Making the Transition – Part 3

Today we’ll focus on something I’m admittedly new at: sourcing ingredients.

I’ll be honest – if I can’t find an ingredient locally, I either look for an alternative or I don’t make the recipe at all.  This is one of the reasons I love Donna Klein’s books.  There are no funky, hard to find ingredients, with one exception: tamarind.  But I know how to sub for that, so it’s never been a deal breaker for me.  And just because I can’t find it locally doesn’t mean you can’t find it in metropolitan areas…or even downtown Hartford.

But now I’m starting to branch out.  I’m wanting to make more complicated ethnic dishes and while the ingredients aren’t really funky, they can be hard to find for me.  So here’s how I find shelf-stable ingredients:

1. Check the ethnic isles in your major grocery stores.  Sometimes it’s quite surprising what they actually carry.  Then check discount stores.  I can get chili garlic sauce at The Christmas Tree Shop and they also carry lots of Italian ingredients.  If you have access to a natural food store, check there as well.  These stores also usually have bulk bins so you can try ingredients without committing to huge quantities (something I should have done with the nutritional yeast I bought…)
2. Check Amazon.  I’ve been able to find tamarind paste and asefetida there with ease.  You can also get lots of the specialty grains like spelt & millet from major brands such as Bob’s Red Mill.
3. If you’re looking for something produced by a specific brand, check their website.  Two that I know offer mail order service are Amy’s and Bob’s Red Mill (but only because I’ve checked for something I couldn’t find locally).
4. If all else fails, Google it.  Or Bing it, if that’s your preferred search engine.  Both have the capability to search for shopping results.

I’ve also got two more recipe sources for you, one that I just forgot about and the other I’m new to: Whole Foods and Punchfork. Whole Foods has a great search tool and have partnered with Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD and T. Colin Campbell, PhD from Forks Over Knives, among other leading experts, on their Health Starts Here program.  Punchfork is more of a visual board of currently trending recipes from multiple sources.  You can set it to Vegan and watch all the beautiful and yummy looking photos pop up.  It’s a dangerous way to waste time…

What am I missing?  What are your biggest hurdles (that I might be able to help with – only you can give yourself time) to making healthy changes to your diet?

Making the Transition – Part 2

Today I’ll focus on resources for information on living a plant-based lifestyle, specifically with regard to what to feed yourself.

There are lots of reason to follow a plant-based lifestyle, but I’m focused on my health.  Yes, I believe factory farming should be outlawed due to the inhumanity AND the effect it has on those who consume those animals.  Yes, I agree that animals have feelings too.  But I’m not doing this for ethical reasons.  I’m doing this because it’s what’s best for my health. Frankly, I find it a lot harder for someone to argue with you when you tell them you don’t eat meat for health reasons.

I spend an inordinate amount of time looking at recipes and trying to decide what I want to make.  I’m one of those people who really don’t eat the same 10 things…I’m constantly looking for something new.  Below, you’ll find where I look for recipes as well as some of my favorite cookbooks, the ones I always go back to.

Websites:

• Vegetarian Times – Some of the recipes here can be hit or miss.  Pay attention to the reviews, but more than that, as you become accustomed to vegetarian and vegan cooking, you’ll be able to tell by the ingredients whether or not it’s something you’ll like.  Personally, I stay away from EVERYTHING that contains fennel.  So not a fan.
• Fine Cooking – They have a whole section for meatless cooking.  I’ve only had one recipe not be spectacular from them.
• Food & Wine – This site has excellent search capabilities.  There might have been one or two recipes that I’ve made from them that wasn’t great.
• Cookstr – This is essentially a site that collects recipes directly from cookbooks.  There are lots of vegetarian recipes on this site.
• Eating Well – There aren’t as many vegetarian and vegan recipes here, but if you have specific goals as far as your waistline is concerned, this is a good resource.
• Whole Living/Everyday Food/Martha Stewart Living – There are some great looking recipes on these sites.  My only complaint is that they don’t seem to add NEW recipes to their vegetarian and vegan sections very often.

Cookbooks

• The Tropical Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein – All four of these books by Donna Klein are really my go-to cookbooks.  I return to them repeatedly.  What I love about them is the complete lack of faux-meats and cheeses.  The emphasis is on foods that already exist in the cuisine without meat or cheese.  If you find you’re having meat or cheese cravings, these will help you through.
• Vegan Italiano by Donna Klein
• The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen by Donna Klein
• Supermarket Vegan by Donna Klein
• How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman – This book, like Bittman’s other How to Cook books, is an excellent resource for new things you don’t know how to cook.  Don’t know what to do with barley?  It’s in there.  Want to make your own seitan?  That’s in there too.  There are sauces, different types of veggies…it’s just great.  I use it like a dictionary or encyclopedia.
• The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen – If you like to entertain, this is your book.  It’s beautifully laid out with great directions.

Consider signing up for the site newsletters for the websites and borrowing the books from the library before you buy them.  The newsletters are great for putting new recipes in your inbox on a daily or weekly basis, some you might overlook in a search but like.  And there’s nothing worse than purchasing a cookbook based on a suggestion only to find that it doesn’t suit your needs or tastes.

Veggie Pasta Bolognese & Caesar Salad

Disclaimer: Today over on Gilt Taste, Ruth Reichl posted her version of Caesar salad along with some history.  While I wish I could say we were in collusion on this matter, sadly, we were not.  Sigh…

I am a chronic recipe saver.  I have a bookmark folder that is extremely long.  I have a document of “Recipes to Try.”  And now I have a pinboard over on Pinterest. Because I save recipes in too many places and, well, compulsively, I often lose track of what I have saved.  Today’s bolognese recipe was one of those saved but overlooked recipes.

I came across this recipe through a subscription to Kripalu’s newsletters.  A few years ago I promised myself that one day I would make it there for a weekend of yoga and meditation.  The first time I made this recipe, I was struck by the overwhelming amount of rosemary.  The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons!  Because I like rosemary, I proceeded to use the full amount.  It was very rosemary-y.  When I set about to make it a second time last weekend, I realized what went wrong – the recipe doesn’t specify fresh or dried herbs, just an amount.  2 tablespoons was meant to be fresh rosemary, not dried.  I had used dried.  (The appropriate conversion for fresh to dry is 1 tablespoon fresh = 1 teaspoon dry.)  This time I used basil, parsley, thyme and oregano.  Two words: much better.

The Caesar salad recipe is an adaptation I developed a few years ago from a Caesar vinaigrette recipe.  I had been racking my brain trying to figure out how I could have a Caesar salad without egg and anchovies.  I was very leery of trying anything with silken tofu and still am.  Then T said the magic phrase: use dijon mustard.  Using capers in place of the anchovies, vegan Worcestershire, and dijon in place of eggs not only works, it’s so good I don’t miss traditional Caesar salad.

Because all I changed was the type of herbs used, I will just direct you to the recipe: Vegetable Bolognese. Just remember, their recipe doesn’t specify the state of herbs used…I assure you they are using fresh herbs.  If you aren’t vegetarian or vegan and want to be a bit naughty, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of warmed (so it doesn’t curdle) half and half once you’ve shut the stove off.  I cooked mine for a good 3 to 4 hours.

Caesar Salad – Serves 4-6

2 romaine hearts, chopped, washed and dried
Croutons
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
1 – 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (from half a lemon)
1 tbsp capers, drained
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire (Amy’s is a national brand that makes good vegan Worcestershire.)
1 – 3 cloves garlic (depending on your tastes)
Fresh cracked black pepper
Parmesan Cheese to taste (for the cheese eaters)

Place the romaine, croutons, and cheese (if using) in a large bowl.  In a mini prep machine, whiz the remaining ingredients.  Taste with a piece of lettuce and add more black pepper and/or lemon juice if necessary.  You can also mix this in a small bowl by hand with a whisk.  Empty the dressing into the bowl with the lettuce, croutons and cheese and mix together with clean hands.