download midstream ... but I digress.

Anyway, I checked out iTunes to see what goodies it might be hiding in regards to healthier living. Here are a few I unearthed:
(The iTunes link will take you directly to their podcast info on iTunes. We'll revisit the websites in a minute.)

• The G Living Network: iTunes
  Website: http://gliving.tv/


• The Eazy Vegan: iTunes
  Website: http://tastebetter.com/features/eazy-vegan


• Delicious TV (Vegetarian Video): iTunes
  Website: http://delicioustv.com/


• A few honorable mentions:
  Vegan Cooking School: http://www.podsumer.com/vegancookingschool/
  SuperCharge Me: http://www.30daysraw.com/
  

Each of these websites and podcasts offer a different look at healthy cooking (or uncooking, as the case may be). Let's take a little closer look at each one and I'll highlight some of my favorite parts of each.

Delicious TV:
Chef Toni Fiore's television show highlights Mediterranean cooking with a vegetarian flair. The recipes look simple enough and her on-air personality is pleasant to watch. She also makes the recipes look easy for any skill level. I have yet to try out any of the recipes (this "journey" is still so new) but I am adding the Pumpkin Chili and several of her soups to my 'must-try' list. Plus, who wouldn't want to try her Tofu Cannoli with Chocolate Bits!!

The website offers an Episode Guide and full Recipe Listing. I imagine not all of the recipes featured there coincide with uber-strict vegan or raw diets but not everyone perusing this blog does either.

Her blog also features some interesting recipes not listed elsewhere on the site and helpful tidbits of info as well.

The Eazy Vegan:
This is actually a subpage of another website (please see caveat in upper right-hand corner of this blog). Basically, their subpage recaps the latest entry in their podcast/rss feed. They have a lot of recipes and the podcast is in video format which helps.

I might give the Apple Cinnamon Granola a whirl or the Carob Walnut Fudge.

*As with any of these sites, if you do try out a recipe, please comment on this blog to tell us what you thought about the recipe (taste, ease of preparation, etc)

The G Living Network:
I think I saved the best for last on this short list of sites today. True gourmet and LOTS of variety. This site features multiple chefs and each one has some exceptional looking recipes! I actually have started a HUGE list of recipes to try from this site. (Pastor, if you're reading this, I know you'll like this site) :)

Where to start on this one ...

Some of the links inside the site don't work, but don't let that deter you. The layout is a little overwhelming but cool at the same time. The first thing you will notice is that this is Green LIVING -- so not everything on here pertains to cooking/food.

oh yeah ... one other note: This is listed on their website

G Living is the next generation lifestyle simply called “G”.

Sounds a little like some Sandye might have, eh?

OK, let's jump right in!

Under the Green Chefs category, they list recipes and have videos for you to watch. I've already watched several videos (and I just found this site about two hours ago).

Of course, Ani Phyo (mentioned yesterday) is listed here and her Portabella Mushroom Steak with Mushroom Gravy is featured.

Vanessa Sherwood's "Some Like It Raw" also looks interesting and has several recipes I want to try. Among them are: Asian Noodle Salad, Chocolate Walnut Biscotti, Mango-Avocado Salad, Lemon-Strawberry Trifle, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, and Fresh Raspberry Tart.

I'll review more of the chefs tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out the site and comment back with some of the recipes you are looking to try!

Oh, and be sure to check out the INDULGE section of the site. I think I want to make just about every recipe listed there!

Ciao~

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