"What Do You Eat?" plus a Great Mayonnaise Recipe

A couple of days ago, I got the question again: “What do you eat?” This question had followed my answer to a previous one: “What do you feed your vegan Great Dane?” After I had given a breakdown of the homemade vegan cooked and raw food, and the homemade vegan kibble and vegan treats that I feed my Dane, the remark was “Your dog eats better than we do!”  I’m sure, in many cases, that is true.  My husband keeps telling me, “No one cooks the way you do any more. No one cooks from scratch anymore. No one cooks as healthy as you do. “

“No one?”

Of course, he is exaggerating a bit, but I am sure that a great deal of people eat only processed food nowadays. Processed food is any food that is heated, cooked, fried, refined, combined with at least one other ingredient, homogenized, denatured, packaged, pasteurized, etc.  If the food has been heated above about 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the precious enzymes are completely destroyed and many vitamins and other nutrients are degraded or lost.

Think about it.  Almost anything you buy at the supermarket that is from a package on the shelf, has reduced nutrient value in comparison with its fresh counterpart. If you want to eat healthy, you need to think, “Shop the perimeter of the store, where the fresh stuff is.” And, if you think about it, it’s even more limited than that. Stay away from the perimeter where the cut up animal body parts are, and the lactating fluid and chicken embryos are.

Cooking from scratch takes a lot of effort. It means that you might have to do some work in the kitchen when you’re already exhausted from a day’s work.  But the important thing to remember is that those fresh enzymes from raw foods, and the increased nutrient values from food made from scratch will inevitably add to your energy and strength. Most of all, healthy food will protect you from illnesses and strengthen your immunity. You will feel better, and you will have more energy, and you will not feel as exhausted.  Trust me, a vegan diet is sooo much more tasty.  The variety of foods and dishes in a vegan diet is vast, and it is vastly more flavorful. 

So, to answer the question of what I eat, I would have to say, “Everything! Everything except putrefying animal body parts, lactation fluid and chicken embryos.  I eat all vegetables, legumes, green leafy vegetables.  To make the meal look more appetizing to my husband who became a vegetarian in June of 2006, and a vegan in April of 2011, I serve things that look like a slab of protein, such as cutlets made of garbanzo beans, other legumes or grains, with mushroom brown gravy, so it looks more like a “standard meal”.  (For holiday dinners I serve a vegan roast, cooked and raw vegetables, mashed potatoes blended with olive oil and fresh garlic. I can make a vegan pumpkin pie that rivals any non-vegan pumpkin pie.)  We eat lots of raw vegetables. (You’d be amazed at the number of raw vegan cookbooks out there -- with the tastiest of recipes.) And then the question comes up: “Aren’t you afraid you’re not getting enough protein?” My answer now is “I’m afraid I’m getting too much protein.”  Why?  Dr. Joel Fuhrman (Eat to Live, Super Immunity) did a study, trying to put together elements in a raw vegan diet, and totaling the protein and, no matter the combination of vegan possibilities,  they could not come up with a diet that did not have sufficient protein.  The truth is, even romaine lettuce has protein! Excess protein has been shown to tax the kidneys and to age a person quickly. We all get plenty of protein.

When we are in Mexico, I don’t have as many temptations to eat processed food.  In the States, when I’m feeling lazy, I have to resist the urge to buy vegan mayonnaise, and make my own instead. It takes only a few minutes to make a jar of my own mayonnaise.  My jar of mayonnaise never sits on a shelf.  It must stay in the refrigerator because it contains no chemicals to preserve it. My favorite recipe for mayonnaise is from Vegan Vittles (1996 version), by Joanne Stepaniak. (The three books I recommend the prospective vegan to buy and use are: Vegan Vittles, Cooking with PETA, and Veganomicon.  (Easily ordered from Amazon.) The first two will give you recipes for the most basic of vegan substitutes, such as mayonnaise and sour cream (as well as other "down-home cookin' " recipes), and the third is a scrumptious vegan “Betty Crocker-like” cookbook, which will teach you how to cook from scratch easily, with joy and without fear.)

Here’s the version of Eggless Mayonnaise that I love:

LOW-FAT EGG-FREE MAYONNAISE

1-1/2 CUPS LITE SILKEN TOFU (FIRM) CRUMBLED (ORGANIC, IF POSSIBLE)

2 TBSP. OIL – I USE AVOCADO OR OLIVE OIL

2 TSP. FRESH LEMON JUICE

2 TSP. APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

1 MINI-SPOON OF STEVIA EXTRACT POWDER

HEAPING ½ TSP SALT

½ TSP PREPARED MUSTARD

 

1. Place ingredients in food processor or in blender and process several minutes (occasionally scraping sides) until very smooth and creamy.

2. Use at once, or transfer to a container and refrigerate.  Keeps for about a week or so.

 

That's all there is.  It's that easy, and it tastes exactly like regular mayonnaise. No, it tastes better!

New Vegan Pasta al Pesto Recipe

I've finally fine-tuned my pesto recipe so I'm happy with it.  This recipe makes a great deal of pesto, so if you are cooking for a few, or you're not that crazy about pesto you might want to cut the recipe in half. We love pesto, and pesto leftovers!

Kathleen’s New Vegan Pesto Recipe

 

[This first olive oil-mushroom-shallot step – marked in yellow-- is optional – BUT it gives the dish a unique, delicious, “full” flavor]. I usually make it without

the mushroom step.

·         Heat in a skillet over medium high heat:

1       TBSP          olive oil

Then add:

2 ½   cups          sliced fresh crimini mushrooms (or slice up portobellos)

¼      cup           shallots, minced

·         Saute for about 4-5 minutes. 

·         Place in food processor and blend until very smooth,:

1       cup           Silken tofu, drained (firm or extra firm)

½      cup           Pine nuts (or walnuts, or blanched almonds)

2       TBSP          Vegan Parmesan (Commercial, or Vegan Vittles
                         Recipe, or optional – can omit if you wish)

2-4    TBSP          Nutritional yeast (or if you omit vegan parmesan, can put                                
                         4 TBSP)

2       TBSP          Olive oil ( for more mouth feel, can put: ¼ or ½ cup)

2       TBSP          Fresh lemon juice

1/2    tsp.            Pepper (or less, to taste)

2       tsp.            Salt (more or less to taste)

4       cloves        Garlic (more, or less, to taste)

·         Taste to see if mixture needs more salt, then:

·         Add to tofu mixture in processor and process until in small, “pesto-size” green bits:

½      cup           Italian flat leaf parsley

1       cup           basil, (sweet Genovese)

·         Combine tofu mixture (and mushroom mixture, if you made it) and toss gently with:

Two 16      oz.    pkgs. Pasta (rotini, farfalle, fusilli, penne, etc. –something with a little “surface” to “hold” the pesto.

This makes a lot of pasta al pesto.  You may want to cut the recipe in half if you are cooking for two or four.  But make the full recipe if you like leftovers.  It’s great cold!

Potato Leek Soup

Leeks are those elongated, layered, root vegetables in the onion-garlic  (allium) family.  I remember learning about a lot of new, strange-looking foods at my mother's table, but, as far as I remember, even my Mom never made leek soup.  Leeks are a bit frightening when you first approach them, but once you learn how to clean and cook them, (and once you sample their subtle flavor!) they quickly become a preferred flavor in your meals. They offer a variety of vitamins (especially Vitamin K and A!), polyphenols and  minerals, and they are low in calories. Leeks possess a flavonoid, Kaempferol, which protects the heart.  High in the B vitamin, folate, leeks help to balance our levels of homocysteine, a factor considered to play a part in cardiovascular disease. If you are going to make a leek broth, you will want to wash the leeks, remove the toughest outer layer, cut the leeks in half lengthwise, wait 5 minutes (believed to enhance the nutrient value!), and then slice the halves again lengthwise several times, making it into a fan, so that it will cook quickly.  I think that the time to really clean the leek is after it is cut, but it may also remove some of the nutrient value.  All I can say is, if I separate the inner layers of the leek, I still find dirt, so soaking it after I cut is is my preference.  It is customary to use the lighter, white portion of the leek, cutting off the greener part. (At the farmer's markets in Paris, they will offer to cut the green ends off when you buy them.)  In Mexico, I use Microdyn (found at Costco and other stores in Mexico) in the soaking.  Microdyn is an inexpensive colloidal silver used as a sanitizer. There is also a Sam's version of this in Mexico, but I haven't seen this product in the U.S., so I usually take some with me when I go to the U.S. 

 

I think you're going to love this soup! It's a favorite in our house.

Potato Leek Soup

By Kathleen M. Gallier

Preparation:

Peel and coarsely chop into 1- inch cubes:

            Potatoes – 3-4 pounds

Cut into halves lengthwise, chop into ¼ inch slices and then wash:

            Leeks – 2 (white parts only)

Dice:

            Onions 1-2 medium to large (1 lg. is usually enough)

Mince:

            Garlic, minced – 1 tsp.

Peel and finely chop:

            Carrots – 4

            Celery Stalks – 4

Instructions:

In large soup pot, over medium heat:

Oil – 2 TBSP

Add onions, garlic, leeks and sauté until translucent.

(Note: if you are in a real hurry, omit the sauté and the oil, and just toss everything in to boil.  It's even lower in calories that way and still tastes exquisitely delicious.)

Add to this:

            Potatoes, carrots, celery

            Cold or room temp. water – 7 cups, or more -- enough to cover ingredients.

Bring to a boil on high heat and then add:

            Parsley – 1 tsp. dried or 1 TBSP fresh

Sea Salt - 1 tsp.

Lower heat to simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are quite soft and vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes).

If time, set mixture aside to cool.

Puree the mixture until smooth, in batches that your food processor will hold.

Return the pureed soup to the pot and gently reheat.

Adjust the seasonings.

Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Add water or soymilk if mixture is too thick for your liking.

Serve at once.

Serves 8 to 10 people.

 

Recipe: Hummus-in-a-Hurry

Ingredients:
1 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, rehydrated in hot water for about 10 min.
1 3/4 cups garbanzo beans ( or 1 can), drained and rinsed
3 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 TBSP. minced fresh Italian (flat) parsley leaves (opt.) (processed, or added after as a garnish)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. paprika

Instructions: Process first 9 ingredients until smooth and completely blended. Mix olive oil with paprika and drizzle over the top before serving.

Serve as a dip with crackers or oven-baked corn chips. Hummous is also great in a sandwich or as one of the ingredients in a pita sandwich.

Recipe: Quick and Tasty Vegan Party Dip- In – A – Hurry

Here's a Quicky Party Dip Recipe:

Ingredients:
1 container Tofutti Sour Cream (12 oz. container) or use one of the Sour Cream recipes below (I like to use a combination of recipes #1 and #2 or a combination of recipes #1 and #3.).
Approx. 1 tsp taco seasoning (kind with no MSG)
1-2 tsp. onion powder (or dehydrated chopped onion )
1 tsp dried garlic granules or garlic powder
1-2 tsp salt-free seasoning optional
1-2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 envelope Miso-Cup Delicious Golden Vegetable Soup, or equivalent package of onion soup, vegetable soup, (no MSG) or a veg. bouillon cube
Salt, to taste
Other herbs and spices, fresh or dry, your choice (For example: dill, thyme, tarragon, basil, etc.)
About 8-10 artichoke heart halves (canned in oil) (in water, less calories)
About 2 TBSP sun-dried tomato slices,pieces, or halves (canned in oil) (dried and rehydrated with water for less calories)
Instructions: Assemble all ingredients, place in a food processor, and process until well combined and artichokes and sun dried tomatoes are broken into small pieces.

Sour Cream Recipe #1 (Makes about 1 ½ cups)
Ingredients:
½ cup cashew butter
2 TBSP lemon juice
Salt
1 cup cold water

Instructions: Combine first 3 ingredients in food processor. Add cold water slowly until it reaches desired consistency.

Sour Cream Recipe #2 (Makes about 1 cup)
Ingredients:
½ lb. firm tofu
2 TBSP oil
1 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. sweetener, your choice
½ tsp. salt.
Instructions: Combine ingredients in food processor until blended.

Sour Cream Recipe #3 (Makes about 1 ¼ cups)
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups light silken tofu
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 TBSP tahini
¼ tsp. salt
Instructions: Combine ingredients in food processor until well blended.

Recipe for Vegan Spinach Pizza

My husband, who is vegetarian, but not vegan, loves the Spinach Pizza that Pizza Star in Menton, Southern France makes. Here is a recipe that I've been working on for a Vegan equivalent:

Vegan Spinach Pizza
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Crust:
1 pizza crust recipe (about 12 inches) (your choice) I'm lazy, so I let the bread machine mix the dough.)

Pizza mixture (enough for two pizza crusts):
Combine in a food processor and mix until well blended (smooth):
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least a couple of hours in hot water, changed twice. It's easiest to just start this in the morning.) Drain and rinse before using.
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (opt.)
Add and process (pulse):
1 lb. medium to firm tofu
2 TBSP lemon juice
Add and process (pulse briefly to mix -- not too long or the mixture gets very green!):
2 tsp. each, chopped fresh tarragon, basil, parsley
1 tsp. chopped fresh dill
Place mixture in bowl and mix with:
1/4 lb chopped fresh spinach (hard stems removed) or baby spinach

After rolling/spreading crust dough out and placing in pan, brush with olive oil and let it rise, covered, in a warm place, for about 15 min. Spread mixture onto pizza crust to within 3/4 inch of the edge of the crust.

(You can also top it with some artichoke heart halves, rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes, or any other topping you may choose. Don't worry if you have no toppings -- it's great just plain.)

If you want, spray the pizza with oil before placing it in the oven.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for around 10 - 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the edges of the crust are slightly browned.

(I'm also thinking about adding 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes to the mixture. I haven't done this yet.)

Why Not Chicken?

When people ask why I am a vegan, they usually want the short version of the answer. But the answer to that question is too broad, and impossible to answer in 1,000 words or less. So, let’s narrow the subject down a little as to the health reasons why I don’t eat birds or bird embryos. Many people who are trying to eliminate beef and pork from their diet, frequently turn to eating the carcasses of chickens, turkeys, and other birds, thinking that they are substituting a “healthy” protein alternative for red meat. One of the reasons that red meat is usually avoided is because it is replete with saturated fat. But people are misled if they think they are avoiding dangerous fat by eating the body of a bird. A three-ounce serving of chicken with skin has almost three teaspoons of chicken fat . (That’s saturated fat!) Without skin, the chicken still has 1.2 teaspoons of artery-clogging fat to create havoc in your bloodstream. And people who eat large amounts of animal flesh tend towards thin, easily-fractured bones, known as osteoporosis. The equation is simple: the higher the amount of excess protein, the greater the amount of calcium loss from the body’s bones, which exits through the kidneys. The countries of the world who tend toward higher consumption of poultry and other meats are plagued with higher rates of osteoporosis.

If you are not yet convinced to eliminate poultry from your diet – how about a nice plate of salmonella? Poultry is the principal carrier of this vicious bacterium. But, you say, the poultry that you buy is packed in a pristine Styrofoam and plastic-wrapped container. Salmonella is endemic in the poultry industry, with at least one in three of those pristinely packaged supermarket chickens infected with this bacterium that can kill or mame you. Not that bad, you say? Salmonella can cause severe dehydrating diarrhea, lung infection, infection of the nervous system, as well as a lingering arthritis, -- or, it can kill you. This is how salmonella insidiously creeps into your kitchen – chicken feed is laced with antibiotics, its volume is often extended with chicken manure infected with salmonella, thus producing infected chicken. (Yes, chickens are made to eat their own poopie!) (Beef feed is also extended with chicken manure, thus contributing to salmonella-infected beef.) (You may want to do an internet search for words such as “chicken manure as volume extender in poultry feed/ cattle feed”.) Kitchen knives, cutting boards, surfaces, and kitchen sponges easily spread the contamination to other foods in the kitchen. Salmonella is not the only potential danger. Poultry farmers have an unusually high rate of lymphoma, cancer of the lymph nodes, which is, interestingly enough, the most common cancer of chickens. It has not been conclusively proven that chicken lymphoma is directly linked to human lymphoma, but medical researchers who work with chicken lymphoma have contracted cancers of their own lymphatic system. Ignoring these facts will not protect you from being infected.

How about chicken eggs? An egg yolk has one of the highest concentrations of animal fat because Nature has designed it to be able to sustain the growth of a baby chick before it hatches. Egg whites are very high in protein, (too high for humans!), thus contributing to leaching out of calcium from our bones. Eggs have salmonella. Because chickens carry salmonella, they contaminate the INSIDE of their eggs with salmonella, before the shell is ever formed, so you can’t wash the salmonella off of an egg.

But, you may argue that chicken and eggs “taste so good.” I would disagree. Most of what you are tasting is the sauce and herbs and spices that have been added to the dishes. (Try boiling a piece of chicken flesh in water with no salt or flavorings of any kind, and tasting it.) And, anyway, are you sure that you want to eat something, solely because it tastes good? I’ve been told that antifreeze tastes good, but I also understand that consuming it can kill you. There are numerous alternatives to chicken and egg dishes, similarly flavored with sauces and herbs and spices, that are not harmful.

So, in a nutshell, the health reason why I don’t eat birds or eggs is: I want to stay as healthy as possible, so my later years will not be plagued with diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer (breast, prostate, pancreas, colon), arthritis, obesity, diabetes, kidney stones, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, auto-immune diseases like lupus, hypertension, high cholesterol and arteriosclerosis, diseases that many mistakenly look at as inevitable burdens of middle and later ages. (See, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health, by T.C. Campbell, and T.M. Campbell )

To avoid posting a blog of inordinate length, I will cite only two books. (They will cite all the other references.) If you turn off the hypnotic drivel that has been played over and over in Western society’s mind, and truly absorb the contents and meaning of these two books, you need never ask why a person might or should be a vegan. The two books are:
1) Vegan Freak by Bob and Jenna Torres (This is a short and easy read.)
2) World Peace Diet, by Dr. Will Tuttle (This explains EVERYTHING.)

I wish you long life, good health, and happiness.