Food Friday

So I will admit that this recipe has minimal nutritional value, but what it lacks in some ways it makes up for in many others. I have a sweet tooth and I have this combined desire that my sweets don't suck nutritionally, which is why I love this recipe - which is NOT mine:

Graham Crackers

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or a GF alternative (if using this consider adding a little tapioca or stabilizer)

1/3 cup sugar (unrefined preferably)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup oil (non-flavoured)

2 tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup rice milk (plus maybe an extra tablespoon or so), soy milk or water will work, too - I used vanilla hemp milk

1/2cup-3/4cup chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (worth the investment for you, the environment and your sanity)

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in oil, molasses and vanilla. Give the liquid ingredients a quick whisk with a fork and then continue mixing until everything is well combined and crumbly.

Drizzle in the milk and combine. Use your hands to knead the dough a few times until it holds together, add an extra tablespoon of rice milk if needed. Add ginger, knead a little to combine. You should be able to form a pliable ball of dough.

Roll, press, smush out into a rectangle on your silpat(or whathave you), trim the sides to make it a real rectangle if your neurotic like me and then score out the sizes you want. Bake for about 14 minutes, longer if you really like your crunchy.

Let cool completely on the baking sheet. And then if your like me, melt some 70% cocao dark chocolate and dip the ends in.

For this recipe and many wonderful others: http://vegancupcakes.wordpress.com/2007/07/04/graham-crackers/

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Food Friday!!

I have to say talking about food, dreaming about food and eating food of course... is about the only thing these days that keeps me from panicking about the upcoming dates, like Oh, Oklahoma fast approaching on the horizon at this pace it is likely to pass me by... but enough of that metaphor.

Healthy food can and often does get a bit monotonous, we have our go to meals and so on and so forth - at this moment Chicken Souvlaki for some reasons comes to mind as my go to meal, that or Pad Thai. If I could get my single self together and convince my roommate to eat meat - I know, I know the pseudo vegan should not be doing that... this is what we'd be eating and we will be eating on Monday night.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 lb ground lean beef or chicken, turkey, tofu crumbles, tempeh or whatever you want to use
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups veggies - mushrooms, eggplant (sliced or smalled diced), zucchini, peppers
1 bag frozen spinach
Seasoning - basil, oregano, thyme - whatever you would like to add
1 (29 oz) jar of organic "spaghetti"sauce - I use whatever is on sale at WF
1 package of whole wheat/spelt/alternative lasagna noodles - NOT PRE COOKED
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I detest cottage cheese) - OR Tofu Ricotta (firm tofu, raw cashews and nutritional yeast)
2 cups mozzarella cheese or TEESE

Note: The veggies will cook down, so understand that in relation to what kind of texture you would like.

Cook the meat (if using a veggie option - no need, though I would steam my tempeh to get the "flavour" out of it), onion, and garlic. Combine the remaining ingredients - the sauce and veggies

In the slow cooker, spoon a layer of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the slow cooker. Add a double of layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles. Break to fit the noodles into the slow cooker if needed. Top the noodles with a portion of the ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, and cheese until all the ingredients are used. Cover and cook on low heat in a slow cooker for 6-8 hours, or as I do, text your roommate or significant other to put it in the slow cooker and plug it in on their way to work, so that you when you return home from yoga can eat.

Vegan Vendredi

Vegan Fridays doesn't quite have the same wonderful alliterative quality to it. Veganism is one of those taboo subjects for many, especially runners who believe that we are best served by animal protein. I am going to say I'm on the fence - as post vegan (2 years) I felt substantially better as a vegan, however, it is a time consuming lifestyle for one person with a 8-4 job, 2 hours of commuting and post grad part time education on their plate.

When I have time I do make this as a way to use up whatever I've got going a little "sprouty."

1 potato
1 sweet potato
1 can rinsed chickpeas
1/2 yellow onion diced
1/4-1/2 c. hot water
2 T Indian curry paste

Combine the above, place on a cookie sheet and cook at 400-450F until tender - you do not need to grease your cookie sheet - if you're concerned about sticking a Silpat sheet is a wonderful investment for your kitchen. Add peas, raw cashews, chopped tomatoes or anything else you would like, spinach would be good too. Heat until warmed through, toss with cilantro. Serve with homemade roti, or you can purchase roti at large supermarkets. I normally have mine with mango chutney.